Hi Doe, Phyll here (Pippys mum)
I did the dinner and stars 2 years ago and really enjoyed it. The food was excellent(i was a little worried) but was most impressed with it.
Also the hospitality of the people was so welcoming, there were a few Bedhouins selling their wares, we were given tea on arrival and then took a short walk up the mountain to watch the sun setting, then ate. After which there was dancing and singing before moving into a darker area to starwatch.
I cant remember how long we were out for.
We had armed guards which made me feel very safe although some people felt quite the opposite !
There was also a loo ! so no worries there albeit a tad primitive but usable
Hope all this is of help and hope you are well
love from
Phyll xxx

We wanted to do this in November but was told it was too cold, its only 16-17c at night. I wondered if it is in the same place where they now do the quads, camel ride and dinner show, if it is, then its quite warm there as they have all bedouin tents up.

Hi Phyll
Thank you so much for your reply. That's sounds like it would suit us very well.
This is our third one week visit coming up and so far apart from snorkelling and going in and out to Namma Bay, we haven't really done much so I feel we need to make the effort and do something this time. Trouble is when you get there it's so relaxing and you are just grateful for the good weather and people waiting on you hand and foot it's hard to get motivated.
Doe xxx

Hi Chris
Youngest and I did the camel ride/dinner and stargazing last year with FC
Not much different from what Phyll has already said

The ride to the site was around an hour - striking how filthy the desert is for the first few miles - just a tip - literally
When the bus stops the camels are waiting with loads of Bedouin children, some are selling trinkets and the older boys lead your camel. The guide will tell you what a reasonable tip is.
Then a short walk to the camp - they are waiting with plenty of bottled water for you , then tea tasting ,bread tasting then to a few stalls to buy little trinkets. Judging by the number of camel tooth necklaces they have there must be some very gummy beasts around !! A climb to the top of a small mountain to see the sunset ( we didn't make that due to rubbish footwear). Dinner was a buffet ! Houmous, salad, stews, chicken legs , bread - tasty and plenty of it with soft drinks. Shisa pipes and some dancing and then on your way.On the way in it was a windy path but it was flat on the way out well lit by the headlights from their 4x4s!
A short drive then walk for the stargazing -Spectacular and a very funny but informative guide
Good fun - we enjoyed

Thanks Lally. PSML at the gummy camels. Can't wait to see that flithy dessert, you are making it sound very appealing, fancy a job in sales ?

Think we will give it a go, food sounds fine. DD16 will no doubt find the camel teeth trinkets delightful at the time, these will spend the following ten months under the bed until I get fed up with them and throw them out. Just hope we get the same funny informative guide as you, usually get the one who has been doing the job 20 years and has lost all interest. Can you remember approx how much it was, no worries if you can't ?

Doe

It really is mucky !!
I think it was around 35 sterling
Youngest is still wearing the camel tooth - quality product or what !

LOL. I kind of guessed at that sort of price, seems fair enough after all no doubt FC get 50 %. Just hoping it will be operating in April. Trust you weren't unwell after the food ?

Doe xx

Hi
Not at all - seems a very professional outfit (apart from the dancing - thought I was in the Queen Vic for a moment, but you will see !). Not that authentic I suppose but a nice change. The stargazing really is something special.
Lally

this trip is an absolute rip off 120.00 pound per person, for this you are supposed to have dinner in a traditional bedouin camp, which turns out to be a few bits of cloth on top of some poles set out in a rectangle shape, the dinner came from one of the hotels still in serving tin not even the slightest effort to disguise it when served it was done in plastic trays with a plastic spoon, then came the camel ride 30 egyption pound for 5 mins on a camel it took longer to get on than the ride took, the so called bazzar was also a con my wife battered a guy down to 15 egyption pound for a stone egg for our daughter when the tour guide heard about this he went mad saying we should have waited to be taken through this bazzar with him when the price of this very same glass egg was 50 egyption pound the hole dinner and bedouin tent bit was an abbsoloute rip of i would advise against anyone going on this , the bit with the stars was ok

borismab wrote:

this trip is an absolute rip off 120.00 pound per person, for this you are supposed to have dinner in a traditional bedouin camp, which turns out to be a few bits of cloth on top of some poles set out in a rectangle shape, the dinner came from one of the hotels still in serving tin not even the slightest effort to disguise it when served it was done in plastic trays with a plastic spoon, then came the camel ride 30 egyption pound for 5 mins on a camel it took longer to get on than the ride took, the so called bazzar was also a ???? my wife battered a guy down to 15 egyption pound for a stone egg for our daughter when the tour guide heard about this he went mad saying we should have waited to be taken through this bazzar with him when the price of this very same glass egg was 50 egyption pound the hole dinner and bedouin tent bit was an abbsoloute rip of i would advise against anyone going on this , the bit with the stars was ok

Which one did you buy ????

We had a real barbeque with out any of the rip offs the small market had reasonable prices and there was no camel rides the trip we went on did not go to any bazzar after either as it was 1am when we got back to the hotel

it was one trip not 2 the dinner was first then the stars,the bazzar as the guides called it was just some trinkets laid out on the floor,the food was brought from one of the hotels they even had it in the serving trays that we had at the three corners hotel,

Well i did this trip a couple of years ago but certainly did not pay 120 for it, i really enjoyed it aswell

And I've checked our lists we only spent £50 for 2 of us and on my other computer I've video of he meal being cooked 'cos I was qizzing the guy cooking the fish what spices he was using

you wouldn`t mind if they tried to disguise it a bit but it was so staged.

we went on something similar last year and really enjoyed it. we definitely did not spend 120!! think it was also around 35. our tour guide was called hany and was really funny. we did pretty much the same trip that lallygirl described. the camels were probably not the best kept in the world but it was an experience! just be careful when you get off as the small children leading you all want a tip. We had heard a few horror stories regarding that but luckily we were ok.

we climbed up a small mountain to watch the sunset, which i would recommend so take sturdy shoes as its very rocky and uneven. then came back down to sit in the tents and had some shisha, we watched the men make bread and then had food which was really good and didnt seem like it was from a hotel. the dancing was enlightening!! as one of the old bedouin men had taken a fancy to me so made me dance with him....... but good fun all the same

star gazing was an optional extra which we did, u get to look through massive telescopes at the moon and jupiter and the men helping will even help you to take a picture through the telescopes.

all in all i would recommend this trip.

I went on this trip when I was in Sharm and I thought it was a bit staged for the tourists.
It was almost dark when the food was served and I must admit I didnt like the look of what I could see.
The star gazing was the highlight of the trip and if I went again I would only do the stargazing part.
I went with First Choice but we did pass an area that looked better than where we went so maybe other tour operators go to different Bedouin camps.

I wonder

Whether, because we booked local, we got a better deal
We got fresh food cooked on site (Fish, Goat and Beef with vegetables and rice)
lots of chance to chat waiting for the sun to go down and the usual jokes about Egyptair as planes passed overhead and loads of Tea sweet and black

the trinkets were just that trinkets but the telescopes were real enough and the guy working them knew his stuff