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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, Sunrise on Mount Sinai, A Sinai Trail day
A telescope night in the Eastern Desert RemoveSunrise on Mount Sinai RemoveA Sinai Trail day 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 on the small-group night climb.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.
Where it startsHurghadaSt Catherine, from Sharm El Sheikh or DahabSt Catherine
ActivityCamps & night skyHiking & climbsHiking & climbs
Skill or certificationNoneA steady night climb; no technical skillA full day's hiking on rough ground
Minimum ageAll ages; children need to stay up lateTeenagers used to walkingTeenagers used to hiking
Time actually doing itAbout two hours under the skyAbout 2.5–3 hours up and 1.5 hours downMost of the day on foot
Total timeAbout 4 hoursOvernight, about 14 hours from Sharm El SheikhFull day
Best seasonYear-round; best near the new MoonYear-round; the summit is freezing in winterSpring and autumn; winter nights are cold at altitude
What you seePlanets, star clusters and the Milky Way through a telescopeSunrise over the Sinai mountains, then St Catherine's MonasteryGranite wadis, Bedouin gardens and springs
What it asksNothing but patience and a warm layer: desert nights are cold from November to March.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.A full day on rough ground, climbs at altitude, and heat or cold depending on the season.
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 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
  • 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
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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

Ask us

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