Tour Overview
This desert safari takes you from your hotel in Marsa Alam into the mountains and open desert that rise behind the coast. You drive your own quad bike for around one hour with a safari guide leading the way, then stop at a Bedouin village to see how desert families live. The day ends with the sunset over the hills and a BBQ dinner before the drive back. It is a change of scene from the sea: dry valleys, rock and wide skies instead of reef and boat.
Tour Highlights
- Drive your own quad bike for around one hour through desert valleys and mountain scenery, following a safari guide who knows the tracks.
- See the land side of Marsa Alam: the Red Sea coast here is backed by the rocky hills and wadis of Egypt's Eastern Desert.
- Visit a Bedouin village and learn about a way of life shaped by the desert, from hospitality customs to how families live with little water.
- Watch the sun go down over the hills, when the rock turns orange and red and the desert goes quiet as the light fades.
- Share a BBQ dinner after sunset, with hotel transfers in a modern air-conditioned vehicle, mineral water, and all taxes and charges in the price.
Tour Route
Is a desert safari in Marsa Alam worth it?
Yes, especially if your holiday is mostly beach and sea. The desert behind Marsa Alam is a different world: rocky mountains, dry valleys and a deep silence after dark. In one trip you drive a quad, meet Bedouin people, watch the sunset and have dinner, which makes a full and easy outing.
What is the quad bike ride like?
You drive your own quad for around one hour, riding in a line behind the safari guide. The route crosses sandy tracks and runs between the hills, so the scenery keeps changing. Quads are simple to control, and the guide sets a pace the whole group can follow.
Dust is part of the experience. Riders further back in the line get more of it, so a scarf or buff over your nose and mouth and a pair of sunglasses make a real difference. Leave anything valuable at the hotel and keep your phone in a zipped pocket.
Who are the Bedouin of the Eastern Desert?
The Bedouin are desert peoples who have lived in the mountains and valleys between the Nile and the Red Sea for centuries, moving with their animals between wells and grazing land. Today many families live in small settlements, but hospitality and old desert skills remain at the heart of their culture.
What should you wear on a desert safari?
Dress for sun, dust and a cooler evening, because comfort matters more than style on a quad. Closed shoes, long light clothes, sunglasses and a scarf protect you from the sun and the sand, and a light jacket helps once the desert cools after sunset, especially in the winter months.
- Closed shoes: trainers are fine; sandals are not a good idea on a quad.
- Long, light clothes: they protect your skin from the sun and from dust.
- Sunglasses and a scarf: to keep sand out of your eyes, nose and mouth.
- A light jacket: the desert cools fast after sunset, especially in winter.
What else can you do from Marsa Alam?
After a day in the desert, the sea and the Nile Valley offer two very different follow-ups. You can spend a day on the reef snorkeling or diving with an instructor, or travel west for the temples and tombs of Luxor, all with pickup from your hotel in Marsa Alam.
For a day on the reef, book the Marsa Alam snorkeling trip or try two guided dives on the Marsa Alam diving trip. For temples and tombs, the private Luxor day trip from Marsa Alam covers the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple and Karnak.
Tour Itinerary
The trip builds toward the end of the day: a transfer, a quad ride into the desert, the Bedouin village, then sunset and dinner.
Your driver collects you from your hotel in Marsa Alam in a modern air-conditioned vehicle, with mineral water on board. Wear closed shoes and light clothes that cover your arms and legs, and bring sunglasses and a scarf or buff to keep dust out of your face during the ride.
At the quad station you meet your safari guide and get your quad bike. Before setting off, the guide shows you the controls and explains how the group rides: keep a steady distance from the quad in front, follow the guide's line and raise a hand if you need to stop.
You drive for around one hour through the desert and into the mountains, over sandy tracks and between rocky hills. The landscape changes quickly once the coast is behind you. There are pauses on the way to look around, take photos and let the slower drivers catch up.
The ride ends at a Bedouin village, where you spend time with the people who know this desert best. You see how they live, hear about their traditions and get a sense of daily life away from the resorts. Ask questions; your guide helps translate where needed.
As the light drops, find a spot to watch the sun go down behind the hills. The colors change fast, so have your camera ready. Once the sun has set, the desert cools quickly, and a light jacket is welcome in the winter months.
Dinner is a BBQ meal in the desert setting, a relaxed end to the day after the ride. Tell us about diets or allergies when you book. After dinner the air-conditioned vehicle drives you back to your hotel in Marsa Alam.
What's Included
What the tour price covers, and what to plan for separately.
Paid
★
Your
Own
Frequently Asked Questions
Quick answers about this tour. For anything else, message us on WhatsApp — we reply fast.
It starts at your hotel in Marsa Alam. Your driver picks you up in a modern air-conditioned vehicle and takes you to the quad station, where you meet the safari guide. After the BBQ dinner you are driven back to your hotel. Send us your hotel name when you book.
Hotel pickup and return in Marsa Alam, the quad bike drive in the desert, a safari tour guide, the visit to the Bedouin village, a BBQ dinner, mineral water in the vehicle, and all service charges and taxes. Tips and any tours outside the itinerary are not included.
The per-person price depends on how many people in your party book together and when you travel. It drops as the group grows, and it changes between the summer, autumn, holiday and winter periods. The table on this page shows each rate, starting from {price} per person.
You drive the quad for around one hour through the desert and mountains, behind your safari guide. The rest of the trip is the Bedouin village visit, the sunset and the BBQ dinner, so the day mixes some action with plenty of time to relax and talk.
Yes. Avicon Travel is a Class "A" travel agency licensed by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism under License No. 1962 and registered since 2010. Our office and team are in Karnak, Luxor, so the guides, drivers and cars on this tour are our own local team, not a booking desk abroad.
