Photo : Hassan Gaafar — CC BY 3.0 — Licence Wikimedia Commons
Hurghada · Makadi Bay, some thirty kilometres south of Hurghada
Dolphin World
Dolphins, sea lions and a walrus, an hour of show — and captive animals, whether or not that sits well with you.
An open-air dolphinarium in Makadi Bay, half an hour's drive south of Hurghada. The show runs an hour, late in the morning: dolphins, sea lions and a walrus, narrated by instructors who switch languages for stands drawn from five countries. Afterwards you go down to the poolside for the photo session, or swim with the dolphins — that is booked, and paid for, separately. Shuttles collect from hotels in Hurghada, Makadi, Sahl Hasheesh, Safaga and El Gouna, which makes it a half-day outing without a car.
The extra bit
There is one show and no second one right after: the hotel shuttle often leaves an hour and a half ahead, so ask for the pick-up time when you book, not the evening before. In the stands, sit high and away from the water line — the front rows take the wave, which delights children and phones a good deal less.
Know before you go
This is a captive marine-animal park: the dolphins, the sea lions and the walrus live in tanks and perform for an audience. Some readers will not want to go, and it is better read here than at the ticket window. The rest is logistics: there is one show a day and it cannot be caught up if the shuttle runs late, the swim with the dolphins books out fast in high season, and the place is thirty kilometres from Hurghada — a taxi that drops you and drives off leaves you with no way back. The stands are open to the sky and unshaded: in summer, an hour sitting in full sun is paid for.
