Quad Bike Desert Safari in Dahab

The desert behind Dahab is mountain desert rather than dune desert - sandstone, dry riverbeds and canyon walls that turn orange in the late afternoon. It is more interesting terrain to ride than open sand, and this trip runs into it with a maximum of six people.

Six is a small number and it changes the day. You are not queuing behind twenty machines eating everyone else's dust, and the guide can actually adjust the pace to the group in front of him.

How it runs

We collect you from your hotel in Dahab in an air-conditioned car. At the desert camp you get a briefing and a machine - these are automatic, and if you can ride a bicycle you can manage one after ten minutes of practice.

The route runs out through wadis toward the cave area, where the acoustics are good enough that your voice comes back at you clearly. After roughly an hour of riding you reach a Bedouin settlement, where tea is brewed on the fire and you can sit in the shade and ask questions about how people actually live out here. Then you ride back.

Good to know before you book

• Total time is about 3 hours door to door.
• Cover your face. A scarf or buff is genuinely necessary - desert dust is fine, constant, and it gets everywhere.
• Wear closed shoes, long sleeves and sunglasses. Contact lens wearers may prefer glasses for this one.
• Passengers can ride pillion with the guide or a companion if they would rather not drive.
• Transfers are included within Dahab; pickup from outside Dahab carries a $5 per person supplement.
• Lunch, drinks, photography and video are not included.
• Late afternoon departures are the best light and the most comfortable temperature by a wide margin.

$32 per person (regular price $36), including the quad, guide and hotel transfers in Dahab.