Dahlak Kebir

Dahlak Kebir is the largest island of the Dahlak archipelago off Massawa, flat, dry and coral-built, with a few villages living on fishing and goats and no fresh water except what is caught: hundreds of rock-cut cisterns across the island collected the rain, and they are the reason people could live here at all. A cemetery holds gravestones with Kufic inscriptions from the medieval period.

What you actually see

• The rock-cut cisterns - hundreds of tanks that made settlement possible.
• The Kufic gravestones - medieval inscribed stones in the cemetery.
• The coral island - flat dry limestone with almost no vegetation.
• The fishing villages - the small settlements on the island.

When to go

November to March is the cool season. Summer heat on the islands is extreme. Boat crossings depend on the wind.

Honest expectations

A permit is required and access is by chartered boat over four hours from Massawa. There is essentially no accommodation and camping is the norm. Water and supplies must be carried entirely.

Nearby

Massawa is west, and the rest of the archipelago spreads around it.