Egypt is known for many tourist activities. One of the least appreciated and least known is the expansive Western Desert of Egypt, which is part of the Sahara Desert and is roughly the size of Texas. It includes both the White and the Black deserts. I spent five days traveling through this incredible area, including two nights camping.
Bahariya Oasis in The Western Desert
The first night was at a small camp in the Bahariya Oasis. My room was a small hut and there was a shared bathroom. Since I was the only guest that wasn’t a big deal.
The view inside my hutLooking into the kitchenThe dining area. The other guests were just there for lunch as part of a shorter desert tour. I was the only one that stayed the night. Rows of dates palms looking out to the saltwater Lake Marun.Looking up at Pyramid Mountain.Looking down from Pyramid Mountain into the main part of Bahariya where I was staying. My primary guide Islam preparing some tea as the sun starts to setThe sun setting from the ruins of the hilltop English House; named because some Brits lived there after WWII.
The Black Desert
The Black Desert is one of most unique aspects of the Western Desert of Egypt. Arriving there is like stepping into a different planet. The dunes here were originally regular sand dunes. But millions of years ago they were covered by the remnants of a series of nearby volcanic eruptions.
A nearby spring at a small oasis village
Another site is Crystal Mountain. It’s a small hill that is covered in quartz crystals.
Some of the general landscape we saw on the way to our first camping spot. Islam and Sama setting up at our first camp site. We had a visit from a local sand fox that gets water and scraps from campersMore unique scenery as we start our third day. A nice wind and sand carved holeAt some points there was just miles of sand that we drove throughThe remains of a 2,000 year old Roman mummy naturally preserved in the open, dry climate.The Magic Oasis, so called because originally the water would spring up intermittently as people arrived and then stop as people left.
The White Desert
By far the most famous part of the Western Desert of Egypt is the White Desert. There are scores of large two and three story high white chalk rock formations, created through erosion by wind and sand into some incredibly unique shapes. If Salvador Dali could design a desert, this might be what he would create.
A volcanic rock as found in the Black Desert against some small White Desert formations. A famous elephant looking formationThe famous mushroom and chicken pair. Notice how small our car is next to them. The incredibly unique site of our second camping spot.
The Journey from the Western Desert of Egypt
After leaving the White Desert, my guide’s cousin picked me up in a regular car for the 1.5 days of driving to Aswan, where I was staying ahead of a three night Nile Cruise.
Because of some trouble they’ve had over the years in this area, we had a police escort for most of the trip. One of the many small oasis’ that can be seen from the road. The empty, gaudy pink hotel I stayed in for one night in the Kharga Oasis area. A truck stop we went to for some snacks. Our car is the white car next to the police jeep that was our second day escort.
