Wander Women Wednesdays are back! This mid-week feature is all about highlighting an upcoming Wander Women Retreat, or a new aspect of our retreat business we’re excited about. With the remainder of our 2020 retreats rescheduled to 2021, we are thrilled to relaunch our third edition of Wander Women Red Sea!
Third time’s a charm — which is pretty exciting when the first two were so magical.
As I finished recapping our 2019 versions, I’m absolutely pinching myself thinking about the third edition of Wander Women Red Sea. Dahab charmed me from the moment I stepped foot there, and I feel so lucky to have this opportunity to not just return there over and over again, but to continue to introduce it to women from around the world.
And while all the elements that made my first retreat to Sinai a smashing success are back, I’ve made little tweaks here and there that I can’t wait to see come to life. Want to come, too? Nab one of the last few spots for our eight day women’s dive + yoga retreat in the remote desert paradise of Dahab, Egypt. This hidden gem, beloved by in-the-know travelers, is the Red Sea’s hippest beach town.
For this retreat I’ve partnered with PADI, the world’s largest diving organization, and H2O Divers, a female owned and operated Dahab dive center, to showcase all the most incredible diving opportunities the north Red Sea offers. Together we’ll take in some of North Sinai’s most famous dive sites, including The Blue Hole; complete a continuing education course of your choice in topics ranging from photography to freediving; go for a surreal UV night dive; and dive from shore, by boat, and get this — by camel!
Yup, you read that right. For one of the final nights of the retreat, we’ll travel to the remote Bedouin settlement of Ras Abu Gallum by camel, and spend the night at a local beach camp there. We’ll spend the day diving sites we’re likely to have entirely to ourselves, the night stargazing next to a fire, and the next morning practicing yoga on the beach.
Read more about the irresistible charm of Dahab here, and read more about the overnight Ras Abu Gallum experience here.
Joining us as the local dive leaders on this retreat will be Alex Heyes, owner and head instructor at H2O Dahab, and Jenny Lord, an accomplished underwater photographer and record-breaking tech diver. And of course, lil ‘ol me, an RYT 200HR Registered Yoga Teacher and 50HR Aerial Yoga Teacher, a PADI Divemaster and AmbassaDiver, and a long-time member of the dive industry as an underwater videographer, a writer for publications like Sport Diver and Scuba Diver magazines, and as the creator of Wander Women Retreats.
Speaking of yoga, daily classes on our private rooftop overlooking the Red Sea are included. We’ll explore vinyasa, yin, nidra, and partner yoga classes, as well as aerial yoga, too! And all along the way, we’ll explore the connection between scuba diving and yoga, both of which hold conscious breathing at their core. Don’t be surprised if your buoyancy improves and your dive times increase as a result of this retreat!
This isn’t a crazy, four-dives-a-day-every-day diving trip. And it’s not a militant, up-before-sunrise-for-meditative-breathing yoga bootcamp, either. It’s a fun exploration of a bit of both. And that’s not all – we’ve got bellydancing classes, sunset spotting, and pool time all on the itinerary too. Plus, plenty of time to wander the bohemian streets of Dahab, with its colorful cafes, ramshackle beach clubs, and cute artisan boutiques, where we’ll share meals, talk daydreams, and swap travel stories.
We also want to give back. We’ll complete a Project Aware clean up dive and a local beach clean up — and, as always with Wander Women Retreats, 5% of profits are donated to a local charity in the area, in this case the female-helmed Project Azraq.
Bonus — new profile picture practically guaranteed. You’ll end the retreat with access to a drive of professional photos, including underwater portraits by an award-winning underwater photographer. And every night, you’ll be sent a selection of the day’s best photos to share instantly on social media.
This retreat is available to all level of divers. We will match you to other divers at your experience level and have shared yet tailored experiences for all.
The Details
The cost of this retreat, including literally just about everything, starts at $2,700 USD.
What’s Included
• Six nights accommodation at a luxurious pool villa + one night accommodation in a Bedouin desert camp
• Seven breakfasts, four dinners, and three lunches
• Nine dives (plus an optional tenth)
• One PADI continuing education course of your choice
• Daily yoga, including an aerial class and a yin massage workshop
• A camel safari, an Egyptian cooking demo and an Arabic lesson
• Professional photos, above and below the surface
• A wow-able welcome bag
• All transportation, including transfers from Sharm El Sheik Airport or Taba Border
• 5% profit donation to local charities
What’s Not Included
• Alcohol
• Lunch
• Transport to and from Egypt or Sinai
• Dive equipment rentals
• Optional nitrox upgrades
• Mandatory dive and travel insurance
• Tips for dive guides
Oh, The Places We’ll Go
Subject to change, and expect surprises, but here’s the general idea.
Day 1: Arrivals and sunset yin yoga and a mini massage at our villas. Get to know each other over a group dinner with a basic Arabic lesson.
Day 2: After breakfast in the villa, head into town for some morning shore dives. Surface for an oceanfront lunch and sunbathing session. After sundowners back by the pool, enjoy dinner at a waterfront restaurant straight out of Aladdin.
Day 3: Pack your bags, we’re heading to the desert! After a camel ride along the coast, we’ll arrive at our home for the night, the remote bedouin settlement of Ras Abu Galum. After two dives exploring the area, you’re free to snorkel, make friends with camels, join our partner yoga class, or enjoy being lost in the middle of nowhere. At night, we’ll settle in for a traditional bedouin dinner and a stargazing campfire.
Day 4: After a chill yoga nidra meditation on the beach in Ras Abu Galum, we’ll pack up to head back to Dahab for a conservation day. After a clean-up walk into town, we’ll enjoy a plant-based lunch over a presentation from local female-run NGO Project Azraq. After, they’ll guide us on a Project Aware cleanup dive of Mashraba Bay! That night, choose between an optional night dive or fluorescent dive dive, and then dig into a pizza party back at the villas.
Day 5: After a morning vinyasa class, choose your own adventure — head out to the PADI Continuing Education course of your choice at the world famous Blue Hole and Canyon dive sites. At night, relax in front of an Egyptian cooking demo.
Day 6: After a rooftop yoga session, we’re grabbing falafels to go, because it’s our last day of diving — and we’re celebrating by exploring the dive sites of Gabr El Bint by private boat! Back on land, we’ll enjoy Egyptian wine poolside before heading out for a group bellydancing class and dinner. After, we’ll hit the town to show off our new moves ????
Day 7: It’s officially decompression day! In the morning we’ll head to a local studio for a relaxed aerial yoga session before a free afternoon to spend as you please. Shop at the artisan boutiques in town, go horseback riding, get a massage — we’ll be happy to help you set up whatever you wish. In the evening, enjoy a special farewell poolside dinner back our villa.
Day 8: Time to say see you later to all your new travel besties!
Where We’ll Stay and What We’ll Eat
We’ll be staying at a gorgeous seaside villa complex in north Dahab. With Arabic-inspired architecture, a luscious pool, and an onsite sauna, it will be a luxurious place to recharge between dives and desert adventures!
Shared rooms have two twin beds and private rooms have one double bed. Superior privates are larger and with a king sized bed. Of course you can room with a friend but if you’re traveling solo, fear not, so are most of our Wander Women guests! We’ll do our best to pair you with someone we think you’ll click with based on your intake forms — and we’ll all be besties by the end anyway. Rooms vary slightly by layout and view and will be assigned based on booking order.
Every morning we’ll have delicious healthy breakfasts and dinners at the villa and at favorite local spots. For lunch, which is not included in order to give you some freedom, we’ll typically dine as a group at local Egyptian restaurants where you can order as you please, though of course you are welcome to go elsewhere. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and other diets can easily be accommodated.
The Diving
The Red Sea is hailed as one of the greatest dive destinations in the world. With relaxed dive conditions, abundant marine life, and a diverse array of dive sites, Dahab is the perfect place to explore it. We’ll dive Dahab’s famous shore dive sites like Lighthouse, Blue Hole and Canyon, as well as visit the sites of Gabr El Bint by boat, and Ras Abu Galum by camel. We’ll do a Project Aware cleanup dive, and give you the opportunity to sign up for an optional night dive or a UV night dive.
Read more about diving in Dahab and about diving in Ras Abu Galum.
You’ll also get to take home a fresh new continuing education certification! For the Choose Your Own Adventure day, choose between the following courses. Each are one day PADI dive courses that include two scuba dives (with the exception of freediving, of course). Courses are first come, first serve — and you’re more than welcome to fun dive those dive sites too, if you’d rather sunbathe than hit the books on vacation.
Underwater Naturalist: Play Marine Biologist for a day! Learn about the Red Sea’s local ecosystem as well as the underwater ecology of the world at large. Dive into aquatic life groupings, interactions and information and discuss how to maintain responsible interactions with aquatic life.
Digital Underwater Photographer: Ace the shot! Learn about underwater photography techniques, how to interact with marine life, and editing tips. An underwater camera or a camera rental (which we can help facilitate) is required for this course. Read my review of a longer version of this course here.
DPV: Learn to fly underwater! Spend a day learning to dive with Diver Propulsion Vehicles, personal motors that allow you to scoot through the sea, gliding over reefs and around schools of fish. There is a $100USD surcharge for this course.
Basic Freediver: Try it without a tank! The “DSD” of freediving, Basic Freediver teaches basic freediving principles, practices breathhold techniques, and gets your fins wet in the introductory skills.
Enriched Air: Dive safer and stay down longer! An Enriched Air certification is good for life and will allow you to dive on nitrox around the world. Plus, it feels great. If you need a break from diving for any reason, this course can be conducted as a dry course. Read my review of a longer version of this course here.
Extend Your Adventure
Can’t fathom flying to Egypt and not seeing the pyramids? Us neither! Join our week-long Wander Women: Egypt retreat immediately preceding this one, taking in the wonders of Ancient Egypt in Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel. We’ll tour the pyramids, have a local henna party, sail down Nile on an overnight felucca, dance at a hip jazz club, browse markets straight from a movie set, marvel at ancient wonders like King Tut’s tomb — and practice yoga all along the way.
Travel seamlessly with me between these two retreats — and remember, guests attending multiple retreats receive 10% off all of them!
Come to Sinai!
Have some questions about Egypt, or just want to get a feel for if this trip is right for you? Schedule a 15 minute Zoom chat with me! Otherwise, don’t hesitate to email retreats@alexinwanderland.com.
For further information, including an extensive FAQ, information on getting to and from this retreat, payment plans and beyond, plus more about me if you’re new around here, check out the Wander Women Red Sea retreat sales page.
What’s Next
Find our full lineup of 2021 trips here — and sign up for my retreats newsletter to be the first to know when enrollment opens on future retreats.
We love nothing more than your feedback. If there’s a destination you’d love to see a retreat for, a theme you’re eager to attend, or just some general thoughts on what we’re working on here at Wander Women Retreats, we’d be honored to hear your thoughts.
Alright chicas! Who am I going to see at the Red Sea?
Another great post
I appreciate you reading all of them, Jo 🙂
Holy crap – that looks like the most extraordinary wonderful trip!!!!
Too bad I’m a Wander Man 🙁
Haha, sorry Rick 🙂 Appreciate the kudos though! It is a great one!
Oh, that sounds like an amazing adventure!
Thank you Annika! We really can’t wait — third times a charm and we think this edition will be the best ever!