Cairo to the chalk
Every stop on the way to the White Desert
After about four hours on the highway from Cairo to Bahariya Oasis, a White Desert trip strings together a run of very different landscapes by 4x4: the Black Desert with its dark volcanic-looking hills, Crystal Mountain, a ridge of quartz, the Agabat valley of dunes and white cliffs, then the New White Desert with its tall towers and the Old White Desert with the mushroom and chicken rocks. Longer trips add English Mountain, Gebel Dist, the spring of Ain Khadra and the Moon Cave.
Stop 1
Bahariya Oasis and its hills
- 1Bawiti. The oasis town where the asphalt ends, lunch is served and the 4x4s take over.
- 2English Mountain. A hill with the ruins of a First World War lookout and a wide view over the palm groves.
- 3Gebel Dist and Gebel Maghrafa. Two striking pyramid-shaped hills on the oasis floor, where the giant dinosaur Paralititan was found in 2000.
- 4A warm spring. Several springs around Bawiti are warm enough to bathe in, a treat on the way back.
Stop 2
The Black Desert
South of Bahariya the hills turn dark: orange-brown sand scattered with black stones, so each cone looks dusted with soot. It is one of the most photographed places on the route, and a short climb up one of the hills gives a view across dozens of them.
Stop 3
Crystal Mountain
A low ridge beside the road made largely of quartz crystal, glittering in the sun, with a natural arch at one end. It is a short stop. Please leave the crystals where they are; the ridge has already lost a lot to souvenir hunters.
Stop 4
The Agabat valley
Here the road drops off the plateau into a valley of soft dunes and tall white limestone cliffs, one of the most beautiful views of the trip. The 4x4s often leave the road here and drive across the sand, and many groups stop to walk up a dune.
Stops 5 and 6
The New and the Old White Desert
The New White Desert, nearer Agabat, has the biggest formations: tall chalk towers and cliffs rising out of the sand. The Old White Desert, further south, holds the famous shapes: the Mushroom, the Chicken, and fields of small white pinnacles. Good itineraries see the New White Desert in the afternoon and reach the Old for sunset and the night in camp.
Two-night trips add the palm-ringed spring of Ain Khadra, the Green Eye, a lunch stop deep in the desert, and the wind-hollowed Moon Cave. See how many days to allow.
Asked often
The stops, answered
- What is the Black Desert?
- An area of orange-brown hills south of Bahariya Oasis covered in dark stones, so the hills look black. It is the first big stop on the way to the White Desert.
- Is Crystal Mountain real crystal?
- Yes, the ridge is largely quartz crystal. Visitors are asked not to take any away.
- Where are the Mushroom and the Chicken rocks?
- In the Old White Desert, the southern part of the national park, the usual place to camp.
- What is the Agabat valley?
- A valley of dunes and white limestone cliffs between the Black Desert and the White Desert, often crossed by 4x4 off the road.
- How long is the drive from Bahariya to the White Desert?
- Two to three hours with the stops, depending on how long you spend at each and which part of the park you camp in.
