Wadi El Gemal tops Marsa Alam's desert safari destinations, organiser says
Trips reach about 200 kilometres into the desert and some run from morning until late at night, safari organiser Wael Abu Issa told Youm7. He put Italians first among the visitors booking them.
1 November 2026
Wadi El Gemal Protected Area is the leading destination for mountain safari trips out of Marsa Alam, according to Wael Abu Issa, a senior safari organiser in the southern Red Sea.
He told Youm7 that European demand for the trips has picked up in Marsa Alam, and that bookings rise through the winter season, when cooler temperatures in the mountains make desert travel more comfortable.
The areas used for the trips extend as far as about 200 kilometres into the desert, he said. Some itineraries begin in the morning and run until late at night, taking in the Serapis temple in the Wadi El Gemal area and the Bir Umm Kabu well inside the reserve, along with desert plants such as acacia and arak.
Safaris out of Marsa Alam are organised differently from those leaving Hurghada, Abu Issa said, because the mountain areas lie far from the hotels where visitors stay. That calls for separate arrangements for programmes, transport and departure times.
He put Italians first among the nationalities booking the trips, followed by Germans, and said German visitors tend to prefer walking in the highlands while Italian visitors favour the desert setting and camel riding. Some guests stay a full night in the desert for the quiet and the stars.
Other mountain safari areas on this coast include Wadi El Dakhan, Gebel El Shayeb and Gebel El Qattar in the Hurghada area.