Camel rides in Hurghada: the short add-on or a proper ride

A camel ride in Hurghada comes in two very different sizes. On most quad and super safari trips the camel is a stop at the desert camp: you climb on, the handler leads you a short loop, someone takes a photo, and you climb off. One big quad listing puts it at two minutes. On a dedicated camel ride you spend 30 minutes to two hours in the saddle at walking pace, through the desert and sometimes along the beach.

Neither is wrong. If you mainly want the picture, the quad trip's camel stop is enough. If you want to know what riding a camel actually feels like, book a ride where the camel is the main event, and check the riding time on the listing.

Camel ride Hurghada: how long you are actually on the camel

On combo trips the camel is a short add-on. Published examples, from short to long:

• About 2 minutes: the "brief camel ride for photos" on one large quad-and-camel listing.
• 3–5 minutes: an agency's El Gouna morning quad.
• About 30 minutes, including getting on and off: one agency's desert safari timetable.
• "Short": BADU's dinner evening, with no length given.

Most quad listings just say "camel ride" and give no length. Never read "camel ride" in a quad listing as a camel trek.

Dedicated rides publish their length:

The rest of the trip is the hotel transfer, getting everyone mounted, a tea stop and the drive home. Ask how long you ride, not how long the trip lasts.

Camel ride Hurghada price

Dedicated camel rides around Hurghada on GetYourGuide start at about $17 and go up to about $56; the middle of the range is about $33. The price follows what is wrapped around the ride rather than the minutes on the camel:

• Cheapest: Makadi Bay: Desert and Beach Camel Ride, a 2-hour Makadi Bay desert and beach trip from about $17, with few reviews so far.
• The standard hour: Hurghada: 1-Hour Desert & Beach Camel Ride with Transfers, a 1-hour desert and beach ride with transfers from about $33, rated 4.7 by more than 200 people. Our pick for most visitors.
• Morning or sunset: Hurghada: Camel Ride Vibes - The Ultimate Desert Experience, with Bedouin tea and golden-hour photos, from about $29.
• Handler-led, El Gouna side: Hurghada: Handler-Led Beach & Desert Camel Riding Tour, a beach and desert ride from about $22, listed under El Gouna, with only a handful of reviews.
• Sunrise with breakfast: Makadi Bay: BADU Camp Sunrise Camel Ride & Bedouin Breakfast, BADU's 30-minute walking-pace ride with a Bedouin breakfast, from about $48. BADU charges €45 for the same trip on its own site.

Off the platforms, the Hurghada horse stable Lucky Horses lists camel riding at €35 on its own site. Evening trips that add dinner and a show to a camel ride range from about $19 (Hurghada: Sea & Desert Camel Ride w/Dinner, Show, Stargazing) to about $42 (Hurghada: Desert Safari with Camel Ride & Dinner Show); there the camel is only one part of the evening, so check how long it lasts.

Headout has two camel rides as well: a 1-hour desert ride and a 2-hour desert and sea ride. Both are new, both are non-refundable, and both add a €10 per person "government tax" in cash on the day, plus €10 per person for pick-up outside Hurghada. Here is how the 2-hour Headout ride compares with the 1-hour GetYourGuide ride:

These are not the same ride. The Headout trip gives two hours on the camel against one, but it cannot be cancelled for a refund and the €10 cash fee comes on top of the price shown. The GetYourGuide ride has more than 200 reviews and the usual free cancellation up to 24 hours before.

Quad bike and camel ride in Hurghada

Most people meet their camel on a quad trip, and most quad listings include a camel ride. The usual sequence is a ride out from a safari station on the Safaga road to a desert camp, tea and flatbread, the camel ride, then the ride back. In the evening the camp adds a buffet and a show.

If you want both properly, there are two sensible ways to do it:

1. Book the quad trip and accept a short camel stop. It is the cheapest way to try both, and enough for most children. Our quad tours guide compares the listings.
2. Book a quad trip and a separate 1-hour camel ride on another day. You pay twice, but you get a real ride on each.

Super safari combos and the "Bedouin village" evenings also include a camel, again usually short; the desert safari guide and the Bedouin village page explain what happens at those camps.

Daytimefrom$33

GetYourGuide2.5 h

Hurghada: 1-Hour Desert & Beach Camel Ride with Transfers

4.7 (210)

per personCheck dates

Daytimefrom$17

GetYourGuide2 hMakadi Bay

Makadi Bay: Desert and Beach Camel Ride

4.5 (10)

per personCheck dates

See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Headout →Prices checked on 20 October 2026

Sunset camel ride Hurghada and evening camel trips

A sunset camel ride is mainly about the light and the temperature. In summer the coast averages about 37 °C in the afternoon in July and August, and the desert is hotter, so sunrise and sunset are the slots to choose for the riders' comfort and the camels'. Sunset moves from about 16:51 in early December to about 19:44 in early July, so the pick-up time changes a lot through the year.

There are three kinds of evening camel trip:

• A plain sunset ride, such as the sunset option of Hurghada: Camel Ride Vibes - The Ultimate Desert Experience, back at the hotel after dark.
• A sunset ride with stargazing and dinner, where you often reach the camp by jeep and ride a camel there. These are longer, 4–6 hours, and cost more. See sunset and stargazing trips.
• BADU's evening at its camp in the Makadi Bay desert: a camel or horse ride, dinner and stargazing, with no alcohol and no belly dance. Our BADU Camp review explains how it differs from the big show camps.

From November to March, take a warm layer. Desert nights are roughly 4–5 °C colder than the coast, and from December to February half to three-quarters of nights at the camps fall to 10 °C or below.

Beach or desert: where the camel rides go

"Beach" camel rides combine a desert section with a stretch of the Red Sea shore. The 1-hour ride, the Makadi trip, the El Gouna-side ride and Headout's 2-hour ride all advertise desert plus beach. Which beach they use is not stated in any listing, so ask if it matters to you. Pure desert rides, such as Headout's 1-hour trip and BADU's sunrise ride, stay inland.

On a desert ride, the backdrop is the Red Sea Mountains to the west; the desert itself is the Eastern Desert (also called the Arabian Desert), not the Sahara. If you are staying in Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh or El Gouna, the nearest rides are in our Makadi Bay guide, the Sahl Hasheesh page and the El Gouna page.

Can you ride camels in Egypt? Welfare and what to check

Yes. Camels and horses are ridden by visitors all over Egypt, and GetYourGuide's own animal-welfare policy reviews rides on domesticated animals case by case rather than banning them. The big investigations into working animals, by PETA, concern Giza, Saqqara and Luxor; we found no comparable report for Hurghada's safari camps. PETA's position is that tourists should not ride animals at all. If you do ride, these are the checks that make a difference, drawn from the UK travel association ABTA's welfare guidance and the Luxor charity ACE Animal Care in Egypt:

A handler who leads you at a calm walk, a camel that kneels and rises without being hit, and animals resting in shade between rides are the good signs. If something looks wrong, you can decline the ride and tell the operator why.

At some camps the stop also includes a reptile show with snakes or scorpions. That is the kind of wild-animal performance GetYourGuide's welfare policy does not allow. Skip it if animal welfare matters to you.

Is camel riding safe? Kids, weight and health

A camel ride at walking pace is gentle. The awkward moments are getting on and off, so hold on firmly and follow the handler's instructions.

• Children: one person per camel, so a child rides alone on a led camel or not at all. No Hurghada listing publishes a minimum age; ask the operator. Our kids guide covers age rules for every vehicle and animal.
• Weight: no Hurghada camel listing publishes a weight limit. BADU says limits are "observed" without giving a figure. If you are heavier, ask before you pay.
• Health: BADU lists camel rides as unsuitable for pregnant women, people with back problems and people with animal allergies.
• Clothing: long trousers and closed shoes, a hat, sunglasses and water for the heat, and a warm layer after sunset in winter.
• Money: a modest cash tip in small notes for the handler is expected; nothing is compulsory. Photos offered by staff at the camp are optional.

For the full kit list, see our Hurghada desert trip guide. If you would rather ride a horse along the beach, read the horse riding page: two Hurghada-area stables publish weight limits, and one an age limit.

Camel ride Hurghada: questions people ask