Welcome to the Badawiya Expedition Travel Company. This is a family-owned company, both owned and run by the three Ali brothers: Hamdi, Atef, and Saad. We are genuine Bedouins, born and raised in Farafra, the Western Desert’s most petite oasis.
We dreamed of creating a company that could provide services for a wide variety of visitors to the desert. In June 2005, our dream became reality, when Badawiya Expedition Travel was founded. Our head office is based in the Farafra Oasis. Since the formation of Badawiya Expedition Travel, we have made every effort to act responsibly towards the environment.
Our goal is to safeguard the Protectorate of the White Desert through Eco-Tourism. This represents the main economic activity of the oasis.
Our philosophy is to protect the White Desert and at the same time to work on developing the Farafra Oasis community.
Looking towards the future, we hope that more tourists will opt for our utterly peaceful, eco-friendly camel tours of the desert, where everyone can leave behind all thoughts of the constant rushing, stress, noise, and pollution of city life and work. For those with less time or those who prefer greater ease of travel, a fleet of 4WD cars is available.
On our family’s agricultural land, we use organic farming methods to produce much of the fresh fruit and vegetables for our hotels and for the meals cooked during the desert expeditions. Our camels rest at the farm when not trekking with tourists through the beautiful White Desert.
Our Trips
Explore the White Desert, the Black Desert, Crystal Mountain, and the sand dunes near Farafra by camel or in jeeps, and sleep under the starry sky, in tents, or at our hotels in Farafra and Dakhla.
Discover with us the Western Oases of Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla, Kharga, and Siwa and the more remote sites of Gilf Kebir, Gebel Uwaynat, and the Silica Glass field.
We offer unforgettable desert safaris, which we put together for you exclusively, with great attention to detail, so our guests all receive a tailor-made match for each request, be it individually or as a group.
Our prices include jeep or camel, driver /guide (he will also cook for you in the desert), tents, mattresses, blankets, food (full board), water, and soft drinks (except alcoholic drinks which guests will have to provide themselves), hotel accommodation if needed and transfers to and from Cairo or Luxor (depending on the program).
Also included, but not charged for, is the unique feeling of relaxation that comes from being in the desert. The clean air, the silence only broken by the wind whistling past you, and the almost supernatural shapes eroded by the effects of wind and sand. These elements, when put together, bring a sense of peace and well-being to those lucky enough to be on a responsibly-run desert safari.
White Desert
A trip to the White Desert (El Sahara El Beida) is an unforgettable experience. As soon as you enter the area you can see that the wind has eroded the gleaming white rocks into surreal forms resembling hawks, chickens, Nefertiti’s head, mushrooms, chess pieces, and a wide variety of other shapes. You can use up several memory cards capturing the strange formations and spend hours deciding what the shapes remind you of. As the sun moves across the brilliant blue sky the shadows and shapes change and the desert alters in front of your eyes. A few ancient trees surviving on the limited water available in the desert cling to life on the sides of the dunes. The 300-year-old acacia known as “Santa” is especially tenacious. As green as any tree in Europe and spreading out over a wide expanse of dune and rock face it is hard to imagine you are in such an arid area as you stand beside Santa. The desert floor itself is strewn with shells, crystals, and contrasting stark black iron pyrites in a staggering number of shapes as well. The area near the entrance is known as the ‘Old Desert’ simply because it was easily accessible on foot or camel before 4WD vehicles were common in the oases. Immediately you find yourself in an area of outstanding and almost surreal beauty. Driving, walking, or riding your camel further into the White Desert, you will pass Santa and enter the area known as the ‘New Desert’ which has only become readily accessible since 4WDs were introduced. No matter where you camp or watch the sunset the changing light plays tricks with the rock formations around you. What you saw a few minutes before as a glaring white rock will soften before your eyes and finally be darkly silhouetted against a spectacular crimson and fiery orange sky.
If you have opted for camping then you will have the chance to see the myriad stars appear as the night draws in. Around your cheerful campfire, you will be able to gaze at the glittering sky – far brighter and clearer than what you are used to seeing in the cities. The meals eaten under the desert sky will taste utterly delicious and after having eaten there is plenty of time for a star-navigation lesson, smoking shisha (water pipe), or just sitting in blissful silence appreciating the beauty of the desert environment. As you lie down to sleep you will hardly want to close your eyes not to miss a moment of the display above you.
As dawn breaks the dark formations around you are re-lit and new shadows and shapes appear as you sit and drink tea or coffee made from water, heated on the embers of last night’s fire. It’s almost as if there was a whole new desert born in front of your eyes. Please contact us to tell us about your desert dream and we will make it come true.
