Published on Jan, 2025
We booked the El Gouda desert tour with our hotel and were pleased to meet Tarek (driver) and Moustafa (our guide). They drove us in a Toyota Landcruiser into the desert valley and onto the plateau for a most memorable trip.
We stopped in the Bedouin settlement to ‘check in’ before going into the valley. They served us lovely black tea and most delicious dates and oranges. Simple and delicious.
The valley drive was impressive and we got out and walked in several places. When Moustafa found out that my kids were studying geography - he showed them fossils and all of the geological highlights of the valley. Moustafa also enjoys photography has a hobby and has a good eye for scenes - he took the most impressive photos of us / for us. He taught our teens how to catch an echo, and tie a traditional scarf too.
TOP TIP - if you want good photos - wear flowing linen and cotton pieces as it will look great in the pictures when the wind is wisps around you or for the profile of you walking into the sunset
We were stunned at the scenery, and humbled at how small we felt as humans in this vast desert. Moustafa describes the area as his home and knows every corner, every fossil, every acacia tree and cave - he picked up other people’s rubbish into his pockets and shared his stories about the area, his family and the traditions of the Egyptian people. He truly made the experience personal and heartening.
Tarek was also an amazing driver, he took us out of the desert in pitch darkness where you could easily drive over a cliff edge or ditch if you were not careful. He took care of my kids drinks and gave us a cheeky joyride up a sand slope (where you have to turn the A/C off in the car just to make it up the slope!).
Finally the dinner in the desert. Firstly it is cold so bring a jacket. it's fine if you don't need it but if you need it and dont have it - not fun! As all of the photos show, they setup pillows on a carpet and a low table and serve you the most excellent meal every. We had a vegetable tagline, roasted lamb and chicken, warm bread and tagging and salad. My normally picky kids ate everything and said it was their best meal in Egypt (we asked them this after our entire trip including a 5 day stint in a 5* hotel) - that is a high compliment indeed.
Such a lovely experience with warm and friendly guides made it our most memorable experience of our entire trip. We look to go back again and will see if there is another excursion to take with Gazelle Crossover Tours!
