Elegante

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$ 418.

Dive experience: Just a 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.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment rental (US$ 167 per week), port fees and local taxes (US$ 94), 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.

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.

Diving Environment: Djibouti is located close to the Horn of Africa, in the Gulf of Aden and at the entrance to the Red Sea. The best known region is the Seven Brothers archipelago and there are relatively untouched soft and hard coral reefs, amazing drop offs and ship wrecks. You will have the opportunity to see large schools of fish, dolphins and manta rays. But the region is best known for its abundant whale sharks. Although they can be seen throughout the year, whale shark encounters are especially common from the middle of October to the beginning of February.
Over 200 species of coral are found in Djibouti, at the mouth of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, making it an extremely diverse ecosystem. Currents coming in from the Indian Ocean attract large marine animals such as the whale sharks, pilot whales, beaked whales, grey and nurse sharks, manta rays and dolphins. It’s also very common to see large schools of stingrays, barracudas and groupers.
All dives are done from the 2 motorised tenders. The visibility during whale shark season is about 15m (50 ft), but improves to 30m (100 ft) by April until early July. The water temperature from November to January is 26-28°C (80-82°F), and rises to 30°C (86°F) by April. A 3 or 5 mm wetsuit is recommended during whale shark season, 3 mm at other times. Khamsin winds blow from mid-July until early September, closing all dive operations.

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$ 680 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).

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