More Waiting Than Quad Biking – A Very Expensive Disappointment
We booked this quad biking excursion before travelling to Egypt, paying around £20 each, expecting an exciting afternoon exploring the desert. Unfortunately, it turned into one of the most disappointing excursions we’ve ever done. The day started with hotel pickup at 11:30am, which was already an awkward time because the hotel lunch wasn’t open yet and no food was included with the trip. So we headed out hungry. Once we arrived… we waited. We were then told we had to pay an additional €10 per person national park entrance fee. Fair enough if that’s required, although it was strange that many other people didn’t seem to be paying it. Then, after waiting another 20 minutes or so, a member of staff came over and asked: “Where are your scarves and goggles?” Sorry… what? At no point during booking or in the trip description did it mention these were essential. Had we known beforehand, we could have bought scarves from one of the local shops for around €2. Instead, we were marched to the only shop on site where, surprise surprise, the scarves suddenly cost £20 EACH. £40… on two scarves. Needless to say, they’ll be promoted to cleaning rags when we get home. That wasn’t an optional upsell either—it genuinely felt like we had no choice. Finally, after all the waiting, we got on the quad bikes… …for what felt like about 10 minutes. This also wasn’t the dramatic desert experience we thought. There were no sweeping sand dunes or open landscapes. Instead, it was mostly flat gravel and compact sand. To make matters worse, everyone rode together regardless of ability. If you were confident and wanted to enjoy yourself, you spent most of the ride crawling behind nervous riders. It would’ve made far more sense to split the groups into beginner and faster riders. After the quad bikes… More waiting. We bought two mango juices (€5 each) while waiting, and then experienced something that genuinely made us uncomfortable. A young teenage boy approached us speaking Arabic. We assumed he was asking us to come and pay, so we followed him. Instead, he led us into another room full of paintings and ornaments. He then switched off the lights, closed the curtains and shut the door. As two young women travelling alone, that was honestly quite frightening. We had no idea what was happening, and he kept us in there for what felt like ages before eventually turning the lights back on to show us paintings under different lighting. My partner had become so anxious by that point that she went completely pale and had to sit down afterwards because she felt genuinely unwell. It may have been completely innocent, but from a guest’s perspective it felt incredibly inappropriate and intimidating. Next came the drive to the Bedouin village, around 20–30 minutes each way. The experience itself consisted of roughly: * a 5-minute camel ride * a quick look around the village * a cup of tea Then we drove all the way back. Back at the base we had another 10 minutes on the spider buggy. Again… more flat gravel. More waiting followed before the evening show. The entertainment was fairly underwhelming, consisting of a spinning dancer, a belly dancer, a fire performer (who was definitely the highlight) and dinner. It wasn’t terrible, but it certainly wasn’t worth the amount of waiting throughout the day. Finally came the photos. Apparently they were “normally £30 but because we like you… £20.” Funny how everyone else around us seemed to be receiving exactly the same “special deal.” By the end of the day we’d spent approximately £70 each after the hidden extras, compulsory scarf purchase, entrance fee, drinks and other costs. For that money, we got roughly: * Around 10 minutes on a quad bike. * Around 10 minutes in a buggy. * A 5-minute camel ride. * Hours of waiting around. * A scarf we never wanted. * A sales experience at almost every opportunity. The staff themselves were generally friendly enough, but the whole excursion felt designed around finding ways to spend more money rather than delivering a memorable experience. If you’re expecting an exciting desert adventure with lots of riding, this probably isn’t it. Unfortunately, it felt less like a quad biking trip and more like a masterclass in how many times you can be upsold in a single afternoon. We left feeling disappointed, overcharged and wishing we’d spent our money elsewhere.
daisidaniels · Juli 2026 · über Tripadvisor