How many unique and utterly memorable moments does a life consist of? Not enough.

January 15th 2027- 12 day desert walking tour … 8 nights in the deep desert under the darkest starlit sky you can imagine…£1995

How many moments can you look back on? And how many stay with you forever? A few of these moment will be from travels, journeys and holidays- when we are most alive, seeing things for the first time.

But for that to happen you have to go somewhere very special indeed…

Like the deep desert of the Egyptian Sahara.

In the depths of winter when it is zero degrees in Europe and North America it is a pleasant 20 degrees and sunny in the desert. Perfect walking weather.

We will see ancient caves, rock art, dried up lakes, dunes and more dunes. Every morning for the willing and keen our yoga instructor will help you limber up. In the evening you can wander and explore wherever you want, drawn back by the flickering camp fire.

At SAMIA’S EGYPT, we are offering for the first time a unique chance to WALK THE SAHARA- four hours a day (or more if you like) with breaks in between, a chance of get your head completely clear in the deeply remote desert. We are likely to see zero people until we reach the oasis of Dakhla when we finish our trip… just you and the dunes and the greatest wide open space on the planet…

Our route is inspired by that of Gerhard Rohlfs in 1873- and we will follow his path from Farafra Oasis to Dahkla Oasis. With this historical background, along with the neolithic remains will encounter along the route, we have an interesting second emphasis to the expedition. You can see from the map on the right the central route we intend to follow through the dune fields between Farafra and Dakhla. Rohlfs was also the first European to see the ancient Gara caves which we will also explore- a place with rock art that dates from long before the Pharaohs….

What makes Samia’s Egypt different?

The people who come. The way we treat you. Our insider knowledge. And you may even know us already…Samia is a Reuters and BBC trained journalist, born and bred in Cairo. Robert is a renowned desert explorer and writer who has written fifteen books translated into sixteen languages…

No one wants to be a tourist but we all like travelling. No one wants to be suckered by ‘the sights’, seeing the same things as everyone else whilst being ‘processed’ by the local tourism industry. And yet we all want to see something special. Even if it’s something and as well known as the Pyramids we want a different angle, a better story, something worth telling others about. Well, we’re not industry, we’re small.

We offer bespoke tours of Egypt and desert tours. Our bespoke tours can be anything from a Cairo City break to a getaway in the ancient oasis of Siwa, from an in-depth El Alamein battlefield tour to climbing Mount Sinai and visiting the desert monasteries of the early Christian Fathers. Our suggested itineraries can be found from the menu. Our desert tour this year is an immaculate experience in getting away from it- eleven days, eight of them walking in a dune area with no phone coverage and the darkest skies at night full of stars.

From the moment we meet you from the aeroplane, Samia and Robert will treat you with all the care and consideration you would expect from a good friend…and what’s more, they know their stuff.

Samia is Egyptian, an expert on Cairo and Egypt, she is a working journalist for the BBC, fully informed about the past and present situation in Egypt. Robert has written several highly acclaimed books about Egypt: Red Nile is a cultural history of the great river from earliest times to the present day and was a bestseller when it came out. Another, Lost Oasis, documents travels in the oases and deserts of Egypt.

Piers Dunn

Traveling with Robert Twigger in Egypt is enlightening, his enthusiasm for the country is infectious and in a country with so much to discover, uncovering everything from the mundane to the monumental becomes a lot of fun.

“I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something sings, and something gleams...”

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

Helen White

“My two weeks exploring the Sahara with Rob, 3 bedouin, 9 camels and a small but perfectly formed group was hands down one of (if not) the best travel experiences of my life. Rob is one of the most good-natured, engaging and erudite people you could ever hope to meet. He put his all into the organisation of this trip and it was magical, memorable and most of all, unique. I would jump at the chance to join anything he organises. The best testament I can give is that I can’t possibly sum up how marvellous it was in two sentences!”

Doris Odden

“A cool Cairo tour indeed! Happy about entering Cairo by the back door so to speak, and seeing her not through the windows in an airconditioned coach. With Samia&Robert, big and small sites in and around the vaste city were visited and also local guides were good. Meandering/weaving through the intricacies of Cairo was easy when in the best pair of hands; Samia’s&Robert’s.

Can heartily be recommended!

Amy E

The whole thing was very convivial with our lovely group and I feel very privileged to have been part of such a wonderful experience.