Two Days Tour To Bahariya Oasis And White Desert From Cairo

We had 3 days tour to White Desert, Black Desert and Wadi Hitan, and Fayum oasis. White Desert was the most important part for us, that is why we decide for tour with overnight there. And here was a problem. I understand that Marsa Alam Tours is using subcontractors, and they do not have full visibility, how it is handled there. And subcontractor in White Desert was not the best one (including lack of English skills, and couple of other issues). But the real problem was that they changed totally schedule, started later, and decided to finish 2 days trip for White Desert in one day. Not informing us, just doing that. There was ban for camping in White Desert (which I understand), but they decided to shrink everything to one day... So it was very Instagram tour – take a picture, and go to next place, as we do not have time. Fortunately for us, we asked Marsa Alam Tours for help, and Mr Ahmed escalated it. Thanks to him, we were able to go back to White Desert for sun rise, which was magnificent. However those guys, cut our time for Black Desert and other points, including optional tours. We were considering see Alexander’s Temple, but they did not ask for it, just sent us to next place – Fayum. According to the plan, we should be there for evening, we were in mid day. I do not have anything against Fayum oasis, but it was only additional part for us, it was never the plan. I’m not the target. It is nice place, but I wanted to explore Black and White Deserts. On oasis, Mr Sobhi contacted again Mr Ahmed, and they provided us guide for Wadi Hitan, Mr Ali. Generally, everything after White Desert was very good organized, and Mr Ali was very helpful, and was try to fix bad impressions that we had. And Wadi Hitan meet our expectation, so we had wonderful day. But being totally honest, I can’t recommend this trip, with that subcontractor, that they have. If the trip in that shape, as we finally had, would be two days, so from sunrise on white desert we would head directly to Wadi Hitan, and then I would be very pleased. But with this one day, I’m not (as I have to remove couple of things in Egypt from my list to see).

We traveled in Egypt for 8 days at the end of October 2024. Part of our trip included a 2 day / 1 night White Desert tour with Marsa Alam Tours. The tour was absolutely great. Our guides were wonderful, the food (and the chef) were great. We got the desert experience we were looking for including sleeping in the desert without a tent. There were two of us and a family of four on our tour in two vehicles, so the group was a great size. We were not rushed at any time. Scheduling the tour was easy from the USA. Thanks for the great Egyptian desert experience. I highly recommend Marsa Alam Tours and will say if you don’t use Marsa Alam Tours you made a mistake. JTH

We did a 2 days 1 night tour as part as our honeymoon, starting in the black desert, then in Agabat, and in the white desert. We were picked up by Awad in cairo, and after a 4h drive, he dropped us at Baharya Oasis where we met our guide Mostafa. Everything was perfect, mostafa is a great driver (you ll have fun with that), is passionate about the desert, and is a talented musician (singer and Bedouin Flute player). And the scenery is out of this world. I'm not giving too much details as it is such a great experience to discover everything by yourselves.

We booked this tour in 2023 and travelled in June 2024. We were picked up promptly in Cairo at 7am by Awad, who was friendly and drove sensibly. We had an entire minibus to ourselves for the 4 hour journey from Cairo to Bahariya. Here, we met with our guides Ashraf and Mahmoud, who took us to the black desert, crystal mountain and white desert. We also stopped off at an oasis town for a delicious lunch where we had the opportunity to take a dip in a hot spring. Ashraf was very knowledgeable about the area, had perfect English and made an effort to get to know us and make us feel at ease. We set up camp in the white desert in the evening and were provided with another tasty meal before watching the sunset and admiring the beautiful night sky. Ashraf and Mahmoud stayed close by during the overnight stay and their familiarity with the desert made us feel safe, whilst also allowing us some space to ourselves and independence to explore the area a little. We would recommend this tour to anyone wanting to spend some time off the beaten track in Egypt. Many thanks to Ashraf and Mahmoud for being excellent guides and facilitating this memorable experience.

Amazing 3 day tour to the White desert, the Black desert, Agabat valley and Djara cave with camping in the desert. I had two great guides, Mohamed and Ahmed, and all was perfectly organized by them. There is so much to see there and its definitely worth going there for 3 days.

Unfortunately the driver had an accident (!) on his way to pick me up at 7am. The company offered to reschedule me for another day but I was flying out so couldn’t. Tasneem organized another driver at short notice. By the time he arrived it was 10.30 and I was over three and a half hours late for the tour. But it all got sorted and Mustapha the Bedouin guide reorganized the trip so I could see everything and stay longer the second day. Everything was excellent, the desert area is stunning and the camp ( complete with desert fox , Mustapha’s flute drum and singing and superb local food) was perfect.

Very good Service. Cars in perfect condition, Mustafa our guide spoke good English, very hardworking and professional, unhurried and knowing every corner of the desert. But the best thing was the food that prepared us in the desert, delicious and enough. In the evening there were enough blankets not to be cold in January. Throughout the trip a very pleasant atmosphere that we have enjoyed at full strength. Thank you.

The trip was well organized, with transfers to and from Cairo. However, the fun starts when you meet the family of bedouins that will serve as your hosts. We were paired with one of the adult son’s named Ahmad who served as our 4x4 driver, tour guide, tasty chef, and lots more. We shared the camp with another family a that was guided by Ahmad’s brother Mustafa. Together, they made the camp amazing. Notice that I haven’t mentioned anything about the natural scenery yet? It’s because our hosts were that good. The various parts of the desert were amazing. After dinner, we walked over to a adjacent camp and the various guides banded together to put on a fun musical show. Highly recommend this trip. Yala shabaab!

I would break our experience down into two parts. Everything about the Bahariya Oasis and the desert experience that was conducted by the Bedouin family was incredible. Great guide, great food, really awesome service, i cannot praise the White desert camping experience highly enough and would highly recommend it. The part before that though that Marsa Alam organized for us - pick up from Cairo and drop off to the Oasis and the drive back was very disappointing. Firstly there was no communication from Marsa Alam despite repeated requests. Didnt get driver details for a 6am pick up until 11pm the previous night. The driver then only spoke arabic and proceeded to drive at very high speeds through the desert while talking on his phone constantly. At one point he was hands free on the wheel while talking on one phone and texting on the other..it felt very unsafe. On our return as we reached Cairo we were bundled out of one car into another to go to the airport. On the whole the transfer experience to the desert and back and the communication was sub par. The desert experience itself though was amazing

Best thing we did in Cairo. The desert is a true wonder and the tour company are fantastic. They are very hospitable and knowledgable and was honestly something to remember for a life time. You do not feel like you are on a ‘tourist trip’ at all, it’s a truly authentic experience showing the beauty of nature and the Bedouin culture. If you have any time in Cairo I recommend doing this trip above all else.