15 Days Tour “Through the Western Desert via Gilf Kebir”, Tour III

Day 1: Cairo – Bahariya Oasis

Early in the morning, our representative will meet you at your hotel in Cairo to embark on an exciting journey through  the Bahariya Oasis. If you are staying in a hotel in another city in Egypt, such as Luxor or on the Red Sea coast, we can arrange a transfer to Cairo or directly to the oasis.

After breakfast at the hotel, you will take a jeep  to Bahariya Oasis,  the largest and most important oasis of the Western Desert. When you visit the town  of Bawiti, you will see how the main crops (guava, mango, dates, olives) are grown, as well as some of the historical attractions of the city. The Greco-Roman necropolis, also known as the Valley of the Golden Mummies, contains a huge number of mummies. In the museum, surprise some mummies as well as sarcophagi painted with gold paint. Next, you will visit the remains of Ain Tibnya, the temple, clock of the reign of Alexander the Great, who is said to have passed through this oasis; the tomb of Banentiou, with its well-preserved coloured hieroglyphs and paintings; a temple in the Ain Muftella area  with four chapels, the walls of which are about two meters high and built about 2600 years ago. Lunch awaits you in one of the local restaurants. The rest of the day is completely at your disposal and you can relax at the hotel or go for a walk. Dinner at the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the hotel in Bahariya.

Day 2: Bahariya Oasis – Dakhla Oasis

After breakfast at the hotel, you will drive to Dakhla Oasis, a huge green area surrounded by pink cliffs. Visit Al Qasr, an old Islamic fortified settlement with well-preserved various buildings (dwellings, mosques, mills, madrasahs, and artisans’ workshops). Dinner will be served at the hotel where you will spend the night.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the hotel in Dakhla Oasis.

3rd day: Abu Ballas – Clay Lions

After an early breakfast, you will take a jeep ride through the desert to the south. You will visit the high lonely hill of Abu Ballas, which translates from Arabic as “Father of Pots”, on which a large number of pottery was found, which once served as a kind of water storage for caravans. They are more than 3500 years old. Just above the hill you will find some prehistoric petroglyphs (cave paintings). After about an hour’s drive,  You will see another geological formation, these are quite specific groups of low hills that look like stacked lions. They are called clay lions (or red lions). The rows of these hills have a clear direction corresponding to the prevailing winds. This is where you will set up a campsite, where you will have dinner and spend the night in a tent or under the open starry desert sky.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the campsite.

Day 4: Eight Bells – Prince Kamal El-Din Monument – Gilf Kebir

After breakfast, you will head to the famous attraction “Eight Bells“. It is an old British military airport from the beginning of World War II, which is located on a sandy plain surrounded by eight bell-like hills, which is the name of this place. Further on, you will see  the monument of Prince Kamal El-Din, a simple stone pyramid built in honor of the great explorer of the deserts. And finally, the rocky plateau  of Gilf Kebir, one of the most beautiful places in Egypt, the size of the state of Puerto Rico. There are not only beautiful desert landscapes and rocks, but also numerous engravings and colorful pictographs that testify to the residence of people here more than 10 thousand years ago.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the campsite.

Day 5: Wadi Wasa – Wadi Farakh – Mogharat El Kantara Cave (Shaw Cave)

You will cross Wadi Vasa, a large gorge flanked by valleys and small hills. In Wadi Farakh you  will see rock paintings in the Moghharat el Kantara cave, also known as the Shaw Cave; the animal and the hunters are depicted in different colors.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the campsite.

6th day: Wadi Sura – Swimmers’ Cave – New Cave

Today you will see the most popular places in Gilf Kebir – Wadi Sura, a valley that passes through a steep cliff of 300 meters. Here is the famous Swimmers’ Cave with its stunning rock carvings of swimming people from the prehistoric period, testifying to the fact that there was no desert at all in those days. There are also images of moving people as well as a variety of animals. A few kilometers away there is another example of ancient A new cave discovered in 2002. It is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the Eastern Sahara, as it contains numerous ochre mosaics. You will see countless silhouettes of human hands, pictures of people in different dynamic poses and different activities such as hunting, dancing, playing or holding hands with their children…

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the campsite.

7th-10th days: Wadi Abd al-Malik – Silicon Valley – Great Sand Sea – Ain Della Oasis

On the way back from Gilf Kebir to the oasis, you will first pass through Wadi Abd el-Malik, a relatively comfortable path to leave the plateau. It is about 50 kilometers long and today you can still find many trees here. Then you will cross the great expanse of the Great Sand Sea with its dunes. You will also visit the Quartz Valley – a huge field of yellow-green shards. This beautiful material is also known as “Libyan glass” or “desert emeralds”. Most likely, this is the result of an asteroid that collapsed here and this is the only place on Earth with such rocks. Even the mineral that shines in the center of Tutankhamun’s famous necklace, formed when a huge meteorite hits the ground, is similar in structure to these yellow-green fragments.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the campsite.

Day 11: Siwa Oasis – Culture

After breakfast, you will begin to discover the extraordinary beauty of a vast green area with lakes and springs in the middle of the desert. A thrilling walk through Shali, the old labyrinth of Siwa, awaits you. You will visit the mausoleums on the Mountain of the Dead, where you will find beautiful paintings, as well as well-preserved mummies. Next, head to Agurmi, an old small settlement in an oasis that houses Siwa’s greatest historical treasure – the ruins the Temple of Amun and its famous oracle, from which Alexander the Great himself once received an answer. Before lunch, be sure to swim in the Baths of Cleopatra, a hot spring that originates in the mountains, and see the second temple of Amun in um Ubaid. You will also visit Balad Al-Rum with its mausoleums from the Greco-Roman period, the remains of a Doric temple, as well as a wall of baked brick that could have been the wall of a church. Be sure to visit Dakrour with its limestone hills, which have some burial chambers. And best of all, they offer a beautiful view of the entire area. This is where you will meet the sunset. Then head back to your hotel where dinner will be waiting for you.

Lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the hotel in Siwa Oasis.

Day 12: Siwa Oasis – Nature

After breakfast at the hotel, you will enjoy traveling by jeep on the Great Sand Sea that surrounds Siwa, with its large sand dunes formed by the wind. There are also numerous fossils, including petrified trees. On the way back we will visit Bir Vahid, a hot spring among the greenery of palm trees, where you can swim and make a short stop for a picnic. A few meters away there is a small lake surrounded by sand dunes. Finally, take a tour of Lake Siwa to Fatnas Island, where you can swim or simply relax on the picturesque shore surrounded by a wonderful palm grove. In the evening you will return to the hotel, where you will have dinner and spend the night.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the hotel in Siwa Oasis.

Day 13: Siwa Oasis – Bahariya Oasis – White Desert

In the morning you will leave Siwa and go to Bahariya Oasis where you will have lunch. Then, head to explore the White Desert National Park. This desert was once the bottom of the ocean, but after the water receded, there were cross formations that formed bizarre landscapes of amazing beauty.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight camping in the White Desert.

Day 14: White Desert – Bahariya Oasis

After an early breakfast, you will continue your journey through the White Desert. Enjoy this unique landscape, the famous Crystal Mountain and the picturesque Agabat Valley, because you won’t find anything like it anywhere else. Lunch will be served as a small picnic. In the evening you will arrive at Bahariya Oasis where you will have dinner and spend the night at the hotel.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are included. Overnight at the hotel in Bahariya.

Day 15: Bahariya Oasis – Black Desert – Cairo

Early in the morning, you will take a jeep  to the Black Desert, where you will see numerous rocks and hills covered with black basalt. Then you will have lunch, after which you will drive to Cairo to your hotel. This concludes our excursion program.

Breakfast and lunch are included.