The Dabuka Team is welcoming you.
We are a German Egyptian Touristic Company. Dabuka e.V. was founded in 1996 in Germany, and meanwhile we are based in Cairo Egypt. Here you can have a look at the Dabuka Family:
Dabuka Team
Tarek El Mahdy
He grew up in a suburb of Cairo in the early 1960, which – at that time – was still adjacent to the desert. Together with his brother Karim he used to ride bicycles and later on motorcycles in the desert.
But he spent also a part of his childhood in Denmark and Germany, so that he was also shaped by European actions and thinking.
After school, he first studied dentistry and graduated in 1996. At the same time as his studies, however, the desert and outdoor experiences never left him, so finally he founded his company Dabuka in Germany in 1996.
There have been many challenges to overcome over the years, but this was one of his strengths.
Instead of giving up, he learned and developed the company further.
Meanwhile he is an expert in handling complicated logistics and one of only ten people worldwide calling themselves experts about the Long Range Desert Group (LRDG).
He is responsible for Socotra, Libya, Off road safety driving courses and the overall coordination.
Dorothee Rieche
Growing up in Germany in a family that loved to travel, she never thought, she would ever live abroad permanently. Now she calls Cairo her home since 2009.
As a teacher of German and French, she is used to making things clear to people.
She is now happy to be able to introduce people to the beauties of some countries around the world.
She is responsible for Lebanon, the Dabuka Travel Visions Magazine, the boat on Lake Nasser” Dabuka Blue”, Culture, Honey moon and things you may see only with your heart.
Mohamed Ibrahim
For more than 10 years he is working for Dabuka. His tourism expertise goes back to 30 years of experience.
Beside being tour operator, in his free time, he has always enjoyed working with car mechanics. He even attended special courses in that field, for example in Wadi Hof, near Helwan.
He now works also as an accountant at Dabuka, as one job alone doesn’t seem to be enough for him.
He is responsible for the Cultural Egypt as Tour operator and for Dabuka car rental.
Shada Mamdouh
She started her working career at Dabuka after she finished her German studies.
Always open to new challenges with a lot of own ideas, quickly she became a central person in the company.
After starting a family and moving to Alexandria, she had to leave Dabuka for a while.
But now she decided to come back and it feels like she had never gone.
She is responsible for Zanzibar, Tanzania, Flying over the pyramids and Social media.
Nofal Hebesha
He has studied IT and worked in the family business, a textile factory, which is rented out in the meantime.
Than he found his passion in the desert.
First with a VW Beetle, than with a Lada Niva and afterwards with a Mitsubishi he made his desert drive experiences.
For Dabuka he is an emergency back up for airport pickups and other trips.
He is responsible for the IT and the technical equipment, like satellite phones, GPS, pro cameras etc.
Mohamed Hamed
He Is a native resident of Maadi. In his youth he belonged to the motorcycle community in Maadi.
Later, he became a professional photographer and made a career in one of Egypt’s biggest daily newspapers.
Every year for some months he is still hired from the Egyptian journalist syndicate to give lessons to new journalists.
He had inherited a photo shop from his father and it seems that he has got the talent of his father too.
In the company he is offering photo shooting courses. He is also the one to accompany special trips for clients with the little extra.
He is responsible for Print media and consulting.
Amr Abdalla
He is a lawyer by profession but has worked in tourism for as long as he can remember.
He has now worked with almost every well-known Egyptian company and has an enormous network which sometimes extends over generations.
Since 2015 he is has been commuting between Egypt and Oman. He is supervising an Eco hotel owned by the Egyptian billionaire Samah Sawiris in the Empty quarter of Oman.
Amr is a kind of joker for making the impossible possible. Finally some years ago he became also member of the Dabuka family.
He is responsible for Oman, Socotra and PR.
Osama Abdel All
Osama has studied in the merchant navy in Alexandria and had always a passion for the oasis of Siwa. He sold his Toyota Landcruiser in the oasis and it became the first 4×4 car owned by a civilian in Siwa.
He started his own tourism business there, but than went on to Kenya helping his father with a pharmaceutical factory.
Love led him to the United States, but he never gave up his Egyptian roots. He had a handicraft business there.
In our days he is back to Egypt. Meanwhile Osama owns also some land in Siwa.
He is responsible for Siwa and Oases.
Ashraf Gharib
Working on it
He is responsible for the Religious Travel
Yasser Morkab
Working on it
He is responsible for Aswan, Abu Simbel & Lake Nasser
Dr. Karim El Mahdy (Free lance)
A German Egyptian who grew up in Cairo as well and had started to enter the desert with dirt-bikes with friends.
He participated in the Pharaohs rally in 1983 till 1998.
Being an excellent motorcycle driver, he managed with limited resources to become a big shot in the scene.
In 1986 he started his own business in Germany: ”Fly to Egypt, rent a dirt bike for 14 days and visit all the Egyptian monuments and deserts in a fortnight trip.”
Afterwards he used also 4×4 cars for this kind of trips.
In our days he is working as a dentist in Germany, but is still part of the company.
He is partly responsible for the Marketing and for the Fly and drive tours.
Dr. Jorg Rieche (Free lance)
As a studied geologist, he spent many years in Africa (Burundi, Burkina Faso, Algeria), especially in the water sector.
Starting a family led him to return to Germany, but his desire to travel remained unbroken. In addition to geological assignments, he accompanied many desert trips – including for Dabuka.
He is responsible for consultancy.
Steffen Kirchner (Free lance)
As a trained archaeologist and IT expert, he has been accompanying Dabuka for many years as a tour guide or back-up on technical issues.
He is responsible for Ethiopia, Djibouti and Sudan.
Mohamed Gharib (Free lance)
Mohamed always followed his own path.
He had a military special training of special forces in the Egyptian army, made several parachute jumps and is still doing that from time to time.
He has worked with several oil companies and passed their safety regulations.
His hobby is hiking and on several occasions he loves challenging himself. He hikes from Cairo to Ain Sokna or from Wadi Degla to Fayoum and is crossing great distances of desert and dunes, carrying everything he needs on his back, without any back up.
He has also participated in several Marathons .
He is responsible for hiking at Dabuka.
Dabuka Cars
Ahmed Moktar
He spent a big part of his life in tourism, with big companies as, Misr Travel, Club Med, Travco. He than changed to Europcar, after making a career there he found his passion with the car business and turned his back on Tourism.
Now he is handling the marketing of the Dabuka cars.
Mohamed Ibrahim
Beside his work (see above)
He is responsible for the Sedan cars reservation – car rental– and operation
Nofal Hebesha
Beside his work (see above)
He is responsible for Maintenance of Dabuka cars
Hani Bayoumi
As a resident of the oasis of Bahareya he is our specialist for the White Desert and Oasis.
He is responsible for the Off-Road cars and their drivers and the oasis
Mohamed Sebecca (Free Lance)
There doesn’t seem to be a problem with a car that he can’t fix.
He is responsible for our fleet as our Mechanic and he is one of our Desert Tour Guides
In greatful memory of former Dabuka members
Sameh Taman (late)
Ex military officer who did service in 1973 and 1979.
He was also a talented painter.
In 1991 his military career stopped and his touristic career started. He was the tourist manager of Dahab Tourism – and opened up with a partner a company called Lilly travel.
After a year in the states he disagreed with the management of the company and
decided to change to Dabuka where he became its first tourist manager.
He stayed until he died – premature.
Sameh was Dabukas tourist manager from 2006 – 2015 and was a close friend since 1998.
Yehia Abdel Rahman “Rayes” (retired)
Ex car and driver responsible from 2007 – 2016. He retired due to age and health issues.
But by heart he is always with the company.
His heritage is a lot of knowledge still helpful till today.
From the 1960s till his retirement he was employed by the national iron core company, first in Aswan, later in Bahareya. Here also, he was responsible for drivers and their trucks.
He bought also some land in Bahareya and cultivated it. Here he got also in touch with tourism to bring people in the desert.
For Dabuka, it seems as if he has always been there and will always remain.
