Bahereya Oasis
NileGuide Expert Says:
The area around Bahariya Oasis, especially the surreal and haunting White Desert, is absolutely stunning, and should not be missed if at all possibleAddress:
Phone:
+20 2 526 5299NileGuide Expert tip:
If you are pushed for time, it's well worth booking on to a short tour from Cairo, that includes a tour of the sites and springs of Bawiti, as well as a few nights in the desert.Description:
Bahariya Oasis is the closest true oasis to Cairo, as well as being the smallest. About 360 km south-west of Cairo, the depression covers an area of about 1200 km2, though only a fraction of this is cultivated. It is a beautiful area of palm groves and olive trees, dotted with dusty villages and sprinkled with both hot and cold springs. The region has been inhabited since ancient times, and was part of pharaonic Egypt since at least the Middle Kingdom. The main town of Bahariya is called Bawiti, and there are still the remains of some tombs and temples scattered around the town's environs. There are also a handful of museums, including one housing some of the famous "Golden Mummies" – discovered in 1996 when a donkey fell down a hole in the desert that revealed a burial ground! The main attraction of Bahariya, however, is the desert. It's possible to do tours by 4x4 jeep into the this most stunning and remote of landscapes. The nearby Black Desert is a desolate region of jagged mountains and sand sprinkled with iron ore, hence the black colour. Most people head straight towards the White Desert (near Farafra Oasis): a truly incredible region of the Western Desert, peppered with surreal, white coloured boulders that have been eroded by the wind in to fantastical shapes. It is possible to camp overnight amongst these strange formations, and to make friends with the desert foxes that patrol the area. There are lots of options on how to go into the desert around Bahariya, ranging from short camel rides from Bawiti, to full-on expeditions to the other oases. You can head south through Farafra, Dakhla and Kharga (known collectively as the New Valley) to Luxor; or north towards Siwa Oasis. Note that as well as organised tours, there are also public buses that run between Cairo and Bahariya, and on through the New Valley to Luxor.