Have you ever woke up on the Moon?
OK, maybe it's not the Moon- but the White Desert in Egypt is probably
the closest experience you'll have to it on Earth!
Not many know about this surreal landscape located in the Western Deserts of Egypt, and most travelers to the country miss out on a really epic experience because of it.
**I do want to mention that sometimes there is concerns and even safety warnings about visiting the Western Desert as its near the border of Libya and sometimes there can be tensions between this border. But don't be scared off just yet, in the almost two years I've lived in Egypt there has never been an issue. What I would recommend is to ask your guide when booking if it's OK to visit at your time. Your guide will never take you there if there's even the slightest chance of actual danger, so if your guide says it's OK then you can rest assured you'll be fine.
Actually once you're in the White Desert you really won't see many other people or cars out there besides other bedouins who will usually be with their own foreign visitors.
To get to the White Desert, you will need to hire a guide who can arrange everything for you. You'll leave Cairo and travel around 4.5 hours where you'll reach the Bahariya Oasis. There your guide will have arranged for a Bedouin to meet you. The Bedouin will be your driver, your desert guide, your chef, your survivalist. Bedouins are the nomadic desert people of the Middle East and Africa, they know the desert better than anyone else. Once you've met up with your Bedouin you'll transfer to his 4x4 vehicle and he'll take you off the main roads and into the desert.
You'll pass the Black Desert (yes, you're not just visiting the White Desert, but there is a Black Desert there as well) and continue on into the dunes of the White Desert. Don't worry you'll visit the Black Desert the following day. Depending on the seaon, your Bedouin may take you to some sulphorous hot and cold springs where you can relax under date trees to escape the hot sun.
After some tea and refreshing spring water, you'll visit the Crystal Mountain. There you can find crystals in every shape and size in the mountain. After stopping to check out the crystals you'll really take it into four wheel drive and start seeing more dunes. You'll stop at some point to go sandboarding on dunes and then drink bedouin tea as the sun starts to set.
Before it gets dark completely, you'll pile back into the vehicle and your bedouin will make his way to your camp. Now you'll see the White Desert formations. The White Desert was millions of years ago the bottom of the ocean floor, and some parts of Egypt you can find whale skeleton fossils and even here in the White Desert you can find shells from that time.
Once you've found your camp, the Bedouin will start preparing everything while you take pictures, relax by the fire, or start looking for stars. Absolutely the best place for star gazing as there is 0 light pollution- just keep in mind the moon phase when visiting. Dinner will be served and you'll stuff your faces with chicken, fresh veggie salads, tahini sauce, bread, soups, and potatoes. Literally he cooks everything for you over the fire while you hang out. Some of the best meals Ive had in Egypt have been made by a Bedouin in the desert!
You can sleep in a tent or you can be like us and fall asleep under the stars. Then when the sun rises the next morning it'll wake you up for you to catch it's epic arrival over the White rock formations.
Once you're up for the day, your Bedouin will prepare breakfast and take down tents. Afterwards, you'll pile back into the car to visit the Black Desert. The Black Desert consists of a land that was once full of active volcanoes so there is a layer of lava rock, dolerite and basalt over evertyhing and that is how it got it's namesake. There is one speciifc mountain you can hike to the top for a view if you like. As well as a "zen" circle that you can visit nearby.
Now you'll make your way back to the Bahariya Oasis and meet the driver who will take you back to Cairo. You can stay longer in the desert if you like, but in our opinion one night camping is enough to see everything out there.
Hope these photos inspire you to explore past the Pyramids on your trip and get out into the deeper deserts of Egypt to see all the wonders this country has to offer!
P.S. Be on the lookout for scarabs and fennec foxes while you're there
(don't worry they're both harmless)
If you'd like for us to be your Guides be sure to fill out this form
and we can arrange this overnight excursion for you!
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