Must-see attractions in Western Desert

  • Chalk formation in White desert, Egypt
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    White Desert National Park

    Western Desert

    Upon first glimpse of the 300-sq-km national park of the White Desert, you’ll feel like Alice through the looking-glass. About 20km northeast of Farafra,…

  • Ancient christian necropolis of Al Bagawat in Egypt.

    Necropolis of Al Bagawat

    Western Desert

    It may not look like much from afar, but this necropolis is one of the earliest surviving and best-preserved Christian cemeteries in the world. About 1km…

  • The Shali Fortress in Siwa Oasis, Egypt.

    Fortress of Shali

    Siwa Oasis

    Central Siwa is dominated by the spectacular organic shapes of the remains of this 13th-century mud-brick fortress. Built from kershef (chunks of salt…

  • The ruins of Qasr Al Labakha in the desert.

    Qasr Al Labakha

    Western Desert

    Set amid a desertscape of duney desolation, Qasr Al Labakha is a micro-oasis some 40km north of Al Kharga. Scattered among sandy swells and rocky shelves…

  • Al Hayz Water Education Center

    Bahariya Oasis

    This water museum is a real treat, with an informative introduction to Egypt's water resources and problems, the geology of the Western Desert,…

  • Badr’s Museum

    Western Desert

    Badr Abdel Moghny is a passionate self-taught artist whose gift to his town has become its only real sight. Badr’s Museum showcases his work, much of…

  • Qarat Al Muzawwaqa

    Western Desert

    These tombs were rediscovered by the Egyptian archaeologist Ahmed Fakri in 1971 and some have since been restored, including the tomb of Oziri (Petosiris)…

  • Ain Gomma

    Bahariya Oasis

    Ain Gomma is one of the most magnificent springs around. Cool, crystal-clear water gushes into this small pool surrounded by the vast desert expanse, and…

  • A 4x4 drives through the black desert in Egypt.

    Black Desert

    Bahariya Oasis

    The change in the desert floor from beige to black, 50km south of Bawiti, signals the beginning of the Black Desert. Formed by the erosion of the…

  • Gilf Kebir Plateau in Egypt.

    Gilf Kebir

    Western Desert

    The Gilf Kebir is a spectacular sandstone plateau 150km north of Gebel Uweinat, rising 300m above the desert floor. The setting feels as remote as a place…

  • Dunes in the great sand sea in Egypt.

    Great Sand Sea

    Western Desert

    One of the world’s largest dune fields, the Great Sand Sea straddles Egypt and Libya, stretching more than 800km from its northern edge near the…

  • Bir Wahed

    Siwa Oasis

    A favourite Siwa excursion is the freshwater lake at Bir Wahed, 15km away on the edge of the Great Sand Sea. Once over the top of a dune, you come to a…

  • Gebel Uweinat

    Western Desert

    The mountain Gebel Uweinat sits on the border of Egypt, Sudan and Libya. At 1934m, it is the highest point in Egypt. As it name in Arabic implies, there…

  • Shiatta

    Siwa Oasis

    Sixty kilometres west of Siwa Town, this stunning salt lake on the edge of the Great Sand Sea is ringed by palm trees. It’s a popular stopover for…

  • Qasr Al Ghueita

    Western Desert

    The garrison’s massive outer walls enclose a 25th-dynasty sandstone temple, dedicated to the Theban triad Amun, Mut and Khons. In later centuries, the…

  • Gebel Al Mawta

    Siwa Oasis

    This small hill, at the northern end of Siwa Town, is honeycombed with rock tombs peppered with wall paintings. Its name, Gebel Al Mawta, means 'Mountain…

  • Temple of the Oracle

    Siwa Oasis

    The 26th-dynasty Temple of the Oracle sits in the northwest corner of the ruins of Aghurmi village. Built in the 6th century BC, probably on top of an…

  • Temple of Hibis

    Western Desert

    The town of Hebet (‘the Plough’, now corrupted into Hibis) was the capital of the oasis in antiquity, but all that remains today is the well-preserved…

  • Qarat Qasr Salim

    Bahariya Oasis

    This small mound amid the houses of Bawiti is likely built upon centuries of debris. There are two well-preserved 26th-dynasty tombs here, which were…

  • Qasr Ad Dush

    Western Desert

    About 13km to the southeast of Baris, Qasr Ad Dush is an imposing Roman temple-fortress completed around AD 177 on the site of the ancient town of Kysis…

  • Gebel Dist

    Bahariya Oasis

    Gebel Dist is an impressive pyramid-shaped mountain visible from most of the oasis. A local landmark, it is famous for its fossils; dinosaur bones were…

  • Deir Al Haggar

    Western Desert

    This restored sandstone temple is one of the most complete Roman monuments in Dakhla. Dedicated to the Theban triad of Amun, Mut and Khons, as well as…

  • Qila Al Dabba

    Western Desert

    Qila Al Dabba is Balat’s ancient necropolis. The five mastabas (mud-brick structures above tombs that were the basis for later pyramids), the largest of…

  • Fatnas Spring

    Siwa Oasis

    This fairly secluded pool is on a small island in the salty Birket Siwa, accessible across a narrow causeway. Nicknamed ‘Fantasy Island’ for its idyllic…

  • Monastery of Al Kashef

    Western Desert

    Dominating the cliffs 2km to the north of the Necropolis of Al Bagawat, the ruined Monastery of Al Kashef is strategically placed to overlook what was one…

  • Gebel Al Ingleez

    Bahariya Oasis

    Clearly visible from the road to Cairo, flat-topped Gebel Al Ingleez, also known as Black Mountain, takes its name from a WWI lookout post. From here…

  • Bir Al Gabal

    Western Desert

    Set among breathtaking desert scenery, Bir Al Gabal is a gorgeous place for a soak. During the day in winter and spring any ambience here is overwhelmed…

  • Ain Umm Al Dabadib

    Western Desert

    This impressive fort sits on a ridge rising grandly out of the desert plains about 20km west of Qasr Al Labakha. It has one of the most complex…

  • Cleopatra’s Spring

    Siwa Oasis

    Following the track that leads to the Temple of the Oracle and continuing past the Temple of Umm Ubayd will lead you to Siwa’s most famous spring. The…

  • Old Mosque

    Siwa Oasis

    Just above the entrance to the Fortress of Shali is the old mosque with its distinctive chimney-shaped minaret. The mosque was recently restored and a…

  • Al Kharga Museum of Antiquities

    Western Desert

    Designed to resemble the architecture of the nearby Necropolis of Al Bagawat, this two-storey museum is an old-school dusty trove of archaeological finds…

  • Qasr Al Zayyan

    Western Desert

    One of the major monuments of the Kharga Oasis is the Graeco-Roman temple of Qasr Al Zayyan, in the ancient village of Takhoneourit. The town, mostly…

  • Old Town of Mut

    Western Desert

    Old Mut's visitors lived in fear of raiding Bedouin, so very few houses have outside windows, to protect against intruders and heat and dust. The…

  • Abu Shuruf

    Siwa Oasis

    Abu Shuruf, a clean spring said by locals to have healing properties, is 27km east of Siwa Town and 7km east of Ain Qurayshat spring in the next palm…

  • Tomb of Si Amun

    Siwa Oasis

    The best of Gebel Al Mawta's paintings are in this tomb, where beautifully coloured reliefs portray the dead man – thought to be a wealthy Greek landowner…

  • Az Zeitun

    Siwa Oasis

    Roughly 30km east of Siwa Town, this abandoned mud-brick village, beaten by the sand and wind, sits alone on the sandy plain. Hundreds of Roman-era tombs…

  • Ain Bishay

    Western Desert

    The Roman spring of Ain Bishay bubbles forth in the desert 10km southwest of Qasr Al Farafra. It has been developed into an irrigated grove of date palms…

  • El Jaffara

    Bahariya Oasis

    A few kilometres south of the Bahariya–Cairo road, about 7km from Bawiti, lies the mini-oasis of El Jaffara, where two springs – one hot, one cold – make…

  • Bir Sitta

    Western Desert

    This sulphurous hot spring 6km west of Qasr Al Farafra is a popular pit-stop. Water gushes into a jacuzzi-sized concrete pool and then spills out into a…

  • Ain Al Arais

    Siwa Oasis

    The closest spring to central Siwa is Ain Al Arais, a cool, inviting waterhole with a grotto-like bottom, just five minutes’ walk from the main market…