Safari in the heart of the Egyptian desert in Hurghada

The term safari was first used to describe the overland explorations of early adventurers, and was later used to describe hunting expeditions for big game, such as big cats or elephants... Far from all that today, safaris are a way of observing animals. Most of the time, safaris take place in national parks. These trips are day or multi-day excursions. In a motorised vehicle such as a 4x4 or quad bike, you travel with a local guide through the countryside in search of animals. It's a wonderful way to see baby elephants in Sri Lanka, a herd of zebras in Africa or monkeys in Asia. Photo safaris are excursions by bus or car to zoos where the animals are in semi-liberty.

Hurghada is one of Egypt's most popular tourist resorts. As well as scuba diving and the town's magnificent buildings, such as the El Mina mosque, there are a variety of activities on offer to tourists. 20 km from Hurghada, the Safari Sahara tourist agency has built the Hurghada Sahara Park, a huge park dedicated to tourist activities, offering you a sample of life in the desert. You can learn to live like the Bedouins, discover the desert animals or admire the belly dancers in the small theatre created for the occasion.

The Bedouin are Arab nomads who live in the eastern Sahara desert, in the heights of Hurghada and the Sinai Peninsula. A population of 4 million, they are also found in Yemen, Jordan, Iraq and Syria, and can be recognised by their dialect, culture and unique social structure.

From your hotel in the city, let the driver pick you up and take you to the border of Hurghada town and the desert, where you can choose your quad bike, jeep or buggy, depending on the package you have chosen.

Buggies in the Hurghada desert. You then set off for around 45 minutes of desert track before reaching the top of the arid mountains. You then head for the Sahara Safari Park.

Here, you'll learn about the culture of the Bedouin, the nomads of the desert. You'll taste traditional dishes and even take a camel ride into the Sahara. After your walk, you'll take the buggy to visit the terrarium, where you'll find lizards, spiders and other desert creatures. At the end of the afternoon, you can admire the sunset over the dunes and enjoy a good meal while watching the bewitching dancers.

Because of the extreme conditions of such an environment, Egyptian desert animals are rare. However, some lizards, spiders and tortoises manage to survive the extreme heat, and you can admire these specimens at the Sahara Park terrarium.