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Eastern Desert

Spanning rugged granite mountains and golden dunes between the Nile and the Red Sea, the Eastern Desert offers dark-sky stargazing, exciting 4x4 safaris, and authentic Bedouin hospitality.

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Why visit Eastern Desert

The Eastern Desert mountains, the longest mountain range in Egypt
The monasteries of St Paul and St Anthony, built in the 4th century
The coloured and white canyons north of Hurghada
The Bedouin culture of the Maaza and the harvests of the desert
The springs and the palms of the wadis

Getting there

The Eastern Desert starts about 40 minutes east of Cairo and runs for 220 kilometres along the Red Sea. The monasteries and the canyons are reached from Hurghada or from Cairo on organised 4x4 trips; the road is a paved desert highway that most of the sites sit off.

Best time to visit

October to April. The desert is dry and the days are clear and cool enough for the 4x4 drives; in summer the temperature crosses 40°C by midday, which is why the trips leave at dawn.

Activities in Eastern Desert

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Desert Safaris

Eastern Desert & Hurghada, Egypt

4.8 (166)

Hurghada: Desert Stargazing, Camel, Dinner & Smart Telescope

5 hours

Eastern Desert Hurghada

From

$46 $30

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Frequently asked questions

The monastery of St Paul and the monastery of St Anthony, built into the cliffs in the 4th century and still in use. They are among the oldest Christian sites in the East and are reached by a short climb from the car.

Yes, and that is how the tours are built — the 4x4 leaves early, the canyons or the monasteries come mid-morning, and the drive back crosses the mountains in the late afternoon.

Yes, the track into the canyons is not passable with a normal car. The tours use proper 4x4 vehicles with a driver and a guide.

The tour routes are driven daily and the vehicles carry water, and the guides know the desert. The rule the operators follow is simple: never leave the marked track and never go out alone.