Nomadic Trek Through Egypt's Sinai Desert

Marta Marinelli, raised in Italy’s serene Prosecco Hills, dreamt of global adventures, inspired by her father's travel stories. Her passion evolved into a career, backed by a decade of studies including degrees in international tourism and destination management. She’s worked in the adventure travel sector since 2012, living in Italy, the UK, and now sunny Portugal.

Over twenty years, Marta has explored over 55 countries, visiting remote areas like Ghana, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Haiti and Nepal’s Upper Mustang region. As a Senior Adventure Expansion Manager at Much Better Adventures, she focuses on creating life-changing experiences, ranging from multi-activity adventures, challenging treks to ultimate adventures in iconic places. She loves the challenge of finding the best local adventure hosts around the world, collaborating on adventures that offer genuine immersion, pushing beyond the beaten path and working on exclusive itineraries that challenge your comfort zone.

What makes her tick? Enabling people to live adventure-rich lives while positively impacting and empowering local communities around the world, generating sustainable opportunities for both the host, guides, community, and the environment.

We suggest avoiding ice and any cold drinks made from untreated local water, even in Sharm. Water will be provided throughout the trek and carried by camels and Jeeps, often taken from natural sources in the desert. This will be boiled where necessary, but we do suggest bringing water purification tablets or a different purification system for extra safety. We encourage you to bring a refillable bottle to avoid plastic waste; check out our article on water filtration systems for more information.

Out in the desert, you'll join a team of Bedouin guides who were born and raised in the area and know how to guide you through the remote desert environment safely and expertly. One of the unexpected highlights of the trip is watching how the Bedouins move through the desert, organise camps and cook according to ancient traditions. This is an incredible opportunity to fully immerse yourself in the local culture and get to learn survival skills from the Sinai’s original nomadic people.

This trip includes five nights of wild camping under the stars – your Bedouin team will set up the cooking area and make a fire at each location. You'll sleep under warm blankets or in your sleeping bag, with no tents or shelters. Washing will be predominantly done with wet wipes – there won’t be any showers until you reach Sharm El Sheikh.

For toilets, you can find a convenient boulder or dig a small hole, as the exceedingly dry temperatures of the desert disintegrate waste rapidly. Biodegradable paper can be burnt on the fire and you will need to carry any extra waste in ziplock bags. Your host will give you a full briefing on the etiquette and practicalities of outdoor toileting. Whilst this is all part of a wilderness adventure, it can have a negative impact on the surrounding environment, if not practiced carefully. For those who have periods, we have also written a handy guide, to help you manage these whilst adventuring.

There is no phone signal throughout the desert trek. Please let your loved ones know so that they don’t worry. You can give them this number for emergency calls: +20 1004040181.

You need to bring your own sleeping bag: 4-season (Dec-Jan-Feb, End Nov) or 3-season (March-April and Oct-Early Nov), as well as a travel pillow (recommended) and a good camping mattress (puncture resistant) to insulate you from cold and hard ground. Some extra thermal layers and a warm beanie hat are recommended for departures in the winter.

If you wish to extend your trip in Sharm El Sheikh, you can book any optional extra nights via your host (see Optional Extras for more info). Alternatively, you can also consider heading north to Dahab, an amazing adventure destination where your local host is a true activity specialist, offering a wide range of extra tours such as bouldering, climbing, diving and mountain climbing. Just reach out to them prior to your trip and they'll be happy to provide any information and arrange extra services for you. If you wish to head to Cairo and the Pyramids, the easiest way is to fly from Sharm El Sheikh to Cairo (one hour). There is also a bus connecting Sharm to Cairo which departs four times daily and takes approximately eight hours (see go-bus.com or bluebus.com).

Most foreign nationalities entering Egypt require a valid visa and most can get this on arrival. Please get a full Egyptian Visa which is $25 on arrival at Sharm El Sheikh or Cairo airports (advisable to have exact USD change). You will see visa kiosks on entry to the terminal: line up and buy your visa stamps, pick up your landing card, then join the passport control queue. If arriving into Egypt via the Israel/Taba border, if you are not eligible for a visa on arrival or if you would prefer to avoid the Visa stamp queues at the airport, get an e-visa in advance from the official Egypt e-Visa portal https://visa2egypt.gov.eg/eVisa/ . If travelling into Sharm el Sheikh Airport, you may receive a free entry permission stamp upon arrival, however, travel to the eastern section of the trekking area on this trip requires a full Egyptian visa. If you are not a UK/EU citizen, some nationalities must obtain a Visa before arrival from the Egyptian embassy in your country. If in doubt, please ask.

In Egypt, it is a legal requirement for all hotels and tourism operators to take a copy of guests' passports (or local ID for domestic travellers), which they must submit to the tourist police.

In addition, your host must submit a copy of your passport to the National Park authorities for permission to travel in the area visited on this trip. The application for this permission must be completed at least a day in advance, so your host asks for these in advance of travel to ensure trip preparations are complete in time for your arrival. Passport scan copies held by Much Better Adventures are deleted after your trip has finished.

Yes. Trips to Egypt have been running as normal since the Israel conflict escalated in October 2023 - check out our latest customer reviews! MBA operates trips in line with the British FCDO travel advice and also consults with security advisors, both of whom have confirmed that trips are safe to run. We continue to receive real-time updates from the FCDO and our local Host in Egypt will also inform us immediately should anything change locally. In case you have any questions we have prepared some additional information about travel to Egypt during the Israel Conflict.

For current advice about travelling in Egypt, have a read of the FCDO pages here.

This trip visits locations at or above 2500m, where some people may experience symptoms of Altitude Sickness, also known as Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS).

Previous experience at altitude doesn’t guarantee the same response again – your body can react differently on each trip. However, having been at altitude before is still valuable: it gives you a better understanding of how your body might respond, what symptoms to look out for, and how to manage your pace and energy levels.

Your guide is trained to manage the risk of altitude sickness by controlling the rate of ascent, monitoring group wellbeing, and responding appropriately if anyone feels unwell.

Before booking, we recommend considering your personal health, particularly if you have any pre-existing conditions, and consulting a medical professional if you’re unsure. Arriving early to allow your body to acclimatise can also make a big difference.

Your travel insurance must cover the maximum altitude reached on this trip and include emergency evacuation.

This trip operates in areas where daytime temperatures can reach extreme highs, where limited shade and high humidity can also be a factor. These conditions can affect physical performance and increase the risk of dehydration or heat-related illness. Your guide will adjust the pace and monitor the group closely, but hydration, proper clothing, and sun protection are essential.

Before travelling, consider your ability to be active in high temperatures and consult a medical professional if you have concerns – especially if you have any cardiovascular or heat-sensitive conditions. Arriving a day or two prior to the trip may help you adjust gradually to the heat.

Sure can! Over 70% of our travellers travel solo, it’s a great way to meet like-minded people.

Our team of Adventure Hunters co-create exclusive adventures which are run by highly vetted, specialist hosts. The trip is run by our trusted host partner in the destination. We only work with independent, local, in-destination experts who know the very best places to explore and how to stay safe. Read more information about the local teams we partner with. You’ll be introduced to the host straight after making a booking via the Much Better Adventures platform.

Much Better Adventures refer to the UK Government’s official travel advice when designing trips and monitoring trip operations. We recommend that all customers are familiar with the practical information provided on the Government’s FCDO website, where current travel advice can be found by searching for the applicable destination(s).

For customers joining this trip from other international destinations – please also read the official travel advice applicable to your country of residence/origin, as this may differ.

We recommend checking out the country-specific information and also talking to a travel nurse.

We automatically convert prices from the local currency that a host receives to your chosen currency. We update our exchange rates on a daily basis so this does mean that prices displayed on the site are subject to currency fluctuations, which is why you may see them change over time.

If you wish to change the currency you pay in, head to the bottom of the page.

All of our group adventures are specially designed for adults to enjoy as we want these adventures to bring together outdoorsy people who are truly like-minded. You must be over 18 to join one of our trips.

You're always in good company on one of our adventures.

Our trips are typically made up of a mixture of solo travellers and small groups of 2 or 3 friends, with most in their 30s-50s.

Our sociable adventures are solo-friendly by design and naturally attract outdoorsy people with a shared mindset; a love for adventure, a desire to push themselves and meet awesome, like-minded people along the way.

It’s this camaraderie that has so often turned a great adventure into a life-changing one.

Don't just take our word for it:

• 95% of people rate the group dynamics on our trips 5/5
• 90% of people recommend joining a trip to make new friends
• 75% of people have met people on our trips that they would now consider friends

See here for more info about the Much Better Adventures tribe.

This trip runs between October and April, when the daytime temperatures are lower and more pleasant for trekking (usually ranging from 18 to 30°C). Your guides will also schedule the hikes to avoid the hottest hours of the day, and will seek shade during lunch breaks. Nights can get very cold in the desert, with temperatures sometimes plummeting down to 0°C from the end of November through to the end of February. Cosy blankets are provided but a good sleeping bag is very important (3 or 4 season sleeping bag depending on the time of year - please see the kit list for more details). Be prepared to wear a beanie and warm thermals at night and this will be enough to make your experience safe and comfortable.