The business behind the name
What we could confirm is thin, and it's better to say so than fill the gaps. A business called Oriental Safari appears in Hurghada on Tripadvisor (in two separate listings with slightly different names), on Yandex Maps under "excursions", and on Trip.com. The map listing gives a WhatsApp and Viber number and a Facebook page. We found no website, no street address and no published Ministry of Tourism licence number.
That's typical for a lot of Hurghada's desert business. Many safari outfits are small teams with a desert camp, a row of quads and a phone. Some are good. The trouble is that with no website and two review listings, you can't easily tell whether the company in the reviews is the one answering your messages. Ask for the company name on the licence and the location of the camp, and check that the WhatsApp number matches the listings.
The other meaning: the safari itself
Most people who type "oriental safari Hurghada" want the trip, not the company. Nearly every agency sells some version of it:
- Hotel pickup in the afternoon, then a drive out of town to the edge of the desert
- A quad or buggy ride of 30 to 60 minutes, often in a line behind a guide
- A Bedouin camp: tea, bread baked on the fire, a short camel ride
- Dinner, a barbecue or buffet, then the "oriental show": belly dancer, tanoura spinner, fire act
- Back at the hotel late in the evening
Our desert safari page compares the versions (morning, sunset, super safari, jeep only), and quad & buggy covers ride times and who should take a double quad.
What to check before you pay a small safari outfit
- Riding time. "Quad safari" can mean ten minutes or an hour. Ask how long you actually drive.
- Single or double quad, and whether children can ride.
- Helmets and scarves. Bring a scarf for the dust anyway.
- Photos. Usually sold separately. Agree the price first or say no.
- Change. Bring small notes for the balance. Getting change in the desert is slow.
- Receipt. Ask for one that shows the company name, even if it's a WhatsApp photo of a stamped slip.
The platform alternative
GetYourGuide, Headout and Viator list many of these quad-and-dinner evenings from Hurghada, run by local safari companies, with the riding time and inclusions written out and free cancellation up to a day before on most listings. That doesn't make the quads better, but you know what you paid for. The live options are on the pages below.
