Both the Black and White Desert in Egypt are marvelous wonders. Unfortunately, many visitors miss them on their first visit. As travelers strapped for cash who quit their jobs. We were determined to find the cheapest Black and White Desert Tours possible. Research was necessary and so was planning.
But we did it, we got the cheapest price available on the market. $80 pp for the 2-day 1 night tour. Many articles online had referred us to the Dahab Hostel in Cairo. So, we booked it. We were surprised by the added cost of paying with credit card, but it was still a savings. They even worked with us and allowed us to pay upon our return from the tour. We were unable to make it to their office before the start of the tour. We were extremely grateful for this.
Others in our group paid more than $200+ per person for the same tour when they booked through their hotel. We were so shocked. So, we started asking questions to see how to avoid such a mishap for other travelers. We spoke to our tour operators and guides to asked about how the hotels and hostels use them for this excursion. The price for the excursion changes based on group size, dates, and the driver hired for your transfer. Prices are not fixed. So, each hotel or hostel sells the tours at an up-charge to make profit off the other end of each transaction. The operators don’t know how much their tour is sold for. That is because each seller negotiates with each tourist on an individual basis.
The Dahab Hostel in Cairo for instance now sells the tour for $85 USD per person. Yet we have done one better. Here are the rates we negotiated with Ahmed Safari Camp. All prices are in USD. These are cash rates only. To be paid in USD or the Euro equivalent. See below for specific prices and how to secure your exclusive spot.You can see their Facebook page here.
Exclusive Reader Prices
Black and White Desert Tour, For the 2-day 1 night tour from Cairo, the prices are as follows:
1 person – $75
2 People – $70 per person
3 People or more $65 per person
Black and White Desert Tour For the 3-day, 2-night tour from Cairo, the prices are as follows:
1 person – $125
2 People – $115 per person
3 People or more $110 per person
PRIVATE TOUR - Black and White Desert Tour For the 3-day, 2-night tour from Cairo, the prices are as follows:
1 person – $250
2 People – $155 per person
3 People or more $135 per person
The excluded costs:
Tip, drinks in the hotel and coffee shops, Park fee of $5 per person.
How To Get These Prices and Pay
Please note that for these rates you will need to contact Essam directly via WhatsApp 002 0122 172 2751. You will need to quote our code: Safari24, so they know you are one of our readers. Not everyone gets these prices. He will organize your transportation from Cairo, and you will pay in cash upon arrival at the Safari Camp. You will need to pay in USD or the Euro equivalent. They can not accept debit or credit cards for these rates. They do NOT have a method on site for accepting cards. Please come prepared. ATM’s are usually not working or available at the oasis.
If credit card is your only option, the Dahab Hostel in Cario is still the cheapest. At $85 USD plus the additional credit card usage fee.
The Tour Itinerary Options:
Now that you have found the cheapest Black and White Desert Tour in all of Egypt. What are you getting?
Black and White Desert Tour Itinerary: 2 days/ 1 night.
Day 01
Meet at 6:00 AM in front of KFC Tahrir square downtown Cairo or 6:30 a.m. in front of KFC sphinx area Giza. A private car will pick up the group from each location in either Cairo or Giza and take you to Bahiriya Oasis. This is a 360 KM journey and takes about 5 hours each way.
On arrival at the Oasis, you’ll have lunch in the Ahmed Safari Camp and pay for your tour.
After lunch you will pack only what you need and leave all large luggage at the Safari Camp. Then its time to hop in the 4WD car to visit the Black Desert and climb the Black Mountains.
You will drive to reach Elhaiz Bedouin village to swim in the natural spring.
After the natural spring you will drive to visit the crystal mountain. Followed by views of Agabat Valley to see the high white mountains that blend with sand dunes.
Before sunset you will get to try sandboarding. After this you drive to the New White Desert so you can enjoy the limestone shapes. Such as Chicken, Rabbit, Dog, Ice Cream, and more natural rock formations.
After sunset, enjoy a BBQ dinner and camping under the stars in tents.
Day 02:
In the morning after breakfast, breakdown camp drive to the Old White Desert. Enjoy seeing the famous mushrooms, creamy mountains and drive back to the hotel. In the late morning around 10:30 a.m. gather all luggage for your drive back to Cairo.
Black and White Desert Tour Itinerary: 3 days/ 2 night
Day 01: (Day 1 both tours is the same)
Meet at 6:00 AM in front of KFC Tahrir square downtown Cairo or 6:30 a.m. in front of KFC Sphinx area Giza. A private car will pick up the group from each location in either Cairo or Giza and take you to Bahiriya Oasis. This is a 360 KM journey and takes about 5 hours each way.
On arrival at the oasis, you’ll have lunch in the Ahmed Safari Camp and pay for your tour.
After lunch you will pack only what you need and leave all large luggage at the Safari Camp. Then its time to hop in the 4WD car to visit the Black Desert and climb the Black Mountains.
You will drive to reach Elhaiz Bedouin village to swim in the natural spring.
After some time at the hot spring, we drive to visit the crystal mountain. Followed by views of Agabat Valley to see the high white mountains that blend with sand dunes.
Before sunset you will get to try sandboarding. From here we head to the New White Desert so you can enjoy the limestone shapes. Such as Chicken, Rabbit, Dog, Ice Cream, and more natural rock formations.
After the sun goes down, enjoy a BBQ dinner and camping under the stars in tents.
Day 02:
In the morning after breakfast, breakdown Camp and drive to the Old White Desert. Enjoy seeing the famous mushrooms, creamy mountains and drive back to the hotel.
At this point this is where the tours differ: Check into the Ahmed Safari Camp hotel in a private room. Then its time for lunch.
At about 3:00 PM it’s time to drive in 4×4 car to visit Palm Groves. Then the natural Hot and Cold Springs, Salt Lake, and Sand Dunes. Finishing the day with natural pyramid mountain and sunset from the English mountain.
Then you drive through the Oasis Markets to the hotel for dinner and sleep overnight in the hotel.
Day 03:
In the morning have breakfast before your 10:30 AM pick up to join a group in transfer back to Cairo.
The Private 3-day, 2 Night Tour is the same as the group option but includes an upgraded room for your hotel stay. If you don’t have a group, you can choose the group option for better rates.
What to Expect – Our Experience
Pick Up
We were contacted 2 days in advance via WhatsApp to arrange for our pickup. We were asked to meet our driver just outside of our hotel. This was to avoid the military check point as we were staying at the Mena House. They are known to delay tours and ask many questions when guests are headed to the Black and White Deserts. I would expect this to happen at any luxury hotel. These tours use to be illegal. Yes, they are now permitted by the government. But some law enforcement officers don’t think they should be allowed. The officers are known to cause delays as a result.
Pick ups will sometimes be at your hotel or closer than the mentioned pick-up points in the itinerary. This will depend on the size of the entire group scheduled for your dates. For us space in the vehicle was not very roomy with everyone’s luggage. But most of the people in our car slept on the way. So, it may not be of much concern.
During our trip the driver added locals to the car who were not part of our tour. When there are additional seats left, the driver will typically add locals to the car. This is a way to make some extra cash for the same drive. This caught us off guard but should be expected. It happened to us on both the trip from Cario and when returning to Cairo. I would expect the same thing for your trip. It makes sense because every empty seat is lost revenue.
The ride itself was a bit of a culture shock. When we came across an unavoidable military check point, the locals hopped out of the car. Once we crossed, the hopped back in. This was to help things go quicker. Don’t let it bother you. These check points are typical in Egypt. They even check vehicles for explosives. This shouldn’t be of concern, its just protocol. But it was scary the first time it happened to us.
We had breaks for gas, bathroom stops and snacks if we need. This was the case for both the way there and back. So, I would expect this for your journey too.
Arrival at Ahmed Safari Camp
Once here we all needed to use the washroom. There was no toilet paper in the stalls so make sure to have some and not get yourself stuck on the toilet. Ask for toilet paper or bring some with you. You will need in at most stops in Egypt. Its good to always have some handy as most places charge for it.
This was our last stop to grab toilet paper for the rest of the tour. So, I suggest stocking up. There are no washroom facilities. The only toilet available in the desert will be a hole in the sand you dig yourself. Find a rock to hide behind for some privacy and get comfortable. There isn’t another option.
For those you who are using our discount, you will have to pay for your tour at this point. We paid in advance at the higher rate with the extra credit card charge. But if you come prepared with cash, this is where you will save a bunch.
For us lunch was ready, and we had soup, pasta, chicken, salad, and bread with water. Once done we were instructed to gather what we needed for the night in a smaller bag. We couldn’t bring all our large luggage on the tour with us. It is best to come prepared and have everything you would need for the night in a backpack. You do not want to bring large luggage to the desert anyways and fill your bags with sand. It will take forever to get it out after the sand has penetrated your bags. Then once your done make sure to find your guide. We waited for ours and wasted 1.5 hours.
But when we found our guide and loaded up the 4X4 we were ready to hit the road. The bad thing about a winter visit is the limited daylight hours. That’s less time to enjoy the sites which made our stops all very short.
4X4 Tour
Black Desert and Black Mountains
Our guide loaded up all the food we needed, drinks, cooking equipment and more. Leaving plenty of room for our bags. Then we were off to see the sites. You may have a last stop for gas if the guide hasn’t filled up the car already. But expect this one to be quick. We were low so we needed to stop.
Our first stop was the Black Desert and the Black Mountains. As we drove down the highway, the drifting sands would cover the road. The road lines became more of a suggestion, than a law. It makes you realize that at some point, sandstorms must completely cover the roads. This was such a change in scenery for us.
The Black Desert is located north of the White Desert. It gets its name from the black basalt rocks and volcanic rocks that erupted from the volcanic hills. The mountains are now covered in the rocks giving it a black look. It however has a black rock rubble look on top of golden sand. The entire desert is not made of black sand, which is what I think I was expecting.
Swim in Natural Spring in Elhaiz Bedouin Village
A visit to the hot spring for our group was quick. As is the case with most natural hot springs, it smelt like sulphur, which wasn’t appealing. But, looking at the spring, the water looked dirty. We thought it may not be safe for swimming, so our group opted to move on and skip a dip in the warm water. This may be different for your group.
Crystal Mountain
This was one of my favorite spots. Despite its name, it isn’t a mountain at all, but a ridge. It is made of quartz crystal which sparkle. The sharp edges of the crystal can only make you think of the Fortress of Solitude in Superman. The stop here was short, but worth it. No one else was around and it felt like we had come across natures jewellery box. It just felt out of this world.
Agabat Valley
When we made it to Agabat Valley we felt like we were on a different planet. The driver dropped us off at the top of the hill. This gave us a panoramic view of the desert filled with rock formations below. We got to walk down or run in my case through the sand. It made us feel like a kid. We saw the long shadows cast by the rock formations as the sun was starting to set in the distance. This was one of the longer stops of the day and it deserved the time.
Sand-Boarding
Just before we headed to the White Desert, it was time to try sand-boarding. Our driver had a board and wax to increase our speed down the hill. This will not be a stand up, surfing type of experience. Get up as high as you can climb and sit down to ride down the dunes. The better the board is waxed, the faster you can go. We didn’t catch much speed, but we enjoyed it anyways. Don’t spend too much time here as you will be racing to the White Desert for a great sunset spot for your group.
New White Desert Formations
Now it was time to head to camp in the New White Desert. This was our sunset spot. Yours may change if your guide has found a better one on route. Our camp was already prepared by our tour guide, so we didn’t need to set anything up. He was having regular tours so there wasn’t a need to rebuild nightly. This will always depend on who your guide is. Ours was set up with views of the rabbit. Which was a premium spot. The tent was built and blankets, tables, and the BBQ were already at the camp. This took a load off the 4X4 during the day for our tour. I would have loved to help build camp, but with the time constraints, I am glad we didn’t need to.
These guides are a tight knit community. If anyone needs extra blankets, food etc at near by camps, someone is there. They will always offer them to make sure all groups are comfortable and equipped for the night.
You will notice that despite being called White Desert National Park, the sand is not white at all. Its colour is golden. The park gets its name from the white limestone stone and stone shapes protruding from the sand.
Dinner
Now the answer to everyone’s most asked question. What did we eat? We had rice and BBQ chicken. Potatoes and mixed vegetable tomato-based stew and a vegetable soup. It was very flavorful. Our guide pealed everything when we got to camp. We had oranges and bananas, bread, Fanta and Sprite. We were so full, and the food was great. We were warned to bring snacks but there wasn’t really a need. We even got tea around the fire afterwards.
Your food flavor and amount will depend on the skill of your guide. Unfortunately, it is the luck of the draw. But our experience was positive.
Sleeping Situation
Now that the fire has died down and the evening has ended, how does this sleep situation work? No everyone does not get their own individual tents. This is not a very private situation. Our entire group shared a single tent, including the guides. Let’s hope no one snores on your trip. Each person got as many blankets as they need to stay warm. Some camps have a mattress to sleep on and some will just have a blanket between you and the floor. We had the blanket between our bums and the sand.
The guides are the experts in this terrain. This means the tent will be set up to ensure you have the best possible nights rest. In the cold you will be over sand, and, in the heat, you will be over rocks. This is because the sand is the warmest place to be. It does not hold the cold and it will keep you warmer in the cold evenings. The rocks in comparison hold the cold, so when its warm, to help you stay cool, you will sleep on or near the rocks. Try to follow the group and sleep when they do. You don’t want to keep the group awake.
We were offered to sleep under the stars, which is a great experience. However, this is when the wildlife is most active in the desert, and I was not ready for that. Plus, I needed any warmth I could get. We opted to remain in the tent.
Morning Wake Up
Our visit was in February, so we woke up to frigid temperatures. You would think that once the sun was up, the heat would come too. This was not the case. We were far away from the camp before we began to feal the heat. As you can imagine, there are no showers or personal areas. If you want to change or freshen up in any way, find a rock to hind behind for privacy. Remember that this is also your only toilet option. So don’t step in someone mess from the previous night.
We chilled by the fire and slowly woke up with some coffee and tea as the guide prepared breakfast.
Breakfast
Breakfast was not fancy, it was simple. Bread, jam, cheese, butter, juice, yogurt, and fruit. But all meals depend on what your guide/driver has arranged. We were given the choice of where to have our breakfast. In the tent, by the fire, or off somewhere on our own. We decided to sit by the fire and talk about our amazing experiences while we enjoyed our last meal with the group.
Once we were done, we packed up our belongings that we had in the tent and got everything in the 4X4. There isn’t much time in the morning, so you don’t want the group to have to wait for you.
Old White Desert
We continued to explore the White Desert once we left camp. The Old White Desert was the only stop in the morning. Its beautiful to see the colours of the sky illuminate the golden sand. The white limestone formations look blue, pink, and finally white as the sky clears. We enjoyed seeing the famous mushrooms and creamy mountains.
Please note that the New White Desert and Old White Desert refer to different areas. All within the White Desert National Park. These are not separate deserts. Any tour here will include both areas. The Mushroom and Rabbit rock formations are the highlight of tours in this area.
Return to Camp
We got back around 9:30-10:00 AM. This should be expected. We found that this was a good time to tip our guide. They very much appreciate tips and tipping culture is big in Egypt. So, expect to tip too.
We made sure to use the restroom before the long drive and repacked our bags. You will need to get yours ready for the ride back to Cairo. Repack things to all fit in one bag for the car ride to Cairo. The last thing you want to do is have many bags to drag around in Cairo. The effort here will be worth it.
Return Drive to Cairo
Once our driver had arrived, we brought our bags out so he could load the car. The drivers tend to be contracted out based on the groups needs. They are very nice and speak English well. So, communication shouldn’t be an issue.
The driver added more locals to our car for the trip to Cairo when space was available. They sell the route per seat. More money is always appealing for the same ride. As with the ride to the safari cap, don’t expect an empty seat when heading back to Cairo. If there are no locals looking to get to Cairo, the driver will stop in near by towns to check for more passengers. This does slow things down a bit, but they are determined to have a full car for the ride.
For us we had 2 stops on the way back to use the washroom and grab snacks. The washrooms are not free and requires payment and tissue. Make sure to bring some with you as they often ration it. So, this means make sure you also have some cash if you want to use the restroom or WC(water closet).
When we got back to Cairo the driver let us know who would be dropped off first so they could get prepared. We had our military police avoidance checkpoint in Cairo. This meant the locals had to get out of the car and wait around the corner. This was before driving up to fancy hotels with lots of security and military police. Then once we left the gates the locals would hop back in to get to their destinations. This is a regular practiced as mentioned above. They left all their luggage without worry and it worked like a well-oiled machine. But still feels a bit sketchy.
In Conclusion
That’s what we experienced on our Black and White Desert Tour in Egypt. You can expect a similar experience and we hope we have prepared you adequately. We find that the more prepared we are and less curve balls we get thrown, the easier it is to enjoy an experience. You will know what to expect, what is normal and how to come as prepared as possible. You now know the bathroom situation, what food may look like and what the sleeping situation is.
We have been to over 40 countries and this experience still makes our top experiences list all the time. So yes, we would recommend it to anyone. We did our tour with Ahmed Safari Camp through Dahab hostel. We paid $80 USD pp and had to pay additionally to use a credit card. This was the cheapest available tour we were able to find. Many articles reference Dahab hostel for getting white desert tours. They still do; but the price has increased to $85 pp plus the credit card fee.
To reiterate, for these rates you will need to contact Essam via WhatsApp 002 0122 172 2751. You will need to quote our code: Safari24, so they know you are one of our readers. He will organize your transportation from Cairo, and you will pay in cash upon arrival at the Safari Camp. You will need to pay in USD or the Euro equivalent. They can not accept debit or credit cards for these rates. They do NOT have a method on site for accepting cards. Please come prepared. If you need to pay via credit card, Dahab Hostel in Cairo is still the best place to do this. The price now is $85 pp plus the extra credit card fees. This if for the 2-day 1 nigh option. So, you won’t get the best rates. But its still better than the alternatives that have guests paying $200 or more for the same exact tour.
Are you ready to explore the Black and White Deserts of Egypt? If you have any more questions or want to share your experience, please comment below. Let us know how your trip was or we can help you more with your planning.
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