Bedouin Dinner and Desert Evening

The Bedouin Dinner and Desert Evening is an organised evening excursion from Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt's South Sinai Governorate. It is not run by a single branded company: several licensed local excursion operators sell the outing, and it is most often booked through hotel tour desks in Naama Bay and Sharks Bay, which also arrange the pickup. Because the programme varies by operator, visitors should confirm details when booking. The outing takes about four to five hours door to door. A vehicle collects guests from the hotel and drives into the desert behind the resort strip to a Bedouin-style camp, where the evening is organised around the meal. The dinner is the food focus: traditional Bedouin cooking centred on grilled meat, rice, flatbread baked on a metal dome, salads and dips, served at low tables with cushions. Sweet tea, brewed over a fire, is served before and after the meal and is the main sweet element, so the balance is heavily savoury. Many operators combine the dinner with a quad bike safari earlier in the evening, and the price range of EGP 1,000-1,800 (about $20-36) generally reflects whether the quad ride is included. The listed inclusions are the hotel transfer, the Bedouin dinner, tea and stargazing; the clear desert sky away from the lights of the resort strip is a feature of the evening. Alcohol and extras such as photographs or souvenirs are usually paid separately. Groups are mixed, made up of guests from several hotels, and group size depends on the operator and the season. Guides generally speak English, and other languages may be available on request. The pace is relaxed once at camp, with long sitting periods. Dietary substitutions are possible on request in advance, particularly vegetarian plates, but the menu is built around meat, so strict dietary needs should be raised at booking. The best season runs from October to May, when desert evenings are cool rather than hot.