Western Desert

Discover the Western Desert

If you are looking for adventure, beautiful and unusual desert landscapes and love camping, you need to take a safari in Egypt's Western Desert.
Wikipedia - The Western Desert covers an area of some 700,000 km square, thereby accounting for around two-thirds of Egypt's total land area. This immense desert to the west of the Nile spans the area from the Mediterranean Sea southwards to the Sudanese border. The desert's Jilf al Kabir Plateau, at a mean altitude of some 1000 m, constitutes an exception to the uninterrupted territory of basement rocks covered by layers of horizontally bedded sediments forming a massive plain or low plateau. The Great Sand Sea lies within the desert's plain and extends from the Siwa Oasis to Jilf al Kabir. Escarpments (ridges) and deep depressions (basins) exist in several parts of the Western Desert, and no rivers or streams drain into or out of the area.

White Desert
A main geographic attraction of Farafra is its White Desert (known as Sahara el Beyda, with the word sahara meaning a desert). The White Desert of Egypt is located 45 km (28 mi) north of the town of Farafra. The desert has a white, cream color and has massive chalk rock formations that have been created as a result of occasional sandstorm in the area. The Farafra desert is a typical place visited by some schools in Egypt, as a location for camping trips. The Desert was also the featured location in the music video for "Echoes" by the Klaxons.

Black Desert
A little to the North of the White Desert, the Black Desert is closer to Bahariya than Farafra; approximately 50 km to the South of Bawiti. The mountains have eroded to coat the desert with a layer of black powder and rocks giving it its name. Towards the end of the Black Desert are black volcanic hills that ages ago erupted a dark volcanic material called dolerite, which is what the black rocks are made of. Climb up the English Mountain which is the highest point in the Black Desert and you will be awarded with an amazing view of the strange landscape. The Black Desert can be seen as you pass the road from Bahariya to Farafra, but if you want to venture in to its depths a tour guide is advised, tours can easily be arranged from either Bahariya or Farafra.

Crystal Mountain
This is a quick stop on the desert safari between Bawati and Farafra. Crystal mountain is more of a mount, but there are some amazing crystal formations including large and oddly shaped geodes. An archway is a handy place to do you best Star Trek time portal poses.

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