BADAWYA Safari — Local services in Red Sea

Booked a full 'VIP' day which included quad bike, jeep, camel ride, food, drinks. We're staying at an all inclusive hotel but paid extra 140euro for this excursion. The quad bike and jeep were awesome, really good fun. My kid got sick from too much heat so we didnt end up staying the full day, the place gave us a lift back to the hotel which was really appreciated. A couple of things brought the experience down... 1, a random guy offering us pictures wasnt part of anything, just there to make cash from tourists... wasnt even taking pics of us on our specific bikes or jeep, just stand next to a random bike with a headscarf on. 2nd, another random guy wanted us to go somewhere with him so he could give us a 'free gift' because it was our first time visiting... we just had to go with him somewhere. No thanks dude! The 3rd big thing... safety helmets were tied on and goggles had to be paid for... the safety aspect wasnt all that confidence building and could definitely be improved upon. The pictures in the brochure show a desert with dunes, cliffs and a tent to eat dinner in... whilst this isnt the reality... so scenery and set up was a bit disappointing. However, we had fun and they got us back to the hotel when we needed so we are grateful... just not sure it was at all worth what we paid.. even if we had stayed for the whole thing. Drinks were not free, 'safety' equipment extra... definitely not value for money when comparing the pictures to the reality of the experience. And those random people trying to scam, guests should be respected i think. We were ourselves which we are very grateful for and we did love the ride... but i wouldnt encourage people to go unless absolutely aware of the reality vs....

We went on this safari having booked it via Tui. It was completely mis-sold to us as the "VIP Desert Experience". On arrival we were not met by anyone and left in a Bedouin themed tarpaulin for 45 mins without water or food let alone a pleasant welcome. This was misinformation by Tui who neglected to tell us to bring a packed lunch, but not even a snack was offered on a "VIP" experience. When we did get met by the guide, we were then told our children (5 and 8) wouldn't be allowed to ride pillion (I appreciate this was again mis-sold by Tui and not the fault of Badawya Safari). We also had to buy shemaghs at 70 LE each (again told not necessary by Tui - spot a pattern?). The quad biking was OK, if a little bit staged and severely lacking in adrenaline. The lesson on Egypt's history in the middle of the desert lacked purpose apart from reminding me how I'd not been offered a drink. During this time all the children had been put into a Land Cruiser and bumped around the desert after the quads. On return to the camp, we were offered our first bottles of water, 3 hours after arriving. My wife and I decided to call an end to it and we left early (with another family) as by this stage, my children were bored, thirsty and hungry. The company did eventually agree to give us a lift back to the hotel, but only after an argument over the phone with my good...

The tour guides completely disregard reservation times. We booked a tour for 12pm, got picked up from hotel at 1.20pm, and ended up finally getting on ATVs at around 2.30pm. We informed the Polish tour guide Maya that we needed to be back at our hotel by 5pm because of another reservation, and she promised to bring as back in time... alas, we didn't get back until 6pm!!! Even if the tour itself was ok, this made us miss our next reservation, but we didn't even get an apology. Completely disappointed!

P.s. oh and they are for sure discriminating against women. Even though this was not my first rodeo with quad bikes, they tried to tell me that I need to ride behind someone as if I won't be able to control the bike. I completely refused... and surprise surprise, controlled the bike just fine. For other ladies that get subjected to this - just threaten to get the money back if they try to make you ride behind someone.

The beduin village was meh, there really doesn't seem to be a reason to spend time except from riding the camels and having some tea. However, after the camel rides the locals get aggressive and demand tips, so get ready.

All in all, if the experience didn't consist of 5 hours of waiting around and 1 hour of riding (when the tour is supposed to be 3hrs), it would be ok, but because of the time...