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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 The edge of the Great Sand Sea, Sunrise on Mount Sinai
The edge of the Great Sand Sea RemoveSunrise on Mount Sinai Remove
Starting price
Starting priceUSD 50Per person at the lowest group rate; solo travellers and couples pay 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 startsSiwaSt Catherine, from Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab
Activity4×4 & dunesHiking & climbs
Skill or certificationNone; a strong stomach on the dunesA steady night climb; no technical skill
Minimum ageTell us about children: the ride is roughTeenagers used to walking
Time actually doing itMost of an afternoon in the dunesAbout 2.5–3 hours up and 1.5 hours down
Total timeHalf day to sunsetOvernight, about 14 hours from Sharm El Sheikh
Best seasonOctober to April; summer afternoons are fierceYear-round; the summit is freezing in winter
What you seeDune ridges of the Great Sand Sea and a spring at duskSunrise over the Sinai mountains, then St Catherine's Monastery
What it asksA strong stomach on the dunes and tolerance of heat. The ride is rough; tell us of back or neck trouble.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
  • 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
  • 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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  • Quad & ATV · Saqqara, from Cairo or Giza

    Saqqara by quad and dirt bike

    Two to three hours on the open desert beside the Step Pyramid, on a machine chosen for your confidence, with the route checked first.

    Starting priceUSD 100
    Place
    The desert edge at Saqqara, south of Giza
    Time
    About 5 hours with hotel transfers; about two to three hours of riding
    Needs
    None; a briefing and practice come first. Set by the operator; younger children ride as passengers where allowed.
    What we confirm before you go
    • The exact riding area and its permissions, outside the archaeological enclosures
    • A correctly fitting helmet, goggles, a briefing and practice time before the ride
    • Actual riding minutes, the leader-to-rider ratio and what happens if someone wants to stop
    • That tips are settled in advance, so nobody asks for one halfway through the desert
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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