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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 Sinai Trail day, Sunrise on Mount Sinai, A telescope night in the Eastern Desert
A Sinai Trail day RemoveSunrise on Mount Sinai RemoveA telescope night in the Eastern Desert Remove
Starting price
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.
Starting priceUSD 30Per person on a shared evening.Your written quote confirms the price for your party, dates and choices.
Where it startsSt CatherineSt Catherine, from Sharm El Sheikh or DahabHurghada
ActivityHiking & climbsHiking & climbsCamps & night sky
Skill or certificationA full day's hiking on rough groundA steady night climb; no technical skillNone
Minimum ageTeenagers used to hikingTeenagers used to walkingAll ages; children need to stay up late
Time actually doing itMost of the day on footAbout 2.5–3 hours up and 1.5 hours downAbout two hours under the sky
Total timeFull dayOvernight, about 14 hours from Sharm El SheikhAbout 4 hours
Best seasonSpring and autumn; winter nights are cold at altitudeYear-round; the summit is freezing in winterYear-round; best near the new Moon
What you seeGranite wadis, Bedouin gardens and springsSunrise over the Sinai mountains, then St Catherine's MonasteryPlanets, star clusters and the Milky Way through a telescope
What it asksA 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.Nothing but patience and a warm layer: desert nights are cold from November to March.
What we confirm first
  • 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
  • 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
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  • Camps & night sky · Bahariya

    The White Desert after dark

    Stay through sunset and the night sky among chalk formations; this landscape earns an overnight, not a rushed afternoon.

    Starting priceUSD 99
    Place
    White Desert National Park, Western Desert
    Time
    Overnight from Bahariya; sunset, the night and first light
    Needs
    None; comfort with a simple camp. We discuss it for families.
    What we confirm before you go
    • Permits, exact route, licensed vehicles, camp location and environmental practice
    • Sleeping equipment, meals, water, sanitation and dietary handling
    • Weather, communications, emergency plan and whether astronomical guidance is actually available
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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