Saudi Arabia

In recent years, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has undergone a significant cultural transformation, evolving century-old customs to fit the contemporary world. Fresh from a 2020 reconnaissance trip, Pelorus can offer hidden insights into this relatively seldom explored country.

Land in Jeddah to meet your yacht. Once settled on board, head off with a local historian to explore this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Admire its distinctive old town architecture that includes tower houses built in the late 19th century and Red Sea coral buildings. Explore Jeddah’s coastline in your yachts’ tender and go snorkelling with a champion Saudi Arabian female free diver. The coral and sea life are surprisingly good considering the proximity to the city and the cityscape of skyscrapers makes for an interesting backdrop as you snorkel.

Today you will head inland on a private flight, taking you one hour north to Al Ula. From the airstrip drive in 4×4’s to the Ragasat or ‘Dancing’ Mountains before transferring to quad bikes and dune buggies to race through the narrow labyrinth of canyons. Founded in the 6th Century BC, discover the atmospheric ruins of Old AlUla with a personal historian and enjoy a stunning sunset before an exclusive candle-lit dinner overlooking Elephant Rock.

Sudan 

Scarcely explored within the yachting community, Sudan also offers numerous rewards. Those familiar with this destination say that the reefs and atolls peppering the water around the southern islands in Sudan offer some of the best diving in the world.

Begin the Sudanese section of your expedition with a visit to Suakin. Developed by Ramses III during the 10th century B.C.E, only ruins of this once great coral city still exist. Spend a morning climbing around the crumbling walls and learning about the history of this abandoned trading and exploration hub from your expert Pelorus guide. Later, go game fishing for yellowfin tuna, coral trout & grouper with local fishermen. Enjoy your catch expertly prepared by your yacht chef for dinner.

Your Sudanese exploration continues with a world class dive master and conservationist who will guide you in the untouched waters that surround your yacht. Offering excellent visibility, undamaged reefs, and prolific marine life, including butterfly fish, hammerhead sharks, surgeon fish, dolphins, and turtles, diving here is a truly spectacular experience. You will also have the opportunity to kite surf with your onboard instructor between tiny islets where you can enjoy entire stretches of archipelago all to yourself.

Eritrea

Eritrea is utterly compelling and remains relatively untouched by the outside world. Following a recce in 2019, Pelorus Yacht Expeditions has negotiated with the Eritrean government to secure exclusive access, meaning total privacy and world-first experiences for our clients.

You will spend much of your time in Eritrea amongst the small, remote islands that make up the Dhalak Archipelago. Here there are incredible opportunities for secluded diving amongst WWII wrecks and plentiful, vibrant marine life. Pelorus dive masters will ensure you are privy to the most exclusive dives in Eritrea, such as the islands of Dissie and Durgella. Expect to see beautiful corals, dolphins, mantas, groupers, snappers, and lionfish. Dive the wreck of an incredibly well-preserved WWII destroyer, search for sea turtles on a night dive or explore the mangroves by kayak.

Next, your yacht will cruise to Massawa where you will jump in a convoy of 4×4’s to travel inland through rich agricultural mountains to a small village where you’ll be met by an old steam train. Still in its original state, the system it runs off dates back to 1887 to 1932. Your train journey will take you to the capital city of Asmara, stopping along the way to enjoy the scenery and an al fresco lunch. Frozen in time, this city was once known as ‘Little Rome’ and offers beautiful Art Deco architecture and a fascinating Colonial past. Visit the ‘tank graveyard’, a stark and moving reminder of Eritrea’s 3-decade long conflict with Ethiopia. You will have the chance to explore with your guide before heading to the airport for your flight home.

CONSERVATION

The Pelorus Yacht Expeditions team are working alongside a local Sudanese marine life conservation group to encourage visiting yachts to assist in protection efforts for the endangered Arabian Red Sea Shark, identifying and recording their numbers, as well as tagging manta and tentacle rays.

We are also currently negotiating with the Eritrean Government on how our yacht expeditions can assist in developing protected marine areas through planting buoys to mark restricted fishing and anchoring zones. Our aim is to protect these waters and reefs before there is a surge of tourism to this region.

We have a vast range of experiences and accommodation options available.

Learn more about our luxury holidays and unique adventures in Sudan or call our expert team on +44 203 848 5424