Hotel excursion desks are dearer than the platforms, but they come with insurance and a written refund rule. That is the honest summary of booking a desert trip through your tour operator in Hurghada. The trip itself is the same kind of trip: a transfer to a quad station in the desert behind the coast, a guided ride in convoy, a Bedouin-style camp, and on the longer versions a jeep leg, a camel, dinner and a show.
The big name at the desks is TUI, and every TUI desert trip we checked is run by the same local supplier, Travco Group for Tourism. This page covers what TUI excursions in Hurghada cost, what they include, how they compare with GetYourGuide, and what the other tour operators' desks offer.
- Type
- tour-operator channel
- Base / camp
- hotels
- Operating since
- Travco 1979
- Vehicles and animals
- Travco stations
- What it sells
- quad, buggy, 4x4 dinner and stargazing
- Where to book
- TUI/Musement, easyJet holidays, desks
- Guides speak
- EN, IT, FR, AR, DE, RU, NL, PL
- Prices
- £31–67 on musement.com
- Status
- operating (FTI collapsed 2024)
Own website: musement.com ↗ · 20 October 2026
Our scores
- The trip as run
- 3.5/5standard stations and camps; riding minutes published
- Riding time for the money
- 3/545 min quad in an 8-hour combo; 90 min in the morning quad
- Transparency on extras
- 4/5pick-up supplements and station extras listed in euros
- Booking ease
- 4/5desk or website; card payment
- Safety information
- 4/5age rules, single-rider quads, insurance stated
- Value
- 2.5/5dearer than comparable platform trips
Pros
- Accident insurance for the activity included
- Full refund up to 24 hours before
- Clear rules: quad drivers 16+, buggy drivers 18+, child passengers 4+
- Guides in eight languages
- Booked through the company that sold you the holiday
Cons
- Higher prices than comparable platform listings
- Outer-resort pick-up paid on site in cash
- Scarves and goggles extra at the station
- Ratings 3.76–4.26, below the big platform listings
- Prices differ between TUI's own pages and musement.com
Who runs TUI excursions in Hurghada
TUI sells its excursions through Musement, the activity platform TUI Group owns. On every Hurghada desert product we checked, the supplier is Travco Group for Tourism — a large Egyptian group founded in 1979 that also owns JAZ Hotel Group. Travco is TUI's supplier, not a separate desk: the same Travco trips are also sold by easyJet holidays and by the Polish TravelPlanet.
So when your rep recommends "the TUI quad", you are booking a Travco trip from a Travco station. That matters for comparisons: it is one large company with fixed programmes, rather than a different operator behind every listing.
Travco's evening safaris use a dinner-show base the listings call the Badawya station; its exact location is not published.
TUI excursions Hurghada: desert trip prices
Prices differ by channel, so we quote musement.com, TUI's activity platform, in pounds as shown there:
| Travco trip | Length | From (musement.com) |
|---|---|---|
| Quad ride with Bedouin tea | 4 h | £31 |
| Dune buggy, morning | 4 h | £42 per buggy for a group of 2, 3 or 4 |
| Sand buggy, evening | — | £51 |
| Morning safari: quad, buggy, 4x4, camel | 6 h | £50 |
| Quad, 4x4, buggy, camel, Bedouin dinner and show | 8 h | £59 |
| Ultimate Desert Experience | 8 h | £59 |
| Desert sunset, stargazing and dinner by 4x4 | 7 h | £67 |
TUI's own listing pages showed different "from" figures for several of the same trips on the same day, probably for another ticket type or channel. Compare the final price at checkout, not the headline, and do not assume one "TUI price" applies everywhere.
Hotel-lobby cash prices are not published anywhere we could check. Desks set their own prices; ask for the written price including pick-up and any fees before you agree.
What the price includes — and what you still pay in cash
Included, as Travco's listings state:
- Accident insurance that covers accidents to guests while taking part in the tour
- a 100 % refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before
- card payment when you book
- entrance fees (listed as included on Travco's quad pages)
- a helmet, named on several of the pages
- guides in English, Italian, French, Arabic, German, Russian, Dutch and Polish — in English if too few people book a language
Not included:
- Pick-up from outer resorts, paid on site: El Gouna €8 adult / €4 child, Safaga and Soma Bay €10 / €5, Magic Life Kalawy Bay €14 / €7
- Scarves and goggles, sold at the quad station for around €5 each, payable in euros, pounds, dollars, Egyptian pounds or Swiss francs
- extra food and drinks, photos and tips
Bring your own buff and sunglasses and a few small notes, and the cash part shrinks to the pick-up supplement if you are outside Hurghada.
Riding time: what Travco publishes
Travco is one of the few suppliers that says how long you are actually at the controls:
- Morning quad with camel and tea: 1 hour 30 minutes on the quad inside 3 hours.
- Morning safari with quad, buggy and 4x4: about 20 minutes in the buggy and 45 on the quad inside 6 hours.
- 8-hour quad, 4x4 and Bedouin dinner: the quad leg is about 45 minutes.
- Private premium quad: 45 minutes out, about 30 at a camp, 45 back, inside 4 hours.
The pattern is the same as everywhere: the longer the programme, the less of it is riding. If driving is the point, the morning quad gives the most time at the handlebars for the money. Our guide to quad prices shows how this compares across sellers.
TUI vs GetYourGuide: same desert, different terms
Side by side, without converting currencies:
| TUI / Travco (musement.com) | GetYourGuide | |
|---|---|---|
| Big combo with dinner and show | 8 h, from £59 | 5-in-1 safari with jeep, quad, buggy, camel, dinner and show, from $26 |
| Quad and jeep combo | from £50 (morning, with buggy and camel) | mega safari with ATV, 4x4 and camel, from $22.50 |
| Short quad | 4 h quad with tea, from £31 | Makadi Bay ATV tour, 2 h, from $17 |
| Insurance | activity accident insurance included | none included |
| Cancellation | 100 % refund up to 24 h | most listings free up to 24 h; set per listing |
| Who runs it | Travco, named | the local operator named on the listing |
| Ratings | 3.76–4.26 on 18–134 reviews | 4.2–4.9 on the most-reviewed listings, often 1,000+ reviews |
Our recommended comparison is the desert experience with quad, buggy and camel on GetYourGuide — a comparable quad, buggy and camel combo with a 4.8 rating on more than 2,000 reviews. The trips are not identical: operator, camp, riding time, pick-up area and inclusions may differ.
The real question is insurance. GetYourGuide includes none and does not set or verify safety standards; your travel policy must cover quad biking, and many UK policies exclude it unless you add cover (InsureandGo's activity page is a typical example). The UK government also advises making sure rescue costs are covered, as they can exceed US$4,000 an hour (FCDO safety advice). If your policy excludes quads, a desk trip with accident cover included is a sensible reason to pay more. For the full channel comparison see GetYourGuide vs Headout vs the hotel desk.
Other tour operators' desks: Anex, Itaka, FTI
- Anex Tour (Russia and CIS) lists Hurghada desert excursions on anextour.ru without prices: a 3-hour quad ride (16+), a "moto-safari" with about 45 minutes of riding, and a "Sahara Park Jeep" day from 12:00 to 19:00 with 30 minutes on a quad and 15 in a buggy. Desk prices are not published; ask your rep for the written price.
- Itaka (Poland) publishes local-excursion prices per person in złoty: a 5-hour quad safari from about 155 PLN and a 6-hour morning safari from about 139 PLN when we checked. Insurance and the local partner are not stated on that page.
- FTI, once a big German tour operator with many guests on the Red Sea, filed for insolvency on 3 June 2024. It no longer sells excursions.
The UK government's advice favours this channel: "Book excursions for activities at your resort or through approved agents or tour operators."
How to book through the hotel desk
Booking a desk excursion without surprises
- Ask which supplier runs the trip — for TUI it is Travco.
- Ask for the total price including pick-up from your resort.
- Ask how many minutes you ride the quad or drive the buggy.
- Check that accident insurance is included, and what it covers.
- Bring a scarf, sunglasses and small notes for the station extras.
- Confirm the pick-up time the day before.
If you would rather book yourself, compare with the platforms and the local agencies; for everyone behind Hurghada's trips, see the operators hub. The super safari guide explains what the long combos really contain.
GetYourGuide4.5 h
Hurghada Desert Experience with Quad, Buggy & Camel
4.8 (2,398)
per personCheck dates
GetYourGuide5.5 h
Safari Jeep, Quad, Buggy, Camel Ride with BBQ Dinner & Show
4.6 (1,304)
per personCheck dates
GetYourGuide5 h
Hurghada: Mega Safari, ATV, 4x4WD Jeep, Camel w/ BBQ & Show
4.7 (189)
per personCheck dates
Prices checked on 20 October 2026
FAQ
Who runs TUI excursions in Hurghada?
TUI sells them through Musement, its activity platform, and every desert trip we checked is supplied by Travco Group for Tourism, a large Egyptian travel group. easyJet holidays sells the same Travco trips.
How much are TUI desert excursions in Hurghada?
On musement.com they start at £31 for a 4-hour quad with Bedouin tea and go up to £67 for a sunset stargazing trip with dinner by 4x4. Outer-resort pick-ups and scarf and goggles are paid on site.
Are TUI excursions in Hurghada worth it?
They cost more than comparable platform listings, but include accident insurance and a 24-hour refund. If your travel insurance excludes quad biking, that is a good reason to book through the desk.
What do TUI excursion reviews for Hurghada say?
Travco's desert trips rate 3.76–4.26 on musement.com from 18 to 134 reviews each, below the large GetYourGuide listings. We could not verify review themes, so read recent reviews for the exact trip.
Can children go on TUI quad excursions?
Children cannot drive: quads are single-rider and drivers must be 16. Under-16s can ride as a buggy passenger from age 4 with a driver of 18 or over; children under 4 cannot take part.
Can I cancel a TUI excursion in Hurghada?
Yes, with a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before the trip.
