White desert 2 days 4 wheel drive overnight camp

White desert 2 days 4 wheel drive overnight camp This is a large expanse of the Sahara Desert, characterized by white chalk formations.

Centuries of erosion have molded the rock into fantastic shapes, and has resulted in a spectacular sights which have become extremely popular with visitors.

The White Desert National Park is located about 100 km from Bahariya off the road that goes to Farafra.

The usual way to go there is via a 4X4 (4wheel drive car).

though there is also the option of going on a walking tour once you reach the place.

Enjoy our White desert 2 days 4 wheel drive overnight camp.

Bahariya oasis Bawiti town:

Bahariyya is an oasis town in Egypt’s Western Desert.

As the closest of the five Western Oases to Cairo, it serves as a jumping-off point to other destinations in the desert.

Bahariya Oasis is easy to reach from Cairo (you will pass through much desert), Bahariya is in the middle of Egypt’s Western Desert, about 365 km south-west of Cairo and it is the best starting point for the Black desert and White Desert.

Set in a depression covering over 2000 km2., Bahariya Oasis is surrounded by black hills made up of ferruginous quartzite and dolorite.

The oasis is provided with water by many springs.

The most famous of these, a thermal spring with medicinal and restorative properties, comes out in the Bedouin village of Bawiti.

Wildlife is plentiful, especially birds such as wheatears, Bahariya Oasis might also appeal rock hounds. Golden Mummies were discovered – ‘Valley of the Mummies’ is the biggest of its kind. Estimates are the four-mile strip of desert holds 5,000-10,000 mummies.

The mummies are covered with a thin layer of gold and wearing gypsum masks.

Sumptuous gilded death masks depict lifelike faces of real people, rather than stereotypical images. They were found in four tombs in the town of Bawiti in Bahariya Oasis.
Bahariya serves as the main departure point for safaris in the Western Desert, ranging from one-day-trips to the nearby White Desert to long-range expeditions to the remote Gilf el-Kebir near the Libyan border or the Great Sand Sea.

Since the desert is not a children’s playground, it is strongly recommended to book a tour with a local operator who is familiar with both the imminent dangers and the hidden beauties of the Western Desert.

Most of them offer 4×4 (usually a Toyota Land Cruiser), camel or hiking tours with overnight

and open sky camping in the desert – with all meals prepared on site.

Even though network coverage is fairly good – at least in the White Desert area – make sure your guide has a satellite phone.

White desert Crystal Mountain:

White desert 2 days 4 wheel drive overnight camp

It should once be put right, that the crystals from the known Crystal Mountain (28° 26′ E and 27° 39′ N) between the oasis Bahariya and Farafra, northern of the White Desert, are no Quartz crystals.

They are probably Barite (Schwerspat, BaSO4) and/or Calcite crystals (Kalkspat, CaCO3), which to ascertain at the hardness of the crystals easily.

Quartz (SiO2) has the hardness 7, Barite and Calcite the hardness 3.5-3.0 (Mohs-scale). Quartz crystal can scratch glass, Barite or Calcite can it not.

The origin of this Crystal Mountain is interesting.

The hill was opened during works at the road from Farafra to Bahariya by chance and destroyed in part. The material was installed into the road. Today is the Crystal Mountain a popular stop for the tourists.

Black desert:

White desert 2 days 4 wheel drive overnight camp

This is located about half an hour’s drive away from Bahariyya.

It consists of an area of the Sahara Desert which consists of small mountains and hillocks which are sooty black in color.

The combination of the black stones covering the hills along with the orange/ochre ground of the desert makes for dramatic viewing.

A climb up one of the hills rewards the visitor with an excellent view of a fascinating landscape.

White desert Djara cave:

White desert 2 days 4 wheel drive overnight camp

Similarities between the rock art of Djara and other North-East African rock art sites are hard to find in terms of style and theme.

The isolated position of the Djara rock art in the centre of the Egyptian Limestone Plateau, where there are no other rock art depictions in the surrounding distance of about 250 km, makes any comparative approach highly challenging.

In terms of techniques,

Djara

appears to be generally connected to the tradition of rock engravings of wild fauna that dominate most of the Western Desert.

The only remarkable exception is the giraffe, which is most frequent as a motif at the sites of the oases and the desert further southwest, but is absent among the depictions in the cave of Djara. Giraffes are known as animals that live in the southern sub-Saharan savannahs, but often penetrate the deserts when they can feed on fresh plant leaves.

However, it is not likely that giraffes spread further north as the oases bow due to diminishing summer rains, temperature, acacia vegetation and sandy desert landscapes.

This might explain why no giraffes were depicted at Djara, implying that the rock art during that time mainly stressed to depict what virtually existed in the Western Desert large fauna.

The shortcoming of the results of the rock art study at Djara is the fact that no direct dating is given for the depictions.

time frame in absolute dates is given by the occupational history of the Djara area that is closely linked to the climatic development.

Although the onset of humid conditions at the beginning of the early Holocene are not well substantiated at Djara, some Epipalaeolithic finds connected to 14C-dates around 7,000 cal BC indicate human activities during the early Holocene.

White desert tour day by day itinerary:

First day:

Our representative will pick you up from accommodation(hotel,hostel or house) after greetings we drive four hours from Cairo to Bahariya oasis for lunch upon arrival and quick break then straight forward with our 4 wheel drive cars deep through the western desert to visit the crystal mountain we stop there for 30 minutes then move direct to the white desert for overnight camp with BBQ dinner we sleep there.

Second day:

Early morning after breakfast we move to the black desert in our way back to the Bahariya oasis for lunch and final departure to Cairo.

White desert tour prices: 190 $ / Person

White desert tour includes:

  • pick up and drop off at your place.
  • all meals and bottled water.
  • Multilingual tour guide.
  • A/C 4 wheel drive vans.
  • sleeping bags,blankets,covers and tents.
  • Portable bathroom for large No. groups.

White desert tour excludes:

  •  tipping kitty.
  • Any unmentioned.

White desert tour Info,FAQ and Tips:

 • Passport valid for 6 months.
• Comfortable shoes.
• Cotton clothes in summer.
• Warm clothes in winter.
• Sun block.
• Sunglasses.
• Photo/video camera.

White desert map:

 

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