Overnight Camp In White Desert - A Natural Wonder in Egypt

Beyond the obviously famous Nile and Pyramids, approximately 500 km southwest of Cairo, lies a bizarre landscape amidst the undulated empty Sahara from the time of the dinosaurs. The “White Desert” it is called; located in Egypt’s Western Desert, between the Bahariya oasis and Farafra oasis depression is a play of vivid, monochrome composition. 

Abstract rock formations so white in the day time that it is blinding and so illuminated at full moon night that it lights up the ground.

In a layman language, these rocks are basically chalk but geologically speaking; it’s more complex than that. The White Desert is an insight into the world of natural history, palaeontology and geology older than the continents as we know it. Approximately 80 million years ago, this region was once the seabed when the water started receding; what was left behind were blocks of calcium rocks, limestones, quartz and pyrites. 

A slow erosion because of the sandstorms over centuries has shaped these rocks in some very amusing patterns. You will find some rocks that resemble food like “mushroom”, “ice-cream cone” and some shaped like animals such “chicken” & “camel” and also a sphinx. Some have been given sophisticated names like “Inselberg” and “the Monolith.” In this barren but surreal landscape of white, pink, blue hue, you will find fossils of sea creatures and remnants of other unseen species, too, if looked closely. 

A little ahead is a unique formation, the Crystal Mountain, a small rocky hill next to the highway. It is not crystal rather Barite which is a substance that is less hard than crystals. 

Agabat Valley

The valley is small but unusually formed to acquire its place in the list of natural attractions. Here, the yellow dunes of the Sahara Desert meet the white cliffs of the White Desert. Red little mountains rising out of the base of the valley look like contemporary art depicting the ancient era, glowing with the sun's rise and setting. There is no settlement in this valley, but people you will find are the travellers coming here on an escorted tour.

Black Desert

Closer to Bahariya, at half an hour’s drive to the southwest, is an area known as the Black Desert. A dark, rocky area with layers of basalt, volcanic rock dolerite, ferruginous quartzite and sandstone. A blackish powered top on the yellow-reddish peaks erupting from the surface talks about the volcanic activity a very long time back in this region. 

It’s a strange panorama all-around when you view it from the top of one of the mountains like you have teleported to another planet.

A special guided tour will give you an earthy experience.

The Bedouin guide and the driver will prepare their local food consisting of lentil soup, with potatoes and rice and grilled meat on the fire. 

If you stay another night on request, they may make some other delicacy like Vermicelli Soup, pasta, vegetables and meat! With the limited resources at hand, you cannot but wonder their ingenuity in whipping up such delicious meals with the limited resources at hand. The Bedouins are also deft in local music, songs and chants. It is quite a mesmerising moment settling down around the campfire and listen to the sounds of the earth, the deep resonating old songs of the land the Bedouins sing.

You may get a visit from some friendly fox after dinner. Keep your camera ready, albeit in a non-intrusive way. Everyone has to eat.

In 2002 the Egyptian government declared the desert as Natural Protectorate. The decree is to keep the area as unspoiled as possible; inhabitation in or near the desert has been banned. Only the private tours are allowed and are conducted under strict supervision where you can go and camp, which must have a local Bedouin guide.

A journey to Bahariya and surrounding sites include:

The Bahariya Oasis is perhaps the most accessible oasis to Cairo at a distance of 365kms. Bahariya is the best starting point for exploring the White or Black Deserts, regular vehicles can drive the first few km or so off the Bahariya–Dakhla road, but only 4x4 vehicles can venture deeper into the desert area. Black desert is closer to Bahariya at half an hour’s drive, and because of this proximity, more people are seen here than in the white desert.

Bahariya Oasis is surrounded by black hills and naturally provided with water by many underground springs, including a thermal spring with therapeutic properties, which comes out in the Bedouin village of Bawiti. The stark contrast of the greenery here with an arid backdrop makes it an interesting study. Small villages in this oasis were inhabited from ancient Egypt and Roman times, with agriculture as one of their main trade. It is still a major producer of dates, mangoes, guavas, and olives.

Bahariya Oasis is strategically placed on the Libya-Nile Valley and hence an important point in caravan routes. The recent findings of Golden Mummies in the “valley of mummies” is supposedly containing 5,000 - 10,000 mummies, which put the oasis on the tourist map and how!