Egypt desert tour - Meet the locals

From the Golden Dunes to the White Desert

This Egypt desert tour will take you through dusty sand plains, past lush green oases and through the incredible White Desert. During the trip, you'll take an desert jeep safari south across golden dunes against a backdrop of blue skies. The White Desert is a surreal landscape with ivory coloured desert rocks in the most bizarre shapes, from mushrooms to crocodiles. As you travel, you'll visit several quiet medieval towns bordered by palm tree oases, such as the town of Al-Qasr with its mud-brick homes and narrow alleyways. 

A personal driver and guide will escort you during our 5-day Egypt desert tour. You'll stay in small, comfortable hotels at the edge of oases and sleep in a desert bivouac beneath an ever-changing kaleidoscope of stars in the White Desert. 
Duration 5 days/ 4 nights
Departs daily

Accommodation

Cosy hotels on the edge of an oasis and a tent in the White Desert. Comfort Level 3 (see accommodation).
 

Price

 Please see our Contact Us page for more details

Includes

 Transport, accommodation including breakfast, 1 night in a tent including meals, tent and sleeping bag, excursions as described below and entrance fees

Transport

 Private transport, minibus and desert safari jeep

Excludes

 Tips and other meals

Day 1: Cairo - Bahariya Oasis

This morning you'll head out of Cairo, leaving the steaming streets of Egypt's capital behind. As soon as you leave the city, you'll see the pyramids and rugged rock formations start to loom in the horizon. You'll cross through the immense desert in a minibus with air conditioning - a must in the scorching heat of the desert. After driving for about 4 hours you'll arrive at Bahariya, where you'll have time to recuperate in the peace and quiet of  your hotel after your drive. 

The Bahariya Oasis is the smallest of the 4 oases that you'll visit the next few days. It's a popular pit stop at the beginning of Egypt desert tours into the White Desert. A tropical palm tree valley makes for quite a bizarre sight amidst the wind-blown dunes and rock formations. Your guide will take you to the hot steaming and cool natural springs at the edge of the desert in the afternoon and you will drink tea with the local Bedouins. As the sun slowly starts to set into the horizon, you'll see how a magical glow is cast on the desert. This marks the beginning of your first night in the Western Desert...
Egypt desert tour - Panoramic views
Egypt desert tour - Cold desert nights

Day 2: Desert safari from Bahariya to the White Desert

After breakfast at your hotel a desert safari jeep will collect you for your Egypt desert tour. Along the way, your guide will show you several interesting spots near the Bahariya Oasis. You'll descend into the hidden valley of the golden mummies, explore the temple of Alexander and hear about the myths of the ancient crypts. Afterwards, you'll pass through a part of the prehistoric Black Desert with its charcoal-basalt rocks twinkling in the sunlight before reaching the White Desert. This is one of the few places in Egypt where you can walk for days without seeing another human being. The landscape is filled with white rocks rising up from the golden sands. 

You'll spend a very unique night in a desert bivouac. There are sleeping bags to keep you warm as your mattress of sand cools down during the night. Both your guide and driver are of Bedouin descent and they'll prepare a traditional campfire feast. As the campfire crackles and pops, the night sky will fill with stars and another day of this Egypt desert tour will come to an end. 

Day 3:  White Desert - Farafra Oasis - Dakhla Oasis

Wake up on the third day of your Egypt trip with the sun shining through the opening of your tent and enjoy breakfast at a leisurely pace. After camp has been packed up, your trip continues on towards the south to the laidback oasis of Farafra. At the end of the last century, this valley at the edge of the desert was hardly accessible. Only camels could plod through the warm sand to bring people here. These days there's a paved road, but the area's laidback friendly atmosphere still remains. 

Life in Farafra takes place at a very slow pace. Donkeys and cows roam the small streets lined with mud-brick homes and white mosques. Your guide will take you on a walk through the village where you'll visit a local artist. You'll also visit a museum where hundreds of clay statues depicting daily routines are laid out. These statues are common in Farafra and an important part of local culture. 
Egypt desert tour - White Desert, Farafra
Egypt desert tour - Dakhla Oasis, Western Desert
In the afternoon of the Egypt desert tour, you'll head towards the Dakhla Oasis, leaving village life behind you as you enter the more progressive town of Mut. Along the way you'll see the landscape change from sand dunes into green grasslands. When you arrive, you'll have time to settle in at your hotel. Mut and the surrounding towns are pretty well developed. Aside from Islamic and Roman architecture, modern buildings are also starting to be built.

Later in the afternoon, your guide will take you to the Roman temple of Deir al-Haggar. Then, as you wander through the narrow streets of the medieval town of Al-Qasr, you'll be able to see historic homes, tombs and centuries old mosques. Al-Qasr was once the centre of the Dakhla Oasis and an Islamic settlement with Roman Empire roots. After the tour, you'll be dropped off at your hotel which is located just outside the town centre, in a quiet area where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the oasis.There are some local restaurants for you to choose from in the vicinity of your hotel. Most menus include local food such as kofta and kebab, but also pastas and rice dishes.

Day 4: Dakhla Oasis - Kharga Oasis

On route from Dakhla to Kharga you'll pass several very interesting villages worth visiting. The first village on your route is Balat, near the 'City of the Dead', Qila al-Dabba. This is where 40 men took exactly 763 days to build a pyramid-shaped tomb for a member of a dynasty that lived over 2000 years BC. A little further on, you'll find the town of Bahendi where the myth of the medieval Indian prince that named the town is still very much alive. After his death he was placed in a tomb at the very cheerfully coloured cemetery. 

As you get closer to Kharga, you'll notice that you're starting to leave the endless desert behind you. The town of Kharga is very lively - a sneak peak at a more modern Egypt. The oasis however still has plenty of historic attractions that reflect the ancient Egyptian civilisation that once was found here. After you arrive at your hotel in Kharga and drop off your bags, your guide will take you to the hill-top temple of Hibisk for a spectacular view of the setting sun. The perfect magical ending for your last day in the Western Desert on your Egypt tour.
Egypt desert tour - The White Desert
Egypt desert tour - White Desert Bedouins

Day 5: Kharga Oasis - Luxor

Your Egypt desert tour ends today in Luxor. Before you set off on the 4 hour drive from Kharga to Luxor, you'll stop off at the grand Roman fortress at Qasr el-Ghueita. Along the way you can enjoy the remnants of desert and countryside before returning to civilisation. Take in the traditional Egyptian atmosphere as you pass through several small villages filled with mud-brick homes and donkey tracks. 

Once you reach Luxor you can continue exploring the cultural and religious riches of Egypt or sail down the Nile. While in Luxor you can Wander through the Valley of the Kings and the temples of Luxor with our Valley of the Kings tour. Or, you can enjoy a Nile sailing tour with our Sailing the Nile Dahabiya-style module, which also starts in Luxor. For the ultimate Nile experience, sail aboard a traditional Egyptian sailing ship with our Nile Felucca tour.

Egypt desert tour accommodation (Click to enlarge)