Ras Abu Galum is a gorgeous reserve just north of Dahab. It’s good for snorkelling, but our favourite part of visiting was the coastal walk between the Blue Hole and the reserve. It’s a beautiful easy walk, taking you alongside crystal clear water, via secluded beaches backed by mountains.
Whilst most people will take a boat transfer to Ras Abu Galum, walking one way and getting the boat back makes for a fun alternative. It’s also better if you suffer from sea sickness as you can walk to the reserve and take the boat back, when you’ll be going with the waves instead of against them.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Ras Abu Galum coastal walk, and what the reserve is like when you get there.
The Blue Hole to Ras Abu Galum walk
The stats
Distance: 5.1km one way
Elevation gain: 70m
Difficulty: Easy
Starting the trail at the Blue Hole
We won’t go into details on the Blue Hole itself in this post because we have a whole guide dedicated to it, but it’s definitely somewhere you want to allocate some time before starting the walk as the snorkelling is fantastic.
You’ll find the trailhead for the coastal walk to Ras Abu Galum Reserve by heading through the El Fanar Cafe (you can find it on Google Maps by clicking here) and then up the stairs.
You’ll see the mosque to the left and the trail is on your right. The path can also be used by camels, but it’s otherwise just for walkers.
Walking between the mountains and the sea
The track itself is almost always an easy sandy path and it’s compact sand, so not hard to walk on. There are occasional rocky patches, but it wasn’t slippery.
The first part of the walk is where it undulates the most, but even then it’s never very steep.
After 400m walking mainly through mountainous scenery, you’ll see the path down to the sea ahead of you.
The indigo water is gorgeous and you’ll be walking beside it for the rest of the trail. To get down to sea level you have a 150m descent, it looks steep from afar, but when you actually get there it’s not bad at all.
From here you’ll be walking along a flat sandy track, with the odd very short rocky section. Roughly 800m after getting to the water’s edge (1.4km into the trail) you’ll reach a small beach.
None of the beaches along the trail are the idyllic sort you’d want to relax on for a day, but they are all lovely to walk across.
We were lucky enough to see an osprey eating its catch on a rock right beside the beach, the closest sighting we’ve ever had!
Arriving at Ras Abu Galum
As you cross various beaches (all with compact sand) you’ll see the remains of several cafes and shacks. It clearly used to be a much more popular walk than it is today!
The great thing about that is that you’re unlikely to see anyone else on the trail, which makes it all the more special. The next few kilometres all traverse various beaches as Ras Abu Galum comes more closely into view.
The steep mountains and turquoise and indigo water make for an absolutely beautiful scene. You’ll soon catch sight of where all the boats come into dock (from the Blue Hole) and you’ll reach them at the 5.1km mark.
Just beyond the boats you’ll find the main snorkel site at Ras Abu Galum Reserve. You’ll also find plenty of beach huts and rustic cafes where you can sit in the shade and buy drinks.
You could spend the night in one of the shacks if you fancy getting away from it all. All the huts were very basic, but if you don’t mind that, it’s a memorable setting.
Snorkelling at Ras Abu Galum
You can walk straight off the beach and just a few metres offshore you’ll find some good snorkelling. You’re very likely to see other snorkelers in the water, so you’ll know where to go, but if you don’t any of the locals will tell you.
The coral wasn’t as good here as at the Blue Hole, but there were more colourful fish (although in smaller numbers), so it’s worth snorkelling at both if you have time - although if you can only pick one, definitely make it the Blue Hole. Unfortunately we snorkelled a little before sunset, which wasn’t the ideal time for photos, so expect it to look much better in real life!
It’s a sheltered spot, so it’s very easy snorkelling and entering the water is easy too as there aren’t really any rocks to negotiate. However, it is pretty shallow, so you have to be careful to not catch yourself on the coral as you only float a small distance above it - this is the total opposite to the Blue Hole, which is very deep.
In terms of gear, we hired our masks from the Blue Hole, and didn’t notice anyone offering them at the reserve, so it’s best to bring them with you.
The Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon is located at Ras Abu Galum, but not at the point you’ll get to via the coastal walk, or by the boat dock. You’ll need to take another boat, or a pick up truck to reach it.
You could walk, and it’s flat and easy, but you’d really only be following the road, and it’s nowhere near as scenic as the walk from the Blue Hole - so we’d recommend doing that one and getting a pick up truck to the lagoon (they’re much cheaper than the boats).
You can read all the finer details about visiting the Blue Lagoon here.
Getting to and from Ras Abu Galum: the logistics
You’ll first need to get to the Blue Hole, which is 8km north of Dahab. Assuming you want to come without a tour, you’ll need a taxi. You can then do the coastal walk to Ras Abu Galum and take the boat back. Just make sure you check what time the last boat back is. We were told that the last boat tends to be just before sunset, no matter what time of year, but do check just in case.
The boat ride takes around 15 minutes and costs 100 EGP per person (USD $4). We didn’t haggle over the price, so you may be able to get a discount. If you’re walking to Ras Abu Galum and getting the boat back you should be going with the waves. We were told by other passengers that the way out for them had been horribly bumpy, but the way back for us was perfectly smooth - and I say that as someone who suffers very badly from seasickness.
If there are plenty of people around, the boat drivers will wait for a boat to fill up before leaving, we waited around 15 minutes. However, on a previous visit there was no one around and they offered to take just us for the same price (100 EGP each), so you shouldn’t have any trouble getting a boat - so long as you don’t miss the last one.
You can then grab one of the taxis who hang around at the Blue Hole, although most likely the person who brought you in the morning will want to come back for you! I would just call or Whatsapp them when you get back, and if you don’t have a phone that works in Egypt, a cafe will call for you.
More tips for visiting Ras Abu Galum
It probably goes without saying, but if you’re not visiting in winter like we were, you’d want to do the walk early in the morning. There’s no shade whatsoever until you reach Ras Abu Galum.
Don’t forget your suncream - ours had fallen out of our bag, which we didn’t discover until we got to the Blue Hole. No one sells suncream there and we ended up having to pay a silly price for a fraction of a leftover tube from a shop owner!
You only need to carry enough water for the walk as you can buy it at either end.
You can’t snorkel at the Blue Lagoon, so only head over there if you want to swim, or chill by the water (there are nicer chill out spots than at Ras Abu Galum)
You can sleep in the huts at both Ras Abu Galum and the Blue Lagoon, but all options are basic.
To enter the Blue Hole area (and therefore Ras Abu Galum) you’ll need a permit and to pay a USD $10 entry fee. All details are in our Blue Hole post.
Where to stay in Dahab
Le Meridien
Le Meridien is an oasis of tranquility in Dahab, it was perfectly quiet - which is incredibly rare in Egypt. As it’s set a little way out of town, it means you’re away from the hustle and bustle, but the drive in only takes 10 minutes and costs about 50 EGP ($2 USD) one way - do not use the hotel’s taxi service though which is very over priced. You’ll want to grab the number of a driver from town and then call or Whatsapp them for lifts.
The deluxe rooms are comfy, quiet, spacious and some come with an outdoor shower, which was my absolute favourite way to end the day. The resort also has 3 pools (2 saltwater, 1 fresh), its own beach and pretty grounds. It’s one of the best hotels we stayed in in Egypt and if you visit out of peak season, you can snag a great deal.
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