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Experiences · Desert & sand

Sand, rock and a night sky with nothing in the way.

From a quad on the desert edge near the pyramids to a night among the White Desert's chalk: choose how you want to move through the desert, and compare how long you spend doing it, what it asks of you and what we check first.

A sand dune near 'Areg in the Siwa depression, on the edge of the Great Sand Sea.

What do you want to do, and where are you staying?

What to do
EverythingQuad & ATV4×4 & dunesHiking & climbsCamps & night sky
Starting from
AnywhereHurghadaSharm El SheikhDahabSt CatherineGizaSaqqaraBahariyaSiwa

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Starting prices are the lowest to expect; times are our planning estimates. Every detail is confirmed before anything is arranged.

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Comparison of A telescope night in the Eastern Desert, A Sinai Trail day, Sunrise on Mount Sinai
A telescope night in the Eastern Desert RemoveA Sinai Trail day RemoveSunrise on Mount Sinai Remove
Starting price
Starting priceUSD 30Per person on a shared evening.Your written quote confirms the price for your party, dates and choices.
Starting priceUSD 65Per person in a small group with a Bedouin guide; a private guide costs more.Your written quote confirms the price for your party, dates and choices.
Starting priceUSD 65Per person on the small-group night climb.Your written quote confirms the price for your party, dates and choices.
Where it startsHurghadaSt CatherineSt Catherine, from Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab
ActivityCamps & night skyHiking & climbsHiking & climbs
Skill or certificationNoneA full day's hiking on rough groundA steady night climb; no technical skill
Minimum ageAll ages; children need to stay up lateTeenagers used to hikingTeenagers used to walking
Time actually doing itAbout two hours under the skyMost of the day on footAbout 2.5–3 hours up and 1.5 hours down
Total timeAbout 4 hoursFull dayOvernight, about 14 hours from Sharm El Sheikh
Best seasonYear-round; best near the new MoonSpring and autumn; winter nights are cold at altitudeYear-round; the summit is freezing in winter
What you seePlanets, star clusters and the Milky Way through a telescopeGranite wadis, Bedouin gardens and springsSunrise over the Sinai mountains, then St Catherine's Monastery
What it asksNothing but patience and a warm layer: desert nights are cold from November to March.A full day on rough ground, climbs at altitude, and heat or cold depending on the season.A night without sleep and a steady climb at altitude, then the descent. It is cold on the summit in every season, and freezing in winter.
What we confirm first
  • An astronomy guide and telescope, not only a campfire and binoculars
  • The Moon's phase and cloud forecast for your date
  • Supper, dietary needs and the return time
  • A registered guide from the tribe whose section you walk
  • That the section lies outside the area north of the St Catherine–Nuweiba road, where the UK government advises against all but essential travel
  • The section, its length and height gain
  • Season, water and a way down if the weather turns
  • A registered Bedouin guide for the climb
  • Warm layers, a torch and water; blankets can be hired near the top
  • The monastery's opening hours for your date, which change with religious holidays
  • The route to St Catherine, which stays outside the area the UK government advises against
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  • 4×4 & dunes · Siwa

    The edge of the Great Sand Sea

    From Siwa into the dunes by four-wheel drive, a board down a slope, and dusk at a spring.

    Starting priceUSD 50
    Place
    Siwa Oasis
    Time
    Half day to sunset; most of an afternoon in the dunes
    Needs
    None; a strong stomach on the dunes. Tell us about children: the ride is rough.
    What we confirm before you go
    • A licensed local driver and a vehicle in sound condition
    • That the route lies within the areas the UK government's travel advice excepts: Siwa and the Marsa Matruh–Siwa road are named; the open desert beyond is not
    • Any desert permit needed for the route
    • Water, shade and a safe return time
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Tours

Desert tours and overnight trips

Guided days with transport and the arrangements taken care of, each on request.

Photography credits (3)

Ahmed Yousry Mahfouz, CC BY-SA 4.0; Ibrahim El-Mezayen, CC BY-SA 4.0; Bernd Out, CC BY-SA 3.0

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Not sure which desert & sand experience fits?

Tell us where you are staying, when, and who is coming. We reply with what fits, the price for your party and what we confirm first. Nothing is booked until you accept.

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Photography credits (8)

Berthold Werner, CC BY 3.0; Norhan Elmaghrabi, CC BY-SA 4.0; Egy2030, CC BY-SA 4.0; Sara Nabih, CC BY-SA 4.0; Fadyhesham0, CC BY-SA 3.0; Ahmed Yousry Mahfouz, CC BY-SA 4.0; Roland Unger, CC BY-SA 3.0; Mohamed kamal 1984, CC BY-SA 4.0