Dahlak Islands, Eritrea: What It's Like

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Discover a destination where modernist architecture meets ancient Red Sea history. Eritrea offers a unique blend of breathtaking landscapes, from the Art Deco streets of Asmara—a UNESCO World Heritage site—to the pristine, untouched waters of the Dahlak Archipelago. At Dahlak Tours, we don't just organize trips; we curate immersive journeys that treat every visitor as an honored guest in our beautiful nation.

Dahlak Tours
Last Updated: October 20, 2026
7:34 pm

The Dahlak Islands sit off the coast of Massawa in the Eritrean Red Sea, and most people who travel to Eritrea never make it out here at all. I almost didn’t either. It’s a four day trip, you camp on the island, and the logistics are genuinely different from anything else you’d do in the country. Worth every bit of it.

How the Trip Actually Starts — Asmara First

The trip opens in Asmara, which is a good way to ease into it. You land, get through customs, check into the Crystal Hotel or similar, and the first evening is dinner at Spageti House, which is exactly what it sounds like and better than you’d expect, followed by a look at Asmara’s nightlife. The bars here are social in a way that’s hard to describe if you haven’t been — people actually talk to strangers, the music is good, and it sets a tone for the rest of the trip that feels unhurried.

Asmara is worth a full day on its own. We come back to it at the end of the trip for exactly that reason.

The Drive to Massawa and Getting Out to the Islands

Day two starts with breakfast before the 120km drive down to Massawa, which takes a couple of hours and passes through some of the most dramatic landscape in the country as the road drops from the highland plateau toward the coast. Massawa itself is a port city that’s layered with Ottoman, Egyptian, and Italian architecture, and it would be easy to spend a whole day there. We don’t, at least not yet.

Once the travel permits are sorted (a standard requirement for travel outside Asmara — our visa and permit page has the details), we board motorboats out to Dessie and Madote Islands. The crossing is open water, bring a hat, and the Red Sea is a color that doesn’t quite translate to photos.

Everything on the island is provided: large igloo tents with mosquito nets, sleeping bags, camp chairs, a portable toilet, a shower setup, and a cook who handles all meals. Fresh fish at lunch and dinner, Eritrean lowland breakfast in the mornings, and four drinks per person per day including water and cold beer. There’s nothing you need to organize yourself once you’re out there.

Two Days on Dessie Island

This is the part people don’t quite believe until they’re there. Over 200 islands spread across the Red Sea, almost no tourists, water that’s clear enough to see the seafloor from the boat. The Dahlak archipelago is genuinely one of the least visited dive destinations in the Red Sea, which means the reefs are in good shape and you’re not sharing them with anyone.

Diving and Snorkeling

Diving equipment is available to rent on the trip, though you’ll need a certificate to dive. Snorkeling gear is also available on request, and the visibility is good enough that snorkeling here is a proper experience rather than a consolation prize. Manta rays and dolphins come through regularly. We can’t guarantee them but people plan around the chance.

What Else Is Out There

Dahlak Kebir, the largest island in the archipelago, has ancient stone cisterns and burial sites from when this was a significant Red Sea trading port centuries ago. It’s not a formal tourist site with signage and a visitor center. You just find it. That’s part of what makes it worth seeing.

Massawa Properly, Then Back to Asmara

On day three, after a final swim, the boats head back to Massawa in the late morning. This time there’s actually time to walk the old town, which has survived centuries and still holds a remarkable collection of Ottoman architecture in various states of preservation. It’s one of those places that rewards slow walking more than rushing through on a schedule.

In the afternoon the drive back to Asmara, overnight at the Crystal Hotel again.

The Full Four Days at a Glance

Day 1 (Friday): Asmara

Landed at Asmara International, then a transfer to the Crystal Hotel (or similar).
Dinner at Spageti House. Simple plan, and it worked.
Afterwards I wandered Asmara’s bars and nightlife with no real agenda. Friday night was the right night for it.

Day 2 (Saturday): Massawa and Dessie Island

Breakfast at the hotel, then the 120km drive to Massawa. It’s a long haul, so don’t plan anything tight around it.
Permits get sorted in Massawa before you can go anywhere. Then you board motorboats out to Dessie and Madote Islands.
I spent the afternoon swimming. Diving is an option too.
The camp cook handles every meal on the island, so you don’t have to organize anything.
You sleep in tents on Dessie. It’s basic, and that’s the point.

Day 3 (Sunday): Madote Island back to Asmara

One last swim on the island. I didn’t want to leave the water.
Boat back to Massawa in the late morning.
If time allows, you get a short walk through Massawa’s old town. Short is the key word. I’d have happily stayed longer.
Then the drive back up to Asmara and another night at the Crystal Hotel (or similar).

Day 4 (Monday): Asmara city tour and departure

Breakfast at the hotel, then a full city tour. We covered the UNESCO-listed modernist architecture, the Roman Catholic Cathedral, St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, and the Fiat Tagliero Building.
The tour also took in the Tank Cemetery, the National Museum, and the Medeber recycling market.
Evening transfer to the airport.
What I didn’t love: cramming all of that into one day. It felt rushed. Asmara deserves more time, which is why we also run the city tour as a standalone trip.

Costs and What to Pack

Dahlak Tours runs a 4-day Dahlak Islands package for $1,100, which includes the logistics I’d have struggled to arrange myself — transport to Massawa, the boat, and accommodation. You can book the trip here.

Pack reef-safe sunscreen, a hat, something to cover your shoulders on the boat, and cash — there’s nowhere out there to pay by card, obviously. Best window is October through April; I went in November and the heat was still noticeable by midday.