Quad biking in Hurghada: what to wear, what to bring and how to stay safe

Most things that spoil a desert afternoon out of Hurghada are small and avoidable: shorts against a hot engine, flip-flops in soft sand, a phone dropped in the dunes, a scarf bought at the station because yours stayed in the hotel room. This page covers what to wear quad biking in Egypt, what to carry, how the safety side works in practice, the rules on age and licences, insurance, the cash you need on the day, and photos. Almost all of it applies to buggy, jeep and super safari trips too, because they leave from the same stations.

The setting first. Nearly every group trip sold in Hurghada starts at a garage-style safari station in Safari Land, a desert zone of numbered sectors on the Safaga road past the airport. From there you ride in a line behind a guide to a Bedouin-style camp 15–35 km further inland, have tea, sit on a camel for a few minutes and ride back. Trip types are compared on the quad tours page.

What to wear quad biking in Egypt

The short answer: cover your legs, your feet and your arms, and leave valuables at the hotel.

• Long trousers. Travco, the supplier of TUI's desert trips, tells guests to wear long trousers because your legs may touch the quad's engine. Light cotton or hiking trousers are ideal; jeans work in winter but are heavy in summer heat.
• Closed shoes. Trainers are fine. Flip-flops slip off on the foot controls and the sand is very hot in summer. Travco lists flip-flops and shorts as not recommended.
• Light long sleeves. Hurghada gets 246–352 hours of sunshine every month, and the dust thrown up by the quad in front sticks to sun cream. A thin long-sleeved shirt protects you from both.
• No jewellery. Travco advises against it, and Headout's quad listing lists jewellery under what is not allowed. A ring or bracelet lost in the sand stays lost.
• A cap for the stops. You cannot wear it under a helmet, but at the camp stop there is little shade.
• Clothes you do not mind getting dusty. Light colours show the dust less and stay cooler.

Women and men need the same kit: long, loose and light. Tie long hair back under the scarf, or it fills with sand.

Contact lenses and glasses

Travco advises against contact lenses because of the dust. If you wear glasses, keep them on and put goggles over them, or wear daily disposable lenses with goggles and bring eye drops.

What to wear quad biking in summer (May to September)

On the coast the average daily high is 33.7 °C in May and 37.4–37.5 °C in July and August. About 20 km inland, where the camps are, afternoons run roughly 2–3 °C hotter still, so many July and August afternoons at the camps reach around 40 °C. In these months, book a sunrise or sunset slot (see best time to go), wear the lightest long clothing you own and drink before you are thirsty. Cover up rather than strip off.

What to wear on a desert safari in winter (November to March)

Daytime is pleasant, with coastal highs of 22–28 °C, but the desert is not the coast. Nights inland are about 4–5 °C colder than in Hurghada all year, and from December to February half to three-quarters of desert nights fall to 10 °C or below. Scorpion Safari's own advice is to bring a jacket or sweater because the temperature drops quickly in the evening. On a sunset or stargazing trip you ride or drive back in the dark: a fleece matters more than sun cream then.

What to bring: the desert safari checklist

Pack a small bag the night before; anything you forget costs a few euros at the station, in cash.

The passport copy matters more than it sounds. In a documented jeep-safari injury near Hurghada on 6 September 2024, paramedics at first hesitated because the injured tourists' passports were back at the hotel. Travco also asks for passport and visa on its buggy trips.

A typical afternoon trip, and what you need when

The timings below are a typical winter afternoon group trip from a Hurghada hotel. Times move with the season, your resort and the seller; the exact pick-up is usually confirmed the day before by WhatsApp or e-mail.

The single most useful question before booking: ask how many minutes you spend on the quad, not how many hours the trip lasts. A "3-hour" listing often means 45–90 minutes of riding; on a super safari the quad leg is typically 30–45 minutes.

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Is quad biking safe in Egypt?

Quad biking in Hurghada is a guided convoy ride on desert tracks, and the official advice is plain. The UK government says there have been several serious quad bike accidents involving British nationals in Egypt's resort areas, that safety standards vary considerably, and to always wear a crash helmet (FCDO safety advice). Germany's Foreign Office says accidents happen relatively often because vehicles are in poor technical condition, and names quads specifically. Hurghada and the Red Sea Governorate are not in any area the FCDO advises against visiting.

What that means in practice:

• Wear a helmet. Not every listing says whether one is provided. Ask for a helmet and wear it; the UK government advises it and some insurers make it a condition of cover.
• Take the test drive seriously. The published itineraries start with a briefing and a short test drive. If the brakes or throttle feel wrong, ask for another quad before the convoy leaves.
• Ride at the guide's pace. Headout's quad listing puts it well: a guided adventure, not a racing session. Overtaking in the dust is how people hit each other.
• Keep your distance. A gap of several quad lengths gives you time to stop. The front of the convoy eats less dust than the back, so ask to ride near the guide.
• Ask for a seat belt in the jeep. The documented Hurghada injury mentioned above was not on a quad but in a 4x4 without seat belts: the driver sped over a rise, passengers hit the roof and one man was taken to hospital with a suspected spinal fracture. Super safaris and jeep trips include long bumpy jeep legs.
• Do not go off-road alone. The FCDO says off-road travel needs a qualified guide and a permit from the Ministry of Interior. Renting a quad and heading into the desert on your own is not an option.
• No alcohol before or during the ride. The camps serve tea and soft drinks.

Is quad biking safe for kids?

Children under 16 cannot drive a quad on any trip that states an age. Whether they can ride as a passenger depends on the seller: some put a child behind a parent on a double quad, others allow single riders only. For younger children the buggy is usually the better vehicle, because an adult drives and the child sits beside them with a seat belt. The full rules, with ages per vehicle, are on the quad biking with kids page.

Licence, age and health: who can ride

Licence. No driving licence is asked on the quad and buggy products we checked; operators set a minimum age and a short test drive instead. The one exception is the El Gouna Dry Canyon quad tour, whose listing asks for a valid driving licence.

Ages. The rules come from the operators, not from an Egyptian law, and they vary:

On TUI's Travco trips, children aged 0–3 cannot take part at all, and the quad is single-rider only. Expect to sign a waiver on most trips; read what it says about damage to the quad.

Pregnancy and back problems. Listings are consistent here. Headout's quad trip says pregnant women are not permitted to ride quads; Travco says its safaris are not recommended for pregnant women or people with back problems, and its evening buggy trip excludes them. One agency's super safari also excludes travellers over 65. The quad trips that mention access say they are not wheelchair accessible. If you have a bad back, remember that the roughest part is often the jeep transfer, not the quad. A walking-pace horse ride or a slow camel ride is gentler, although BADU lists back problems among the reasons not to ride its camels.

Heat. From May to September, a super safari pick-up between 11:00 and 12:00 puts the quad leg in the hottest hour; choose a sunrise or sunset slot.

Travel insurance for quad biking

Check this before you fly, not at the station. Many standard UK policies exclude quad bikes:

• InsureandGo says its standard cover does not include quad biking and you need its extra adventure cover (its quad biking page).
• One Collinson/Astrenska policy states quad bikes and ATVs are not covered at any time.
• An HCC International policy, examined by the UK Financial Ombudsman, covered quads only up to 250cc, with a crash helmet worn, an appropriate licence and the extra premium paid (decision DRN9310878).
• ABTA, the UK travel association, warns that not wearing a helmet can invalidate a policy.

No Hurghada listing publishes the engine size of its quads, so you cannot check a 250cc clause yourself; if your policy has one, ask your insurer in writing how it applies. Other European policies can carry similar motor-sport exclusions.

The FCDO also says your insurance should cover rescue, which can cost more than US$4,000 an hour, and that Egyptian authorities only start rescue operations once payment is guaranteed.

GetYourGuide includes no insurance in its price, and some Headout desert listings exclude it by name. TUI's Travco trips, sold at hotel desks and on TUI's Musement platform, state that accident insurance for the activity is included. That is one of the real arguments for the hotel desk, alongside its written 24-hour refund rule.

How much is quad biking in Egypt, and what you pay in cash

On GetYourGuide, group quad trips from Hurghada start from about $10 per person, and half of all quad reviews sit on listings priced at about $17 or less (our count of GetYourGuide listings at the last check). The cheapest "from" price is usually the bare daytime option; dinner, stargazing, a GoPro or a pick-up from an outer resort cost more. The full picture, including buggies, jeeps and hotel-desk prices, is on the prices page.

What catches people out is the cash on the day:

• A "safari fee". Some listings add a cash "safari fee" of about €5–10 per person on the day. We found no official source for it, and other sellers include entrance fees in the price. Look under "Not included" before you book.
• Pick-up from the outer resorts. Prices usually cover Hurghada hotels; from Makadi, Sahl Hasheesh, El Gouna, Soma Bay or Safaga many sellers add €5–15 per person, often in cash. See the resorts guide for transfer times.
• Scarf and goggles. Often sold at the station for around €5 each. Bring your own.
• Photos and video. Optional; prices vary widely, so ask before the ride starts.
• Herbs, souvenirs and drinks. The camp stop usually includes a herb and souvenir sales pitch. Nothing there is compulsory.

Cash extras are mostly quoted in euros at the stations; Travco says Egyptian pounds, dollars and pounds sterling are accepted too. Bring small notes; change is not always available.

Tipping on a desert safari

There is no official rule. Tips are excluded from every desert listing we checked, and guides expect them. A modest cash tip in small notes for the guide and the driver is normal; nothing is compulsory. Tour-company blogs suggest around EGP 100–200 for a guide on a half-day trip.

Photos, GoPro and drones

Three ways to get a video of yourself in the dunes:

1. Your own action camera on a chest or helmet mount. This is the cheapest and you control the footage.
2. Your phone, in a zipped pocket while riding and out only at the stops. Phones held in one hand while steering are how phones end up in the sand.
3. The operator's camera. Some listings, such as the quad tour with optional GoPro, sell footage as a paid add-on; on other trips a photographer shoots the ride and offers the pictures afterwards. You can buy or decline. There is no standard price, so ask before the ride.

Drones are a firm no. The FCDO says you must not import or use a drone in Egypt without prior permission from the Ministry of Defence, and the penalty can be up to seven years in prison; Germany's Foreign Office adds that customs seize them on arrival. Do not photograph military or police sites, vehicles or checkpoints either. Keep the camera down when the minibus slows at a checkpoint.

Before you go: visa, alcohol, Ramadan and respect

Visa. A visa on arrival at Hurghada airport costs US$30, paid in cash at the kiosks before passport control, and is valid for up to 30 days; Germany's Foreign Office says the euro equivalent is accepted. Agents in the arrivals hall often charge more. You can also buy an e-Visa in advance on the official visa2egypt portal (single entry $30, multiple entry $65); your passport must be valid for at least six months. A card-only digital visa on arrival is now also offered at Cairo airport. The free Sinai-only stamp does not cover Hurghada.

Alcohol. Drinking outside licensed restaurants, bars and private homes is illegal, according to the FCDO. On a desert trip, that means none before or during the ride.

Ramadan. Eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight during Ramadan is considered culturally insensitive (FCDO). Sunset-dinner safaris then coincide with iftar, when guides and drivers break their fast; expect the timing of the meal to follow sunset.

Women travellers. The FCDO notes that most reported sexual assaults in the Red Sea resorts involved someone the victim had already met, including hotel workers and excursion staff. Stay with your group and keep your booking confirmation on your phone.

Emergencies. Tourist police 126, police 122.

FAQ: quad biking in Egypt tips