Most desert trips from Dahab race between photo stops. This one doesn't. Our Arada day trip is a full-day desert safari through the sandstone country of South Sinai — rock inscriptions, a real canyon hike, fossils, 5,000-year-old tombs and a sand dune finale — led by Joseph and Annet together, with over 30 years of Sinai guiding and nearly 20 years living in Dahab between them.
Rock inscriptions & the Double Canyon
Leaving Dahab at 8:00, the jeep safari heads inland toward Wadi Arada. First stop is the Arada Rock of Inscriptions — ancient carvings of camels, hunters and daily Bedouin life scratched into the sandstone. From there we hike and climb through the Double Canyon, including one steep rope-assisted descent, passing a stretch of fossilised coral reef with shell fossils still visible in the rock.
Desert lunch & the Nawamis tombs
While you're in the canyon, our desert chef prepares a fresh lunch on the spot — no restaurant, no menu. After lunch, a short drive brings us to the Nawamis: circular stone tombs built around 5,000 years ago, older than the pyramids and among the oldest roofed structures still standing anywhere on earth.
It's slow travel in the truest sense. One valley, one day, properly seen.
Dragonhead Mountain & Hedoda Sand Dune
We continue to Dragonhead Mountain (Gebel Makhroum) for the view across the sandstone country and the dune fields below, then finish at Hedoda Sand Dune — climb it, sandboard down it, or just sit at the top and watch the light change before the drive back to Dahab.
Included
- All transportation from and back to Dahab
- All meals & drinks during the trip
- Your desert guides
- All location fees
Not included: tips and personal expenses.
Bring with you
- Good hiking shoes
- Your passport (checkpoints on the inland roads)
- Some cash for souvenirs from the local Bedouin
Price
€75pp shared trip
€300 per car — private tour
Want more than one day?
If a single day doesn't feel like enough, our two-day overnight desert trip covers this same route at a relaxed pace, with a night in the desert in between.
See the Overnight Desert Trip
