Fayoum Oasis
Located 90 km from the capital city of Cairo, only an hour and 15 minutes drive, with a year round moderate weather, is one of Egypt’s 7 oases. Home to several attractions from different eras from Pharaonic, Greco-Roman, Coptic and Islamic, to sand dunes, palm trees, lakes and valleys, wild animals, bird species. It’s a land of unspoiled nature & rich history, a place worth discovering! Best time to visit For bird watching: during winter time to witness the bird migration. For hiking, trekking & sand-boarding: October through April as the weather can be very hot in the desert during summer time. For chilling out near the lakes: All year round. For fishing: September through July. Wadi El-7itan (Valley of Whales) Protected Area is a protected site, a valley that was more than a million years ago a sea with a wide variety of marine life. It now contains fossils & skeletons of now extinct whales, along with rock formations that are best enjoyed at break of dawn. There is a Wadi El-7itan museum located near Garet Gohannam north-west of Wadi El-Rayan that has hundreds of skeletons of now extinct whales as well.

Qarun Lake
It was a freshwater lake until recently. This has been proven thanks to the remains of fish and freshwater plankton found in the mud of the bottoms. In the past, the rising Nile was powerful enough to recharge the lake with new water.
In Fayoum is the protected area of ​​Wadi Rayyan, a desert area that surrounds two lakes connected by a small waterfall, the only one in the Egyptian desert. In addition to valleys and hills to explore, there is also the Wadi Rayyan Monastery where the monks who live there today preserve the traditions of their ancestors who originally dug caves in the rock here at the dawn of Christianity. At the Wadi Rayyan visitor center it is possible to see the lake that is often full of birds migrating from South to North Africa, to Egypt, and who see in this wide expanse of water a natural and peaceful place to rest. Leaving Fayoum to the west is the Valley of the Whales, which is included in a trip discussed later in this guide. At this point, it should be mentioned that in the Valley of the Whales, or Wadi Hitan, there are some of the best preserved fossil skeletons of extinct whales in the world. A huge and strange place that is well worth a visit.

Siwa Oasis
The most remote and unique of Egypt’s Western Desert Oases is Siwa. Nearly 350 miles from Cairo, this incredible speck of green in the sea of yellow sand that makes up Egypt’s west has a culture and history unto itself. The people of Siwa, Siwans, actually speak their own language, which is closer to the Berber of the desert peoples further West than the Arabic spoken in the rest of Egypt. Until the 1980’s when a highway was finally completed connecting it to the coastal town of Mersa Mathruh, it was completely isolated from the rest of the country. Television and phones were introduced relatively recently here and the internet only within the past few years. There are an increasing number of hotels ranging from budget hostels to a 5-star eco lodge in the oasis and the tourist trade is now firmly rooted as part of the local economy, but this has not managed to affect to core of the Siwan way of life yet. It is a very conservative community. Alcohol is banned and local women are rarely seen outside of their houses, it is very welcoming to visitors and the slow pace of Siwan life incredibly intoxicating. The entire population of the oasis lived in a 13th century mud-brick fortress at the center of town known as Shali until 1926 when a freak three-day rainstorm destroyed it. Shali is now a tourist attraction, where visitors climb up the melted mound of mud and salt that is the traditional Siwan construction material for views over the expanse of date palm and olive groves that stretched out or miles in each direction. In antiquity, Siwa was famous for the Temple of the Oracle that dates from the 6th century BC and was renowned throughout the Mediterranean world. Alexander the Great came here to ask about his fate and whether or not he was really the son of Zeus, as his mother had told him. After consulting the oracle Alexander requested that his generals bury him in Siwa. The ruins of the temple are open to visitors today. Also near the town center of Siwa is the Mountain of the Dead, a rocky hill covered in more than 1500 tombs that date back to the late pharaonic period. Some of the tombs from the Greco-Roman Period are decorated with beautiful and ornate funerary drawings, but these tombs are locked. You must ask the guard to open these tombs and pay him a tip. Another spectacular place is Fatnas Island, located on the edge of the oasis on the shore of Lake Siwa about 6 kilometers from the town center. Here there is a spring where you can swim as well as a café. Views over the lake at sunset are spectacular. The oasis also sits on the doorstep of the Great Sand Sea, an expanse of desert that seems as if it should be the example for every desert the world over. It is full of towering dunes and beautiful vistas. Desert safaris in 4x4 will take visitors out for day trips, overnight, or on longer expeditions to visit the beautiful springs and rock formations within this vast a and empty expanse. A trip into the desert should not be missed during your time in Siwa. Siwa is a truly unique place to visit—culturally unique, relaxing, and stunningly beautiful. It is difficult to reach. The journey is around 8 hours by car and longer by overnight buses that run from Cairo, but it is well worth the effort once you are there. Though Siwa is a very friendly place, women should be cautious about dressing appropriately to respect the local culture. Keep upper arms and legs covered. Women swimming at any of the public springs like the popular Cleopatra’s Bath can expect some extra attention. Siwa is different. Tucked away in Egypt’s westernmost corner on the northern shores of the Great Sand Sea, Siwa Oasis lies closer to Libya and the Maghreb than to any of its fellow Egyptian urban centers. Its geographic isolation helped protect a unique society that stands distinctly apart from mainstream Egyptian culture. Settled by Berbers (roaming North African tribes), for centuries the oasis had contact with only the few caravan traders that passed along and the occasional pilgrims seeking the famous Oracle of Amun. Siwa’s main attraction is the oasis itself: Sustained by more than 300 freshwater springs and streams and shaded by an estimated 300 000 palm trees and 70 000 olive trees Siwa is the archetypical oasis.

Bahariya Oasis
It is about 420 kilometers from Cairo, and has an area of ​​approximately 2,000 square km. Many classify it as a haven of peace, an open sky in the middle of an incomparable setting of black quartz mountains. A unique place in the world that also has endless visits; And here, in addition to scenic beauty there are some ruins and monuments of interest.Among the most important ruins we find the impressive temple of Alexander the Great, undoubtedly a place that many will want to go, taking into account the trajectory of this great historical character
In addition, we can also find painted Ptolemaic tombs, very old churches and even those known as golden mummies, which are proudly kept in the Bawiti museum, the main city of the oasis.
In the Bawati Museum, or Museum of the Gold Mummies, we find a sample of the discoveries of these Greco-Roman mummies that were discovered in the oasis in 1996. Many of them were beautifully decorated, covered with a layer of gold, with painted and jeweled masks. Likewise, lagoons were buried in ceramic sarcophagi, while others were simply wrapped in linen.

Black Desert
Unlike its neighbor the White Desert, the Black Desert is in stark contrast with volcanic shaped mountains often resembling a scene from a Star Wars movie. The mountains and floors are scattered with small volcanic black stones lying on the orange and brown coloured sands. it is possible for people to climb the soft peaks with lovely views across the desert area and take some picturesque photographs. The Black Desert is a ‘passing through’ point due to no facilities around as it is totally uninhabited The landscape is of secluded plains with the dunes (small mountains) being of different sizes and formations. Rather than being considered as mountains, they are more like volcanic cones rising out of the desert. White Desert Protectorate People who have visited White Desert Protectorate say it’s a truly magical place that’s hard to leave. It’s one of the more recently declared protectorates of Egypt and is located totally within the Farafra area. Most people who come to visit the Farafra oasis pay visit to the White Desert that lies in the area north to the Qasr el Farafra. The spectacular scenery of the White Desert makes it even more popular among tourists. The white chalk of the depression is dotted with inselbergs embedded with numerous fossil seashells. Also, the ground here is scattered with thousands of oxidized iron pyrites concretions. Two small and inhabited oases comprise the protectorate: Wadi Hennis and Karawein Depression. Natural Wealth In The White Desert

White Desert
The White Desert protectorate is a home to a very large and old specimen of Acacia Nilotica which make the place very important scientifically. Also in the White Desert area, you can find animals like The Slender-horned Gazelle, Gazella Leptoceros. It's a very popular area for tourists and residents who come to enjoy the White Desert's unique scenery. At some point of time, the desert was a habitat for many roaming herds of elephant, giraffe, gazelle and other animals. At that time, the desert would have been a savannah with lush green areas and lakes full of fish. The place seems to have been an ideal hunting ground for pre-historic man. The Diversity Of The White Desert In the White Desert, you can find many unique and spectacular land formations which have been sculpted by the harsh winds. The winds have carved the formations into weird shapes that keep constantly changing over time. Here you can find formations like ‘monoliths’ and ‘mushrooms’, ‘ice cream cones’, ‘tents’ and ‘crickets’, as well as the majestic conical flat-topped ‘inselbergs’, to name just a few of the formations. White Desert, now a protectorate, is like a natural wonder of Egypt and is referred as White Desert Park. The outer parts nearest the road are known as the Old Desert and can be reached in a normal vehicle. A large number of tourists choose an overnight camping safari, which helps them enjoy the contrast of both sunset and dawn. It’s often said that night at the protectorate spend under the stars is an experience never forgotten. As the sky turns pink then deepest fiery orange, the rock-shapes fade, and silence is all around. You can enjoy it thoroughly while sitting around a small fire and enjoying a simple meal of chicken, rice, and vegetables. If the moon is nearly full, the white chalk rock shapes glow eerily, which is very cool to see.
El desierto blanco es un área perteneciente al gran desierto occidental de Egipto y que antiguamente constituía un mar interior, por lo que es posible encontrar fósiles de animales marinos entre las rocas. Miles de años de erosión, provocada por los vientos del desierto y la arena que lleva, han creado curiosas formaciones rocosas sobre el yeso, que es el material que otorga su particular color blanco al área y que contrasta con el amarillo predominante en otras zonas del desierto.
La mejor manera de apreciar la belleza de este lugar es pasando una noche bajo las estrellas pues esto permite contemplar tanto el atardecer como el amanecer, momentos en los que el blanco del desierto se tiñe con los colores del sol. Durante la noche, la ausencia de otra fuente de luz, permite contemplar las estrellas y el curso de la vía láctea en todo su esplendor.

Farafra Oasis
The peaceful Farafra oasis has a distinctive charm of its own. It is the nearest oasis to the white desert , marking the perfect sanctuary for a tranquil holiday among the white creamy desert and its gigantic rock formations. If you are fund of arts, then Farafra will represent a true exploration experience for you. Its art center accommodates a museum and a studio where paintings and ceramic art work of local artists are displayed, in addition to a garden teeming with sculptures made of natural elements extracted from the desert. The oasis is eminent for the diverse assortment of beautiful hand-kitted camel-hair sweaters and scarves as well as safari day trips by jeep and camel treks. In Pharaonic times, Farafra was known as Taiht, the Land of the Cow. The oldest part of the oasis lies on a hillside in a serene context next to palm orchards near the hot sulphur springs . If you want to be introduced to the nomadic culture, Qasr Farafra is waiting to be discovered.
Su único asentamiento organizado, Qasr Al Farafra, es un sitio relajante y muy pacífico, instalado a orillas del espejo de agua que forma parte del oasis que le da nombre. La infraestructura turística en este lugar es escasa

Dakhla Oasis
The Dakhla Oasis is considered to be one of the most attractive oases in Egypt. The oasis boasts over 500 hot springs, including Bir Tarfawi and Bir Al-Gebel Hot Spring, as well as charming mud-brick housing and ruins in the medieval town and village of Al-Qasr and Balat. Dakhla is organized around the main town of Mut, a settlement that dates back to pharaonic times. Although Mut has evolved into a modern touristic hub, you can still see today the remnants of the old town. Stroll along the narrow streets and alleyways of the old town with a guide, haggle with local traders or go cycling in Mut and tour the area at your own pace. In Dakhla, you can also indulge in total luxury and relaxation at Al Tarfa Luxury Lodge and Spa, a desert sanctuary dedicated to wellbeing and opulence. People visit Dakhla oasis for a relaxation spa holiday at Al Tarfa Lodge or treatment in the western desert. Temperatures in summer can reach up to 35-45 C.

Kharga Oasis
Kharga is the oasis furthest to the south. It is also the largest of the four oases along the highway that connects them. There have been extensive land reclamation projects here, robbing the Kharga Depression of some of its natural beauty, but the area does offer the most extensive archeological remains in any of the oases. In the capital of Al-Kharga, actually the capital of the whole New Desert region (encompassing all four oases), there are hotels to stay in. The Archeological Museum is also located here with a collection of artifacts from the area dating back to pre-history. In and around the town is a collection of ruins from the late pharaonic era onward, including the 6th century BC Temple of Hibis and the Roman fortress/temple of An-Nadura. Qasr Al-Dush is the most impressive of the Roman era ruins in the area. Located near the town of Baris, it was the gateway into Egypt for the desert caravans heading north and there is a well-preserved Temple of Osiris within its walls from the 1st century AD.