Egypt Desert Safaris
Deserts cover about 20% of the Earth’s land surface, and are often thought of as unforgiving environments where it is difficult to survive even a day or two. While you do need special preparations to stay in the desert, it’s actually quite possible to do it – even fun! Deserts provide the perfect atmosphere for some really interesting activities you won’t be able to do anywhere else in the world. Hot deserts are, perhaps, more versatile in the kinds of activities that you can do, and the largest hot desert, the Sahara, has many points where you can take part in these activities.
When in Egypt, it’s a great idea to go on a desert safari. These alternative style trips are an absolute adventure that you must experience. While hot deserts the world over can offer great experiences, in Egypt you can have these experiences and have a blast while doing it! Often traveling into the desert with Bedouin guides, you’ll have a chance to see their interaction with the environment, and enjoy it the way locals would – with song and dance around a campfire at night! While camping out in the desert, you’ll experience one of the clearest night skies around as you sit in front of the camp fire and drink traditional Bedouin tea. At your Bedouin camp, you might even enjoy a traditional dinner of lamb, slow cooked in the heat under the sand. While in the Egyptian desert, you’ll probably even be lucky enough to see a fox or two during your stay!
Enjoying a campfire in the Egyptian desert under the stars
Besides camping, the other desert safari activities you can enjoy in Egypt are sand boarding and dune bashing. Sand boarding is a slightly more forgiving version of snowboarding, where you climb up a sand dune with your board, and slide down either standing (for the adventurous with a good sense of balance) or sitting (for those who are more cautious, and would like to enjoy the same experience, but a little close to the ground); it’s a fun activity, and one that you can only enjoy in the desert, as there are no man made sand dunes that would suit the activity. You can enjoy this on a simple day trip outside of the desert at the Qataneya Dunes, or while spending a weekend in the Western Desert.
Dune bashing is an activity where you’re riding in a 4x4 vehicle that climbs up the dunes, drives along its crest, and sometimes crosses to the other side of the dune. It’s quite exciting, and you have to hold tight as you’re actually leaning sideways during the ride along the crest of the dune.
While out in the Egypt’s Western Desert, you can also arrange a trip to see one of the 5 oases, and have your very own “mirage experience” in the Bahariya Oasis, except you’ll be seeing actual palm trees around a small spring of water, or even enjoy a dip in some mineral water! The Western Desert even has some areas like the Great Sand Sea that are ideal for sand boarding.
Enjoying a dip in a therapeutic mineral pool in an Egyptian oasis
Desert safaris are great adventures, and you’re guaranteed to feel the adrenaline rush while driving sideways at the crest of a dune, or sliding down the dune, and you’ll feel the childlike wonder when you spot indigenous wildlife in the area. On your next trip to Egypt, make sure you set aside a weekend for a trip to the desert – it’s something you’ll never forget!
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Last Updated: August 21st, 2011 |
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