Elegante Djibouti

Located in the Gulf of Aden at the entrance to the Red Sea, the East African nation of Djibouti is certainly an off-the-beaten-track destination. The Gulf of Tadjoura and Ghoubet Bay are among the best places in the world to encounter whale sharks that are abundant here from late October to early February. You can dive and snorkel with them too onboard the Elegante liveaboard, managed by an Italian operation with years of experience.

Elegante is a 25m long ketch sailing boat, powered by a 260 HP Iveco diesel engine, with a cruising speed of 10 knots. With a maximum capacity of just 14 guests, it is an ideal economy Djibouti liveaboard. There are 7 cabins onboard, each with its own private bathroom.

Meals are served in the open air towards the rear of the main deck. They are a mixture of rice or pasta dishes, with salad, fresh fish or sashimi, vegetable, and meat with sauce. Also at the stern of the yacht is a social area. Here you will find beds for lounging after a dive or sleeping under the stars. There is a small indoor saloon with a TV and DVD player that is used when it rains, and also a bar.

Divers prepare for dives on the deck of the Elegante mothership and 2 55 HP 5.75m motorised dinghies take them to all the best dive and snorkel spots. These tours are especially suitable for free-divers, snorkellers, as well as scuba divers of all experience levels. The saloon has charging points for underwater cameras and torches so that you won't run out of power just as the whale sharks arrive! During these liveaboard safaris, guests have the option to make day excursion to see the incredible landscapes of the salt lake of Assal.

Elegante has several important redundancy installations. It has 2 generators, 2 tenders, 2 compressors. These double systems ensure a smooth cruise experience, even if something should go wrong or there is an emergency. The only eventful liveaboard tours in Djibouti with Elegante and those that are memorable for the right reasons.

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Notes: Children of all ages are welcome to share a cabin with their parents on Elegante. Child 0-12 years - free of charge, child 12-16 years - US$ 413.

Dive experience: Just an Open Water Diver certification or equivalent is required to join and dive in Djibouti with Elegante.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, hot drinks, return transfers from local airport or hotels, dives (as detailed in the trips above), 2 experienced English-speaking divemasters, tanks (12 or 15 litre), belt and weights, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment rental (US$ 165 per week), port fees and local taxes (US$ 93), fuel surcharge (US$ 52), diving and travel insurance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash only - EUR and USD).

Optional extras: Soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, dive computer, torch (US$ 21 per week). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: Elegante's Djibouti liveaboard tours depart from the harbour in Djibouti City. Once you arrive at Djibouti International Airport (code JIB), a boat representative will greet you outside the arrivals hall. Major airlines that fly to Djibouti include Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air Djibouti, Air France, Ethiopian Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Fly Dubai and Kenya Airways.
Transfers are provided from the airport and take 20 minutes. Recommended flight is Turkish TK686 arriving at 6:50 am. Boarding takes place early morning since the boat leaves the harbour at 8 am.
The last dive of the trip will be at 10 am on the penultimate day before the boat returns to port by 5-5:30 pm. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving. Guests disembark at 8:30 am on the final day. Recommended flight is Turkish TK689 departing at 11:10 am.

Non-diver rate: US$ 52 discount off the published price.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin, or pay a supplement of US$ 671 for their own cabin.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 9 guests and 1 additional person can join the tour free of charge.

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 12 guests and 2 additional persons can join the tour free of charge (total 14 guests).

Gulf of Tadjoura (8 Days / 7 Nights - 12 Dives)

Trip highlights: whale sharks, shark action, dolphins, manta rays, schooling fish & big pelagics, non diving activities

Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, cage diving, caverns, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving

Dive sites and activities: Gulf of Tadjoura: Ras Eiro, Shark Island, The Dome, Ras Korali, Red Sands; Ghoubet Bay: Star Bay, The Crack, The Wall. Optional excursion to Lake Assal.

Day 1
A staff member will meet at Djibouti International Airport and transfer you to the harbour for boarding the Elegante liveaboard. The crew will greet you on board with a welcome drink and show you to your cabin. Since it is already likely to be late, there will be a detailed boat briefing on the next day, to familiarize you with your new home.

Days 2-7
This dive safari takes you to the Bay of Ghoubet and the Gulf of Tadjoura, in search of whale sharks. The whale shark season runs from November until the end of January, when these gentle giants arrive in large numbers to feed in the plankton-rich waters. The safari includes both scuba diving, snorkeling and free-diving opportunities to interact with the awesome sharks. It is a truly off-the-beaten-track destination that few people have visited, with over 300 km of coastline and many spots with an abundance of marine life to dive and explore. There are ship wrecks and pristine hard coral reefs, and dolphins, manta rays and even whales, are also sometimes seen in this stretch of sea. The tempting warm waters and lack of currents make for easy diving conditions that are suitable for both beginners and experienced divers.
All meals are served outside at the table, outside at the stern of the boat where the dining area situated. There is also a smaller dining area inside the saloon in case of rain. The meals consist of breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus there are some snacks and fruit. Drinking water, tea and coffee, soft drinks, and beers are available onboard. The food is typically a combination of Italian, international and local cuisine - rice, pasta, salad, fresh fish, vegetables and meat.
The morning of the final full day will be spent diving until around 2 pm, then the yacht will make its way back to port by early evening.

Day 8
Disembarkation is after breakfast. The crew will then transfer you back to the airport.

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[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].

Elegante has 7 cabins on the lower deck, each with its own ensuite bathroom: There are 5 twin bed cabins and 2 double bed cabins.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 6 / 6 - cold water