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Desert Expeditions
- experience the UNKNOWN Egypt
The Western Desert of Egypt is far more than sand dunes. Here you will find five large oasis (plus one man-made), the black desert as the white, huge mountain plateaus (as Gilf Kebir which alone is nearly the size of Switzerland), and the large sand dune ocean that is located between the Siwa oasis in northwest to Gilf Kebir in southwest.
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| The White desert near Farafra oasis |
A desert expedition is minimum 7 days and 6 nights, while a "deep desert" expedition lasts from 15 to 20 days.
Remember that when we use the concept "deep desert" it don't indicate that a 7 days expedition is a "light" version in any way. When we say deep desert, then you should remember that the size of Egypt's Western desert equals the size of Texas - or the combined size of Germany, Portugal and the United Kingdom (around 700,000 square kilometres or 270300 square miles).
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| Vehicles in desert sand |
Imagine then that you drive a distance as through UK, Portugal and Germany with no asphalt roads, just desert everywhere. If you can imagine that, then you have a bit of the reality behind what we mean with "deep desert".
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| Coming in to old desert ruins |
On a seven-day expedition you got to have a minimum of eight participants, and for a deep desert expedition a minimum of twelve. You can of course have fewer participants with you, but then the price becomes higher.
Don't we have any upcoming groups you can join?
Unfortunately not as we only operates tailor made tours - so your first task will be to gather friends, colleagues or family that would love to be part of a real desert expedition.
Contact us and we will help you with suggestions for an expedition that you can present others. We can assure you that those who have made desert expeditions with us had no problems in getting other participants to their expeditions.
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| From the medieval city in Siwa oasis |
The first we do when you contact us is to help you in tailor make your desert expedition. Then we give you our practical advise on how you invite others to join you on this adventure.
A large plus is that you this way will get a desert adventure together with persons you yourself would like to share this expedition with. The extra time it may take to talk to friends or colleagues to build a small travel group is something you also will have another advantage from, as you yourself will have this desert tour for half the price. Let us stress that this is not increasing the price for the other participants in any way, as it's an exclusive agreement we have signed with our partners.
P.S. If you as a group work together on planning this expedition, then you all can of course share the half price cut for one participant among you all. As normally with MyWay Travel, even this its possible to tailor make.
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| En ekspedisjon klar til en ny dags ørkeneventyr |
The car fleet is 40 4x4 vehicles, and the types are Land Rovers Discovery LR3 & LR2, Range Rover TD6 and Defender, Mitsubishi Pajero (long wheel base), VW Touareg R5 TDI, and Toyota Land Cruiser (Prado and H100 series). Most vehicles are 2004 to 2006 models, and the oldest is a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado 2002 model.
Most tour operators in Egypt unfortunately use vehicles that got benches where you got to sit sideways (that is done to get more passenger in each car and the price lower for the participants). We only use vehicles that have separate seats facing the driver direction. Most of the tours are longer expeditions, which are why good seats in right direction are very important (just imagine a seven day desert expedition where you got to sit sideways day after day).
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| All cars got GPS and satellite phone |
Vehicles used for "deep desert" expeditions are not only normal 4x4 cars as they are redesigned and prepared for these special tours. This rebuilding of these cars gives them:
• Special long-range fuel tanks with capacity up to
450 litres that makes it possible to go 3'500 km
though the desert without refuelling.
• Place for up to 350 litres of water.
• Every car got 3 spare wheels
(all tiers 16-900 Michelin)
• Extra place for luggage.
• Two GPS and a satellite phone in each car.
• Detailed maps for every corner of the desert.
• Special suspension from Australia to carry all the
extra weight.
• Diesel motors on 250 to 300 horse powers.
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| Hot spring in the Farafra oasis |
Expeditions & Price hints:
• 7 days desert expeditons
minimum of 8 participants
• 10 to 11 days desert expeditons
minimum of 10 participants
• 15 to 20 days desert expeditions and
"deep desert" expeditions
minimum of 12 participants
Price range is from 192.00 € to a bit more than 300 € per person per day. A real 7 day desert expediton starts at 1,346.00 € for the whole tour, cars, special desert equipment, desert camping gears, permissions, drivers, guides, and all meals included!
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| Camp utenfor ørkenruiner |
Having permissions for visits and tours outside standard tourist destinations in the desert is not easy obtained. At our expeditions all permissions are given when we confirm a desert expedition, and this is then of course included in given prices.
Prices include 4x4 vehicles with separate seats facing the driving direction, all equipment needed, guide, camping gears, tents and all meals during the expedition. You got to bring an own sleeping bag for hygienic reasons (hotels is only found in the largest oases).
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| One of the worlds largest stalactite & stalagmite cave. |
Our desert partners can upon request give courses in how to drive in the desert, especially the large sand dunes in "Bahr el Ramla" or the Great Sand Sea that cover more than one third of the Western desert. Here is large sand dunes that moves all the time, dunes that for over two thousand year ago buried the said 50'000 soldiers in the Persian king Cambyses.
The Land Rover Company and the Egyptian government sponsors today our partners in the search for the remains of Cambyses lost army. They are also providing all logistics for Egyptian and French scientists in the largest known meteorite field known on earth. The area the meteorites has fallen down covers and area of 4'500 km².
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| Over another large sanddune in Bahr el Ramlah |
Much of the setting in the film "The English Patient" happened originally in the Egyptian part of Sahara, and the main character was originally the Hungarian Count Ladislaus E. Almasy that had many of his desert adventures here. Among others he was the first person to fly over the gigantic mountain plateau Gilf el Kebir.
In the oasis of Siwa in northwest was one of the most legendary oracles in ancient times, and to this oracle came many rulers to know more about their destiny. Alexander the Great was proclaimed Egypt's ruler by same oracle. The Persian King Cambyses was on the other side so angry for a saying by the oracle that he sent a large army to get rid of her. The army of 50'000 man is according to Herodotus said to have vanished in the sand dunes on their way to Siwa.
Oasen Kharga var det mest avsides sted i det Bysantinske riket, så der bodde mange av de kristne som ikke "passet inn" og derfor ble utvist til denne ytterste avkrok i riket.
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| Formasjoner i den Hvite ørken |
The Egyptian desert is not lifeless, but very different to what you are used to. Among other things, here the children do not inherit land but water sources or parts of those. The desert is full of life, unique history and an unbelievable nature in plentiful of variations.
For a person who have lived fourteen years in Egypt, walked through numberless temples, architectural gems and five thousand years of history - I can tell you that this is not above the experiences that awaits you in the desert.
Welcome to a Sacred Desert Kingdom!
Articles from
the Western Desert:
Fishing in Sahara
Nature Calling, Cosmos Falling... in?
specialist in groups
and special interest tours
www.egyptmyway.com/contactforms.html
MyWay Travel a.s.
www.egyptmyway.com
Tel. Egypt: +2 012 7739149
Tel. Norway: +47 45661608
Epost: post@egyptmyway.com
Org. number: NO 987 180 633
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Text, Arnvid Aakre
www.egyptmyway.com
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