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Destinations · Western Desert

The White Desert

Schematic map of Egypt locating the destinations: the Mediterranean coast and the Western Desert in the north and west, Cairo, Luxor, Aswan and Abu Simbel along the Nile, and the Red Sea and Sinai coasts in the east
White Desert · the Western Desert, near Farafra

What is the White Desert?

The White Desert is a plain of chalk in Egypt's Western Desert, near the oasis of Farafra, where wind has carved the white rock into towers, mushrooms and outcrops that glow at sunset and under the moon. It is a protected area, the White Desert National Park.

It is reached by 4x4 from the oasis of Bahariya, a long morning's drive from Cairo, and is at its best with a night camped among the formations.

  • White Desert National Park
  • Farafra
  • Bahariya Oasis
  • The Black Desert
  • Crystal Mountain
The route

From Bahariya to Farafra

A road through three deserts, each a different colour.

Bahariya Oasis

The gateway: an oasis of palm groves and springs where the road from Cairo ends and the 4x4 begins.

The Black Desert

South of Bahariya, cone-shaped hills capped with dark volcanic stone, scattered over the sand like ash.

Crystal Mountain

A ridge of quartz crystal beside the road, glittering in the sun, and a natural stop on the way south.

The White Desert

The chalk formations of the national park near Farafra: towers and mushrooms of white rock on a white plain, changing colour from gold at sunset to blue under the moon.

  • Wind-carved white chalk formations scattered across the plain of the White Desert under a cloudy sky
    The chalk formations Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A white chalk plain in the Farafra depression, with flat-topped rock formations on the horizon
The Farafra depression Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How it is done

A Night Among the Formations

The White Desert is at its most extraordinary after dark.

Clients travel by 4x4 with an experienced desert driver and camp among the chalk overnight: dinner cooked over a fire, bedding under the sky or in a tent, and a silence that is hard to find anywhere else. The camps are simple by design, and the standard of the camp is agreed with the client in advance.

The next morning, the formations in the first light, then the road back through Bahariya.

Before you brief your client

The White Desert for the Trade

Getting there
By road from Cairo to Bahariya, a long morning’s drive, then by 4x4 into the desert.
Time needed
Two days and one night at the least; three days for a slower pace and a night in Bahariya.
When to go
October to April. Summer days are very hot, and winter nights are cold.
The camp
Simple by design. We agree the standard, the tents and the bedding with the client in advance.
Pairs with
Cairo, as two or three days away from the city, and Siwa for clients drawn to the Western Desert.
Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

How do clients get to the White Desert?

By road from Cairo to the oasis of Bahariya, a long morning’s drive, then by 4x4 south through the Black Desert to the White Desert near Farafra.

Is it worth camping overnight?

Yes. The formations are at their most striking at sunset, under the moon and at first light, which only an overnight allows. The camps are simple by design, and we agree the standard with the client in advance.

How many days does the White Desert need?

Two days and one night at the least, from Cairo and back. Three days allow a night in Bahariya and a slower pace.

Discuss Your Brief

Tell us who is going to the White Desert.

Share the travellers, the dates and what they want from White Desert. We will come back with how it fits their journey.

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Speak With Our Team

Planning for yourself? Triways works through travel professionals; your advisor can bring the brief to us. Or write to info@triways.travel.