Sharm-el-Sheikh Quad Bike Desert Adventure: A Fun but Dusty Ride

My first excursion in Sharm-el-Sheikh was a quad bike ride through the desert. We actually got a 4-seater buggy (which was a bit too big for the three of us), and it cost us $35 plus $5 for the camel ride.

We got picked up from the hotel after lunch, and the minibus was half full, so we spent about an hour driving to other hotels. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the quad bike base. Don't forget to bring your sunglasses and a scarf - they'll try to sell you these on the spot, but it's a rip-off.

After that, we were quickly assigned to our quad bikes/buggies and off we went.

This is the buggy we ended up with instead of a quad bikeWe were following our guide in a convoy, and it was super dusty, so wear clothes you don't mind getting sandy. We also had a photographer following us, taking pictures and videos all the time. Occasionally, we'd see other groups of people on quad bikes heading towards us, which would just make the dust worse. There were tons of quad bikes, all following each other in a line.

And this is still not all the quad bikes that were riding with us at the same timeSo, it's pretty clear that you can't go on this excursion alone - it's definitely worth booking a private tour. We rode for about 15 minutes and stopped at the foot of a mountain. We had 10 minutes to take some photos.

The views are just breathtaking if you've never been to a place like this before. Nothing but sand, mountains, and not a single tree in sight.

The sparse vegetation of the desertThe photographer was a bit too pushy, always asking us to look at him, pose, and smile. There are usually some Bedouin kids hanging around where tourists stop, trying to sell us beaded bracelets or asking for money or water. It's a pretty sad sight.

After that, our guide told us to get back on the quad bikes, and we stopped at a Bedouin settlement about 10 minutes later. They offered us Bedouin tea and let us ride camels for about 15 minutes. The Bedouin guy with a kid on his camel would ask for money and offer to take our picture. These kids have been taught from birth that tourists are their only source of income. It's really heartbreaking.

After the buggy ride, we switched to camelsNext, we headed back on ATVs. To be honest, the whole experience was a mixed bag. It was cool and all, but there's one major downside that made me think twice about doing this again. I felt like I was constantly being asked for something, even though I'd already paid. The photographer was always in our face, taking pictures and videos, but then he'd just stand there, not understanding when I said I wasn't interested in buying his photos. The kids would follow us, blocking our path and refusing to let us take a closer look around. And the camel driver would ask for my phone number so he could take a selfie with us. Maybe we just got unlucky, but I've heard great things about private tours. Maybe that's the way to go. Either way, it's definitely worth trying at least once, especially if you're new to Egypt.