Quad, jeep, camel or horse: choosing a desert trip in Hurghada
Six afternoons in the same desert, and they are not the same afternoon. What each one puts you on, how long it takes, and who it suits.
All of our desert trips start the same way — an afternoon pickup from your hotel by 4x4 — and all of them include Bedouin tea at the village. Anything that puts you behind handlebars begins at the camp with a briefing, the safety instructions and a helmet. After that they are different trips.
If you want to drive
- Moto Safari — a long quad run into the open desert behind Hurghada, and nothing else: no jeep, no camel, no dinner. About four hours.
- Super Safari — the quad run, then a jeep run over the dunes, then tea, with the sun going down behind the mountains at the end. About five hours.
- Moto Safari + Dinner & Show — the quad run, the sunset, then dinner under the stars with music and a fire show after the food. About six hours: the one booking that holds the riding and the night both.
If the children are coming
Family Safari sets the pace by the youngest in the group, in two-seat buggies so nobody rides alone, with a camel ride and tea. Everything sharp has been taken out of it on purpose.
If you would rather not have an engine
- Camel Riding — two hours, at the pace a camel sets, out through the desert to the village for tea. Nothing about it is fast, which for some people is the entire appeal.
- Horse Riding — an hour on horseback along the shore or into the desert, you choose which on the day, timed so the sun is going down while you are out.
What to wear
Closed shoes and clothes you do not mind getting dusty, a scarf for your face, sunglasses, and a light jacket — the desert turns cold the moment the sun goes down. If one afternoon is not enough, Desert Week rides something different on five afternoons. Every desert trip is on the desert safaris page.