Desert Stargazing Safari from Hurghada

Hurghada is bright enough at night that you see perhaps a dozen stars from your hotel balcony. Drive forty minutes inland, away from the coastal road, and the sky does something most visitors have never actually seen: it fills.

This trip is built around that moment rather than around the driving. The jeep safari, the camel ride and the dinner all happen before dark, so that when the light finally goes you are already out there, fed, and sitting still.

How the evening runs

We collect you from your hotel in an air-conditioned vehicle in the afternoon. From the edge of the desert you transfer to a jeep for the safari section, then stop at a Bedouin village where tea is served in the traditional way and you can take a camel ride if you want one.

Dinner is a barbecue eaten by candlelight in the open air as the sun goes down. Afterwards the astronomy guide sets up the telescope. Depending on the season you will be looking at Saturn's rings, the moons of Jupiter, lunar craters in detail, or star clusters that are only a smudge to the naked eye. The guide explains what you are seeing and, more usefully, teaches you to find things yourself.

Good to know before you book

• The evening runs around 5 hours in total.
• Check the moon phase before you pick your date. A full moon washes out the faint objects entirely. The week either side of a new moon is dramatically better, and we are happy to advise on dates.
• Cloud also matters. It is rare here, but it happens.
• Dress warmly - long trousers, closed shoes and a jacket. The desert loses its heat fast once the sun is down, and people consistently underestimate this.
• Transfers are included from hotels inside Hurghada; a $5 per person supplement applies from Makadi, Sahl Hasheesh, El Ahyaa, El Gouna and Soma Bay.
• Photography and video services are not included. Phone cameras do not capture the sky - bring a camera with manual settings and a small tripod if that matters to you.

$70 per person (regular price $80), including jeep safari, Bedouin village visit, camel ride, traditional tea, candlelit barbecue dinner, telescope, astronomy guide and hotel transfers.