Overview
Tour Description
The Great Sand Sea is one of the largest dune fields on Earth, stretching from Siwa Oasis to the Libyan border. This 8-day 4×4 expedition crosses it from Siwa to the White Desert, with nights in a Siwa eco-lodge, four nights camping under the stars and a last night in Bahariya. It is for travelers who want real desert, not a day trip.
Highlights
- The WWII battlefield, museum and cemeteries at El Alamein
- Siwa Oasis: the mud-brick fortress of Shali, the Oracle Temple of Amun, Cleopatra’s Spring and the Mountain of the Dead
- Fossil beds, prehistoric rock marks and spring lakes in the dunes
- Sandboarding and swimming in desert springs
- The White Desert, Crystal Mountain and the Black Desert
- The Golden Mummies museum in Bahariya
Itinerary
Day 1: Cairo to El Alamein and Siwa
We pick you up at your Cairo hotel at 6:00 AM and drive about three hours to El Alamein, scene of the decisive WWII battle of 1942. You visit the war museum and the cemetery, then follow the Mediterranean coast past Marsa Matrouh and turn south into the desert to Siwa, about six hours more.
Meals: Lunch, dinner. Overnight: eco-lodge, Siwa.
Day 2: Siwa Oasis
You explore Shali, the old salt-brick town of Siwa, then the Temple of the Oracle at Aghurmi, where Alexander the Great came to consult the god Amun, and the ruined temple of Umm Ubayda. After Cleopatra’s Spring and the Siwa House Museum, you visit the painted tombs of the Mountain of the Dead. You end the day with sunset at Fatnas Island.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: eco-lodge, Siwa.
Day 3: Into the dunes: Shiata Lake and Bir Wahid
The 4x4s head into the desert past the village of Maraqi. You stop at prehistoric marks in the rocks, cross dunes to a field of fossils from an ancient seabed, and reach Shiata Lake, where you may see flamingos and can swim in the cool water. After some sandboarding you drive on to the hot spring at Bir Wahid and set up camp.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: desert camp.
Day 4: Wadi el-Arag and Bahrein
You visit Wadi el-Arag, a hidden valley with rock-cut tombs and caves, and continue to the remote lakes of Bahrein Oasis for the night.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: desert camp.
Day 5: The Great Sand Sea and Ain Della
A full day crossing the great dunes, with stops whenever the views call for it, ending at the spring of Ain Della.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: desert camp.
Day 6: To the White Desert
You leave the dunes and drive east to the White Desert, where wind has carved the chalk into mushrooms and towers. Camp is set among the formations, and dinner is cooked on the fire.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: White Desert camp.
Day 7: Crystal Mountain, the Black Desert and Bahariya
You stop at Crystal Mountain, the Valley of Agabat and the Black Desert, and the hot spring of El Haize. In Bahariya you visit the Golden Mummies museum, the Tombs of the Nobles and the Temple of Ain el-Muftella.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Overnight: hotel, Bahariya.
Day 8: Back to Cairo
After breakfast you drive back to Cairo, about four hours, and we drop you at your hotel.
Meals: Breakfast.
Included and Excluded
- Pick-up and drop-off at your Cairo hotel
- 2 nights in an eco-lodge in Siwa with breakfast and dinner
- 1 night in a hotel in Bahariya with breakfast and dinner
- 4 nights camping in the desert, full board
- Camping equipment: tents, sleeping bags and blankets
- Air-conditioned vehicle from Cairo to Siwa and from Bahariya to Cairo
- 4×4 vehicles and desert crew from Siwa to Bahariya
- Guide throughout the trip
- Entrance fees to all sites in the itinerary
- Lunch on sightseeing days
- Bottled water and soft drinks while camping
- All taxes and service charges
- Hotel nights in Cairo before and after the trip
- Optional tours
- Tips for the guide and crew
- Personal expenses
Prices:
What will it cost you?
Prices per person change with the season and how many of you travel. Set yours and see the real number — no email needed.
Note:
All the accommodation in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan hotels and Nile cruises are 5* ultra deluxe accommodations
Tour Attractions
FAQs
How much does the Great Sand Sea tour cost?
From $4,150 per person sharing from May to September, and $5,449 per person from October to April. Single travelers pay $5,600 in summer and $6,900 in winter.
When is the best time for a Great Sand Sea safari?
October to April. Summer temperatures in the open desert are too high for comfortable camping, and in December and January the nights can drop close to freezing.
Do I need desert permits?
Yes, the Great Sand Sea is a protected border area and needs permits. We arrange them for you, and we need your passport details about three weeks before travel.
Is the trip physically demanding?
Most of the travel is by 4x4, so it is not physically hard, but it involves long days on rough terrain and simple camp facilities. It suits healthy travelers who enjoy the outdoors.
What is the White Desert?
A national park of chalk rock formations in the Western Desert, near Farafra.
