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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, Saqqara by quad and dirt bike, Sunrise on Mount Sinai
A telescope night in the Eastern Desert RemoveSaqqara by quad and dirt bike 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 100Per 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 startsHurghadaSaqqara, from Cairo or GizaSt Catherine, from Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab
ActivityCamps & night skyQuad & ATVHiking & climbs
Skill or certificationNoneNone; a briefing and practice come firstA steady night climb; no technical skill
Minimum ageAll ages; children need to stay up lateSet by the operator; younger children ride as passengers where allowedTeenagers used to walking
Time actually doing itAbout two hours under the skyAbout two to three hours of ridingAbout 2.5–3 hours up and 1.5 hours down
Total timeAbout 4 hoursAbout 5 hours with hotel transfersOvernight, about 14 hours from Sharm El Sheikh
Best seasonYear-round; best near the new MoonYear-round; ride early or late in summerYear-round; the summit is freezing in winter
What you seePlanets, star clusters and the Milky Way through a telescopeOpen desert with the Step Pyramid of Djoser on the skylineSunrise 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.Dust, heat, vibration and the balance to control a machine. Closed shoes, long trousers and eye protection matter. Not suitable where a medical condition, age or confidence makes control uncertain.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
  • 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
  • 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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  • Hiking & climbs · St Catherine, from Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab

    Sunrise on Mount Sinai

    Climb through the night to the summit for dawn, then walk down to the oldest working monastery in the Christian world.

    Starting priceUSD 65
    Place
    Mount Sinai and St Catherine's Monastery, South Sinai
    Time
    Overnight, about 14 hours from Sharm El Sheikh; about 2.5–3 hours up and 1.5 hours down
    Needs
    A steady night climb; no technical skill. Teenagers used to walking.
    What we confirm before you go
    • 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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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