Egypt Dolphin retreat

Design4awareness travels the world looking for unforgettable memories to share with YOU

Swimming with FREE Dolphins 2023

SEPTEMBER 2-9. 2023

Perhaps you came here guided by an impulse, goosebumps, or after thinking it over for quite some time. Maybe you heard about this journey from a friend or family member, or you saw the video on YouTube…Whatever brought you here – it is no random coincidence – and you are RIGHT ON TIME, to step on board of an absolutely amazing adventure!

Current status:
This page is being updated to the NEWLY available dates for this upcoming retreat

Check out the link below for the 1,5 min video-announcement!

Curious about the details of this retreat or HOW to sign up?
Go directly to the FAQ
(where you will find info on the cancelled 2020 retreat)

(2018 retreat)
Diving in the Red Sea, playing with wild dolphins and becoming family with the most magnificent group of people from all over the world in a manner of unconditional love and a spirit of joy and magic…

This week has been one of the most exciting adventures of my life!

Gerhard Daurer (Austria)

Movie editor

(2018 retreat)
Going on this dolphin trip with Wieteke felt like an adventure ‘out of time’. Swimming with dolphins is truly magical and Sataya Reef is one of the best places where you can meet dolphins in the wild. All week we were taken care of very well by Wieteke, Michelle and an experienced crew.  Being with a group of like minded people was very special and I will always remember and cherish the experience.
Wouter Bosman (Netherlands)

Monroe Institute Outreach Trainer

(2019 retreat)
“This dolphin trip has changed my life in more ways than I could have possibly imagined. During the trip I had the time of my life, and the effect on my life afterwards has been incredible. The world of the dolphins is so different that it changed the way I looked at my life. It has made me much more relaxed and brought me fully ‘in the now’. I loved the ceremonies because they helped me connect to the people too. I feel way more connected ever since.”

Yvon Harpe (Netherlands)

Freelance Writer

(2019 retreat)
“The Dolphin Trip 2019 was a wonderful surprise in every way: amazing people, a location seemingly out of time and space, wonderful nature, meeting dolphins, a turtle, and colorful fish. Personally I’ve never experienced a week like this, during which I was able to completely be myself the whole time, finding my own rhythm and learn with and from extraordinary people. The organization by Wieteke and Michelle was perfect; the crew was very kind and professional at the same time. I know this might sound too good to be true, but if you decide to join this trip, I believe you’ll understand.”

Sören (Germany)

Employee in the Automobile Industry

Meet Wieteke & Michelle – your main organizers on this trip

Wieteke Koolhof

Wieteke Koolhof

Main organizer

My name is Wieteke Koolhof  – in addition to the ET-channeling – I am the main organizer of this incredible adventure for free spirits from all over the world. On this journey we will be given multiple opportunities, to swim and connect in the water AND on many multi dimensional levels, with the free dolphins in the Red Sea. This trip is like a celebration of our star-tribe (on earth and beyond) and may assist us all – to explore the depths of our own Being even further.

Michelle van Coevorden

Michelle van Coevorden

Co-creator

My name is Michelle van Coevorden – I will be Wieteke’s co-creator in this trip and guide several of the activities on board. I passionately run a sacred space in Amsterdam called Mahara Holistic Lifestyle  where all kinds of Shamanistic and star-connected ceremonies are being organized. I regularly travel the world, assisting in journeys such as these, as an all- round space-holder and ceremony-facilitator.  

General Information

 

What: 1 week ‘Dolphin Adventure’ in Egypt

Where: on board of a spacious yacht – Sataya Reef, Hamata, Red Sea ~ Southern Egypt

When: Sep 2nd till Sep 9th 2023

Arrival day: Sep 2nd

Departure day: Sep 9th

Retreat Cost: € 1.600,-  per person  (all incl | no alcohol)

Non-Refundable Deposit: € 333,- per person

All reservations must be made with Wieteke prior to payment.

We ask you kindly to transfer the deposit of € 333,- to confirm your reservation.
The total payment of € 1.600,- needs to be completed latest by the end of July 2023.
You can pay in (max) 3 phases if you wish.

 

Discounts and Early Birds

 

Early Birds (Book before May 1st 2023) – € 111,-
Returning Birds – € 133,-
Bring a friend (Minus 10% = ) – € 155,-

(For Signing up – Discount Applications & Payment Details see the FAQ)

 

Detailed Information

What is included?
  •  Return local private-bus transfer (Airport Marsa Alam – Hamata Harbor)
  • 6 days/7 night accommodation in a shared 2-person bedroom (single beds), on board of the boat “Sea Dream” (For details see FAQ)
  • All inclusive stay (non-alc.) | Vegetarian / Vegan / Gluten free diet possible / inform us with your reservation)
  • Quality guidance / professional divers & crew available | Crew keeps an eye out for you when you are out in the water at all times.
  • Daily excursions; if weather allows it, we may have multiple excursions per day, to either go and swim with our free dolphin friends or snorkel and admire the wide variety of   underwater life, alongside the breathtaking coral reefs of Sataya. The general weather forecast for this week in this part of Egypt is usually great.
  • We will be offering live guided meditations, channeling and Q & A with Arjun, yoga & intuitive bodywork classes and more for anyone interested. Scroll down to “Program and Activities” for details.
What is NOT included?
  •  Flights to and from Marsa Alam Airport, Egypt (Marsa Alam International Airport (IATA: RMF, ICAO: HEMA)
  • If due to circumstances you missed the group’s bus-pick-up at the Marsa Alam airport on June 13th, you will have to arrange your own transportation to Hamata Harbour.
  • Obligatory Travel and Cancellation insurance
  • Snorkel outfit (goggles, snorkel, flippers and a wet suit or long sleeve + legging for sun-protection whilst in the water – see ‘what to bring’ in the FAQ)
  • Extra expenses (food and drinks outside of the boat or on your plane).
  • Visa for Egypt (€ 25,- or $25,- | bring exact and in cash)
    + Possibly extra taxes (since 1-1-2020) on leaving the country (Same amount: € 25,- or $25,- | bring exact and in cash) 
  • Tip for our devoted crew (a donation of +/- € 40,- per visitor is recommended, yet voluntary. If you do decide to tip; please bring this amount in cash as well / you can bring this amount in euro’s – or the equivalent of this amount in Dollars or Egyptian dollars).
  • Costs for a hotel room, if due to the timing of your flight schedule, you need to ‘bridge’ some extra time between the boat and the arrival or departure of your flight.
  • There will be no Wifi  on the boat – which will be helpful for all of us to truly unwind. There is an emergency-phone nr. if needed for your family to reach you / or for you to reach them.
  • Due to the nature of the dolphin workshops, we are not able to offer disabled accessibility.
    If you have any questions, please check the FAQ – or email us prior to booking your travel.
Cancellations

Cancellation terms: The € 333,- deposit is non-refundable. If you cancel and we are able to fill your space, we will refund your full deposit less € 100,- processing fee. If we are not able to fill your space, the organization will refund the entire amount of your € 1.222,- payment, excl your € 333,- deposit, up until 2 months before the trip takes place (April 13th, 2020). The organization will refund 2/3 rd of the remaining € 1.222,-  (€814.-), excl your deposit, up until 6 weeks before the trip takes place (April 27th, 2020). The organization will refund 1/3rd of the remaining € 1.222,- (€ 407,-), excl your deposit, up until 4 weeks before the trip takes place (May 13th, 2020) . No refund will be given if you decide to cancel within the last 4 weeks prior to the trip. These terms will also be in the standard liability form that you need to sign before booking.

Estimated Time and Location Schedule | Now FINAL

Flights are now available for this time-frame. 

13.06.2020    Saturday

For everyone arriving by plane on that day – we will gather as one group at Marsa Alam Airport.

Members of the boat’s crew will be there waiting to pick us up with a bus around 7.15 PM
We ask you to book your plane as close to this moment of the day as possible / or to consider arriving a day or 2 sooner and have yourself be picked up from the hotel later that day.

For those who arrived already on the previous day(s), we will pick you up at the hotel called Marina Lodge Galeb, or any other nearby hotels (Rather located SOUTH from the airport of Marsa Alam then North – as we will be driving South with the bus) after  all other participants have been picked up from the airport in Marsa Alam. The Marina Lodge hotel is an affordable, well organized and smoothly ran hotel only 15 min or so from the airport. If this is what you prefer: please inform us of this request, latest 2 weeks before the trip.* 

If your flight plans (may) cause you trouble – please let us know well in time. There will only be 1 bus pick up possible, but if there is an emergency daily – you may be able to arrange your own transportation to the harbor still, later that evening.

We aim to have everyone complete in the bus by 8/8.30 PM latest.
The complete group will go with our organized bus-transfer to the boat in Hamata.

Wieteke’s plane is expected to arrive in Marsa Alam that day around 7:15 PM (Egypt time) /
She’ll be at the exit of the airport with a sign so you can find her and go to the bus together.
no worries; this is a small airport with only ONE exit – so you can’t miss her / us 😉 

From the 13th to the 14th we will definitely spend the first night of our adventure on the boat in Hamata Harbour.

Early next morning we will be leaving for a (max) 4 hour long trip over the Red Sea until we reach our destiny for that week: Sataya Reef. Sataya basically feels like a HUUUUGE (2 km long) azure natural swimming pool (you can see the sand of the bottom below the crystal clear water) protected by a U-shape of breath taking coral reefs that keep the higher waves from the ‘open ocean’ away from us. Besides being a magical and powerful vortex area – Sataya is the playground and birth-place for hundreds of free dolphins 🙂 This is where we will remain anchored with our yacht for the next 5 days.

14.06 to 19.06  we will remain anchored in Sataya. We will enjoy an amazing week filled with the bliss vibes of swimming with dolphins, snorkeling the reef, and the rich optional program on board with fun things to do to dive even deeper into ourselves – or simply relax 🙂 

19.06. We will say goodbye to all of our cetacean friends and the coral reefs in the morning – as we will be leaving Sataya after lunch. We need to be back in Hamata harbor latest 4 pm on 19.06. (times given by harbor authorities). The last night we spend on board whilst safely anchored in the harbor.

20.06.2020

(Estimation) Between 9 am and 12 AM Our bus will be ready to transfer you back to the hotel (might you need it) or airport. We will try our best to have these transfer-times fit your flight schedule. For this – we ask you kindly to again inform us of your flight times (arrival and departure) asap after booking. It will not be possible to stay longer on board of the Sea dream, as the crew needs to prepare the boat for the next group arriving on 21.06.2020.

HOTEL: If you feel you need a hotel room right before or directly after the trip on the boat to spend some time during the day or even a night to connect with your flights, the crew recommends: Marina Lodge in Port Galeb. 15 minutes from the Airport of Marsa Alam. You can be dropped off there by the same transfer-bus that takes all of us back to Marsa Alam airport from the boat.

Disclaimer

Since we are swimming with wild dolphins, we cannot guarantee that we will always find the dolphins or that the weather will allow us to go and swim with them. However we are very fortunate to be located at the Sataya Reef in the Red Sea of Egypt; home base to hundreds of free (mainly spinner) dolphins, with usually perfect weather conditions around this time of the year.  The general ‘dolphin encounter rate’ in this area is 95%. Enlightenment forecast: Many people who swim and interact with dolphins experience changes in their spiritual awareness and an opening of the heart. You may also experience feelings of bliss, intense joy, emotional release and deep relaxation 😉

More questions? Go to our special 'Dolphin Retreat FAQ'

How to sign up? Do I need a visa? When to start looking for a flight? Do you take special dietary wishes into account? These and many more questions regarding this trip, are all being answered on this special FAQ page (and you will find some more links to this page below).

Privacy

Any information gathered from you during signing up for this trip will solely be used for the practical realization of your participation on this retreat (to fill out obligatory fields in your invoice / reserve your spot on board / keep an eye on your arrival and departure times so our bus can pick you up in time etc) and nothing else. Your information will not be shared with any other parties.

Fun facts

Program and Activities

Optional On Board Program | 2020 Dolphin Retreat  Apart from swimming with the dolphins whenever we can, we will offer a playful and flexible (optional) program on board with:

  • Group ET-Channeling session + Open Q&A
  • Yoga Classes / Intuitive body work in the morning or afternoon (depending on how early the dolphins show up to distract us from this 😉 )
  • CE 5 Contact Meditation
  • Toning and Singing at Sunset
  • Stargazing at Night (This week will have little moonlight so it will be PERFECT for stargazing!!)
  • ET Connection Meditation
  • Portal activation (visiting an actual Red Sea Vortex)
  • Blue Lotus Tea ceremony
  • Raw Cacao ceremony
  • Live drumming, singing and dancing
  • and more to be announced….

Obviously, swimming with our dolphin friends and snorkeling the reef, enjoying the sun and completely recharging ourselves – will be our main and priority activities during the day. The above mentioned activities from the On-board-Program will mostly be taking place in the evenings – after sunset (+/- 6 pm). Additionally: We warmly invite you to bring your portable instrument, your happy singing voice, your tarot cards / Human Design knowledge, or drawing pencils, whatever you feel might add to this trip of a lifetime, so we can play and enjoy our time together even more! 😀

The ET - Dolphin Connection
  Research has found that 80% of people who swim with dolphins have a change in brain wave patterns from beta to theta states of consciousness. This explains why many participants experience states of bliss, ecstasy, deep peace, and a sense of well being. Being on board with a group of like-minded people, we will be able to set a great stage to practice and play with these higher states of consciousness together and/or individually. The childlike curiosity and playfulness of the dolphins, offers us a perfect mirror – to get to know ourselves better. This also helps us set the tone for possible future contact with Higher Dimensional beings and ET’s – as the dolphin energy – and their way of communicating among themselves – is very similar! By the end of this trip you will find yourself a truly changed person. The impact of having (had) such intense interaction with dolphins is immediately obvious for most people, yet becomes fully clear over the months after your return, whilst observing the inner and outer changes in daily life.  
A little background information | How it all begun
 Our first ‘Design4awareness Dolphin Retreat’ took place in June 2018, assisted by co-creatora Michelle (Mahara Holistic Lifestyle). Beforehand, we had set out the invitation to our star-family members and asked the dolphins in Sataya (trough mediation) if they could send us the perfect group of people – so that we would be able to play, learn and reflect to each other, everything needed for each and every single one of us – to boost our own inner journeys to the max, throughout that week. And we could hardly believe it ourselves – but that was exactly what happened… The dolphins were incredibly interactive and seemed to swim in perfect parallel with our on-board-activities. When we were meditative – they were too. The day after we had visited the local vortex, they were playful with us for hours, as if to celebrate the activation ceremony we had performed <3 The group of people on board was more then aligned! Though many came from different parts of the world and had not previously met; our boat was filled with peace, laughter and new friends exchanging high vibes and inspiration every single day <3 Afterwards we decided – this just HAD to be done again – or life on Earth would no longer be ‘fair’ to any star seed or free roaming soul, without having this option available 😉 Wieteke  

Photo Gallery

Exclusive Offer

bring a friend Get 10% Off

For this and all other discounts – please check out the FAQ-page