So you have some days in Egypt before your tour of Socotra or you are transiting through Egypt for one of our tours to Socotra, Sudan, South Sudan or Eritrea? We have just the thing to make that layover lifetime memorable, be it before or after your main trip.
Come on this extension and join our small groups to see the stunning and surprisingly less visited deserts of Egypt which will make you feel like you’re on another planet. Guided by locals who have been doing tours there since the days when expeditions on donkeys where the only way to get there, you’ll explore the White Desert, where everything looks made of snow or chalk, the volcanic, hellish black desert and the crystal mountain, made of quartz.
Truly give your stay in Egypt an incredible spin, at a very reasonable price!
Itinerary
Day 1 – White Desert
- Today you’ll be picked up very early from your hotel to head out to the desert, jumping into our 4X4s on the trip to the White Desert. The trip will take five hours
- You’ll meet your local guide at the oasis of Bahariya where you will be treated to an incredible home-cooked meal.
- In the afternoon, we continue our trip to the White Desert by going through… the Black Desert. Egyptians are certainly good at naming things! The Black Desert was formed by the remnants of volcanoes and look like Mordor, only lacking the big eye of fire.
- We drive by the hut desert, here the peculiar rock formations, thousands of them, look like huts or yurts.
- The White desert, located not too far from Cairo, is one of Egypt’s best secrets. The scenery here is like nowhere else with chalk white pillars coming out of the sand. We will reach the White Desert just in time for sunset!
- In the evening, it will be time to pick our own Bedouin encampment where we will have dinner under the starry sky of Egypt.
- Overnight in the Bedouin camp
Day 2
- Wake up in the desert for our breakfast in the sand
- Spend most of the morning going through the impressive chalk formations of the White Desert with plenty of opportunities for walking and taking photos
- We stop by the Crystal Mountain, a shiny ridge dotted with quartz in the middle of the sand made by a one of a kind geological phenomenon
- Have lunch around the oasis of Bahariya to cut the journey in half
- In the afternoon, we make our way back to Cairo
- Arrival in Cairo around 6PM and drop-off by your hotel
- End of tour
Price
Price Inclusive of:
- Transportation from your hotel to the desert and back
- Transportation in 4WD around the desert
- Local Bedouin guide
- All camping equipment for the night in the desert
- Lunch and Dinner on day 1, Breakfast on Day 2
- Drinking water
Price Exclusive of:
- Accommodation in Cairo (can be arranged for an extra €50/night, including breakfast)
- Airport pickup (can be arranged for an extra €25)
- Flights to and from Cairo
- Travel insurance
- Tips for the local guide and driver
