Sarah LesslerFor riders craving a true expedition, Ride Egypt’s five-day journey through the Black and White Deserts is one of the most epic equestrian travel experiences on earth.
Few rides on earth still feel genuinely epic. Ride Egypt’s White Desert journey is one of them. British-owned and led by founder Emma Jane Levin, who has spent more than a decade redefining equestrian travel in Egypt, the company now offers what is believed to be the country’s first horseback journey through the White Desert: a remote and visually arresting landscape rarely accessed on horseback.
The five-day mini break moves between Cairo, the Black Desert, and the White Desert National Park before returning via Bahariya Oasis. Riders begin in Cairo with a gallop at the Pyramids of Giza, then transfer west as the landscape shifts from city to volcanic Black Desert hills to the surreal chalk-white formations of the White Desert. The ground here was made for horses — open, firm, and seemingly endless, with long stretches that allow for sustained gallops through one of the most extraordinary natural landscapes in the world.
Ride Egypt’s horses are not hired in for trips. They are permanent members of the team, trained specifically for desert riding and cared for year-round by dedicated grooms. Groups are small — with a maximum of eight riders — and horses are matched carefully to ability and experience. Non-riders are welcome, with alternative activities available throughout.
Journeys run October through May. A tented night in the White Desert is included for those who want it, and the return route stops at the natural hot springs of Bahariya. It is a rare adventure in the truest sense: vast, silent, and completely outside the normal day-to-day.
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