Nomadic Trek Through Egypt's Sinai Desert

I had an unforgettable time in the Sinai desert: sleeping under the stars and waking up to the sunrise, eating delicious veggie-friendly food three times a day (plus tea breaks), chatting into the night making new friends around the campfire, accompanied by the music of our Bedouin guides and many games of UNO and the camel poo game (ask Said. . . ). We didn’t see a single other tourist for five days - this, combined with the digital detox that is the Egyptian wilderness, made for a simultaneously peaceful and energetic week amongst unexpectedly jaw-dropping scenery. The itinerary has been impeccably put together by Tanis and Said who, as well as being local experts, are incredibly welcoming, knowledgeable and professional hosts, going out of their way to make sure everyone feels looked after. I could write thousands more words to describe this experience, but they wouldn’t do it justice – just go and see for yourself!

This trip was a truly extraordinary and unforgettable experience. I didn't want it to end! Our guides, Tanis and Said, are such generous, humble, wonderful people who really care about your experience and welfare. There was a perfect balance of relaxation and active challenge - each day was special for different reasons. The food that our guides cooked for us was authentic and delicious, and I felt so well looked after. The service that MBA provide from start to finish made the trip seamless and so easy - MBA organised absolutely everything, so I could totally switch off and there was zero hassle. If you love stripping it back and being fully immersed in the outdoors, this is the trip for you and I would fully recommend it!

This truly was a unique, enriching experience, and not something I’d likely forget anytime soon. The landscape was incredible, harsh at times, but held intrigue around every corner. Our Bedouin guides were incredibly warm and generous, showing us their home and teaching us the ways of the Sinai desert. Said and Tanis taught us the significance of the indigenous plants, where they grow and how to use them.

The trekking itself was varied, climbing Um Shomer was at times challenging but at every step of the way we were in good hands. Looking back, this was some of the most enjoyable technical hiking I’ve done.

Once the evening sets in the desert can be frigid, but the provided blankets, radiant campfire and copious amounts of bedouin tea kept us in great spirits. Not to mention the poetry, music and dancing.

This is pretty much authentic as it gets, do not miss out and book!

The experience of sleeping under the stars in the Sinai Dessert was amazing even though very cold in the evenings.

Saeed and Tanis were excellent in leading the trek and explained everything to us that was important.

The climb to mt Shomer will be the highlight, this is a technical and challenging mountain but the views from the top are breathtaking.

Food and transportation was excellent.

Quite a unique trekking experience through the Sinai Desert. Amazing scenery and landscapes throughout the whole trek and sleeping directly under the stars was incredible. Some of the nights were quite cold (waking up to a frost covered sleeping bag!) so prepare to pack appropriately this time of year. We had amazing nights sitting around the campfire listening to traditional Bedouin music and stories. The trekking itself is quite manageable with the only real challenging day being the scramble to summit Um Shomer but the views from the top were well worth it! Said and Tanis did a great job looking after us every day and planned a great itinerary. Would recommend this trip!

The whole experience was insanely well run. We were fortunate to have both Tanis and Said on our trip and their passion for what they do is unmatched. They were clear in what we were doing each day and explained aspects of Bedouin culture to make us appreciate what we were doing and how special it is. The trekking isn’t too challenging and days aren’t too long other than Um Shomer where there is a lot of (very fun) scrambling but definitely worth it. Each day offers something different to enjoy so you’re never bored. The magic of sleeping under the stars is hard to beat but be prepared for very cold nights (we had frosty sleeping bags one night)! Overall an incredible experience and would recommend Desert Divers to anyone with a sense of adventure who wants to experience Sinai in a different way!

A fantastic trip across a unique, overlooked and stunning place. Everyday was well planned, a fantastic route, expectionally well organised and supported

The trip is not for the faint of heart, the days are hot and nights are freezing but you quickly bond as a team and as friends and every moment becomes magical

If you want

This was without a doubt the most brilliant travel experience I’ve had. The route was well planned, the guides were hospitable and accommodating and took us through the most beautiful parts of the Sinai.

Would highly recommend to anyone considering!

Hello, sorry for my late feedback but I am finally home and I would like to write some words for what I survived. I hope this mail reaches all levels in your company as it is not only to say thank you. Coming to Sinai I expected good guide and helpful team. Some good guys who take care for the undisciplined European people but what happened exceeded a lot my expectations. I have experience with this kind of adventures and I would like to share that Said and his team are way over guide and cockers and porters. This people work with their hearts and this is the reason we graduate the trek. It is not only to guide people. It is to feel their fears and to make them overcome. That is what Said do - he is a Magician, a Healer, he is Desert God. You are very lucky to have him on your side. Take care of him because he is more than a face of your company. People like him will make me choose your services again in the future and to recommend you to my friends. I wish all the best to all of the team and good luck to your company. For sure I will make some adventure with you again,

Best wishes, Albena Sinai, October 2024

This trek through the desert was such a wonderful and magical experience! I enjoyed the daily hikes, teas and coffees be the fire, interesting conversations with Bedouins and the lovely group of people who did this with me. The scenery was stunning everyday day and the views from the mountain we climbed were just breathtaking! I felt that Said and his team put their heart and soul to make this trip so enjoyable and they passionately shared information about their culture and Bedouin life. It was a pleasure to hike in wilderness and do wild camping with such a great company. This was my first trip with Much Better Adventures, and I am so impressed with what they offered; I will definitely be booking more trips next year!

The Nomadic Trek through the desert was a fantastic experience. The route chosen was balanced in terms of the stunning array of varying scenery and the terrain to cover. It was a challenging and enjoyable hike. The views from Um Shoma were incredible. The food was always very plentiful and welcome. Said and his team were informative and eager to pass on their enthusiasm for the Bedouin way of life. The experience was authentic, unspoiled and genuine. The trip was an opportunity to see and enjoy a wilderness with the people who know it best.

Special.

Superb trek through seldom visited parts of the Sinai desert, and a fun ascent scrambing up the granite of Jebel Um Shomer.

Said was a outstanding guide, with a passion and depth of knowledge of the area that's hard to find. The whole team worked hard to look after us. The itinerary was well designed to show varied areas of desert, and surprisingly diverse flora. We saw no-one except maybe a dozen locals for all the desert section of the trip.

The long evenings looking up at the stars by the fire in the absolute silence of the desert are pretty magical.

The trip is fairly strenuous and I suffered with blisters from day 4 so prepare better than me! Much of the trip is very remote, it may be difficult to get help if things go wrong. Also some people found the scramble up Um Shomer a bit daunting so it may be a good idea to do a few scrambles in the UK to get familiar.

The excellent snorkelling right off the beach at the hotel was also a bonus.

This was a father and son trip for us. We loved the austere beauty of the South Sinai- mountains, gorges and wadis. The walking was significant, but not overly taxing, with breaks on the way. Evenings by the fire, under the stars, were magical. Make sure you bring warm clothes and a decent sleeping bag and mat for the nights. It was a treat to experience such an extraordinary environment and a privilege to be lead through it by Said and his team. They were fantastic at all times.

Such an amazing and educational experience. Tanis and Said are amazing guides supported by a real dream team of local Bedouins. Expect cold nights (bring extra layers and thermals if you are doing this hike ver the winter months), bonfires, amazing food and countless teas and cardamom coffees. Sleeping under the stars it's an indescribable experience, as well as it's scrambling up Jebel Um Shomer. I will keep these memories in my heart for a long time, and hope to be beck to magical Sinai soon!!

If you have ever wanted to experience a desert trek this is surely one of the best places to do it, Tanis, Said & all of our guides, the locals we met along the way were very welcoming and brilliant hosts displaying the renowned Bedouin hospitality and are fantastic cultural ambassadors. The scenery is stunning and felt varied day to day, from dry river beds to canyons, scrambling up mountains, vast plains and oasis. Learnt a lot about the desert, its wildlife, fauna and history. A trip I wont forget, highly recommended.

My first of now many much better adventures thanks to this trip! Tanis and Said have put together an amazing trek through the most stunning and varied desert landscapes that could never be seen unless you take this adventure. There were so many highlights but suffice to say it was the most special, beautiful, challenging, inspiring and exhilarating experiences of my life. To top it off I met the most wonderful group of people. The hosts look after you so well so don’t worry about anything, just embrace the experience.

An authentic and adventurous journey through an attractive and memorable landscape. Many moments of zen reflection along with exhilarating and breathtaking challenges. Hosts and guides were all wonderfully dedicated, informative and engaging. Exceeded expectations.

This is a truly special experience. Tanis and Said have put together a trip infused with love, care, pride and authenticity. The landscapes are stunning, hiking peaceful, food delicious and attention of the smiling guides mind boggling, but despite all of this the trip is really an immersive experience in the Bedouin culture. It’s not without its challenges (wild camping related!) but I have come away with gratitude for all seen, learned and shared.

A truly unique trip unlike any other in which you are whisked back in time. Recommended for those looking to get away and experience something different. A chance to experience Bedouin culture and travel through stunning sections of the desert. The treks are quite easy other than Day 3, which is a genuine scramble/rock climb. It is very cold in the mountains, so bring extra layers and a very good sleeping bag. Definitely bring snacks. Experience with an open mind and just go with the flow.

This is a truly special adventure. The mountains of the south Sinai are stunning and it was a real privilege to spend time with the Bedouins. Said and his team did a brilliant job of looking after us. The route was well planned. Not too taxing and every day the scenery was different. Dry Wadi’s, deep granite gorges, open sandy expanses and not forgetting the impressive Jebel Um Shomer. This trek is truly “off grid “ no roads, no signal and no people. So bring a good sense of adventure. And I would definitely recommend a good sleeping bag and mattress as the nights are cold and the ground is quite hard. You will also need a good head for heights to climb Jebel Um Shomer.

Extraordinary experience and utterly unique in so many ways. Our Bedouin guide Said shepherded us expertly through the Sinai, along with his team. Stunning scenery, fascinating culture, great group. We all felt very safe and it was a relief to be off-grid for a few days.

I had an amazing time on this trek, with some lasting memories. Said and the other Bedouin guides really looked after us, and seeing the loaded camel's navigate some tricky terrain was very impressive.

I was unsure how it would be sleeping out under the stars but it was absolutely fine, and the night sky was amazing.

The landscape is beautiful and we had some amazing evenings socialising with our guides and other Bedouin who came to join, with lovely food and some ecstatic dancing!

Be prepared to have tea every time you stop!

I loved this trip! The Sinai desert is unlike anywhere I've been before, a really remote and mountainous landscape. Exploring it with the Bedouin and their camels really did feel like being in an adventure story! The guides are fantastic and the team spirit was great. Climbing Um Shomer was an awesome experience and one I'll not forget. Arriving back at the beach hotel and jumping in the sea is just the perfect way to finish a week in the desert. The only downside is that I got quite unwell after the trip (often the case in Egypt), so be careful with hygiene and bring plenty of meds. But it was totally worth it... I travelled through quite a few places in the Middle East (inc. Wadi Rum) this spring and Sinai is as wild and beautiful as anywhere I went.

Wow, what an adventure! Definitely in our top for experiences. We were guided by Bedouins and learned to live as they do. Each night we unrolled rugs around a campfire, brewed sweet mint tea and fragrant cardamom coffee and ate crisp, fresh bread roasted on the coals. We slept under the stars. The hot desert, harsh under the cruel sun became gentle by moonlight. Setting camp and selecting the softest spot for your 'bed' became our nightly ritual. The bathroom, a suitable rock to provide a semblance of privacy. The climb to summit Jebel Um Shomar is a genuine scramble, best for those happy at heights but with an incredible 360 view as a reward. Egypt, many visit but few travellers truly experience the desert and Bedouin life. Top tips: Do take water purification tablets, they are essential. Take an eye mask for nighttime, the moon is very bright. Take extra painkiller medication, they are very appreciated as gifts alongside tips. Pack a few items as gifts for the Bedouin villagers (sweets, toiletries, medicine, band-aids, children’s clothes, solar chargers), we fashioned a gift pack between us but would like to have been better prepared.

Amazing trek through Sinai peninsula together with local bedouin guides. A way to get away from everyday worries and embrace the beautiful nature

We had a fantastic unique experience in Sinai! I felt like a true adventurer scrambling to the top of Um Shomer and it was really special encountering local Bedouins and their hospitality. We had a great group and a great guide in Said, who was an amazing cultural ambassador for the Bedouin.