About Egyptian Oasis

The word oasis is often used to describe a place where you can forget the cares of everyday life, relax,rest and renew yourself.

Egypt's oases are just that: unspoilt refuges from the modern world, pockets of civilization in the dramatic setting of the desert. Surrounded by sand and sky.

Wherever you stay, enjoy the tranquility of the Bedouin lifestyle,strange languge, the date groves and pigeon towers

explore the majesty of the desert by camel or jeep safari; spend a night under the stars. Take a morning dip in the hot sulphur springs, the water and silt which have numerous curative properties.

The western Desert :-

The Western Desert of Egypt is all west of the Nile valley, in other words two thirds of the country.
the size of the Western Desert, all in all 680 thousand square kilometres.

The government has considered the Western Desert a frontier region and has divided it into two governorates at about the twenty-eighth parallel: Matruh to the north and New Valley (Al Wadi al Jadid) to the south.

There is five main oasis in the western desert plus a sixth which was man made during pharaonic times. Close to Libya, north of the "Great Sand Sea" is the Siwa Oasis and in what late President Nasser named "the New Valley"

you find (from north to south); Baharia, Farafra, Dakhla, Kharga and siwa Oasis.

Fayoum is south of Cairo and is a very good option for at least visiting one oasis while in Egypt.

How to reach there ?

You can go in the desert with 4x4 vehicles, or have a minivan or Bus and follow the desert roads. Most places one can rent a local jeep for a shorter off-road tour. Some will find it rather expensive to go alone with a 4x4 car, so it's better price wise to at least be 3, 4 persons. For going off-road deep into the desert one must have a minimum of two 4x4 cars.

From Cairo it's possible to make a full day tour to Fayoum,or from cairo to the Bahariya oasis and from Luxor one can go to Kharga, but we recommend at least 2 night in Bahariya to be able to see what's there.

Distances
1-From Cairo to Siwa Oasis via Alexandria
around 800 kilometers / 500 miles
2-From Siwa Oasis to Baharia Oasis
around 400 kilometers / 250 miles
3-From Baharia to Cairo
around 320 kilometers / 200 miles
4-From Cairo to Baharia Oasis
around 320 kilometers / 200 miles
5-From Baharia to the White Desert
around 180 kilometers / 110 miles
6-From the White Desert to Farafra Oasis
around 30 kilometers / 19 miles
7-From Farafra Oasis to Dakhla Oasis
around 290 kilometers / 180 miles
8-From Dakhla Oasis to Kharga Oasis
around 200 kilometers / 125 miles
9-From Kharga Oasis to Luxor
around 320 kilometers / 200 miles

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Fayoum Oasis

in this city you will take a nice tour where you can eat or hunts ducks, swim in Karoun Lake and see the seven waterwheels and Rayan valley protectorate, eat fresh Fruit and vegetables

Location and name:
It is 85 km south of Cairo, 75 km from Giza Pyramids .Although usually described as an oasis Fayoum is not fed by underground water,like the Western Desert oasis further south west but by water from the Nile transported to this natural triangular depression by a series of canals.

Its name is probably derived from Mire Wire" which means the great sea because the water used to cover all the low areas in the city and it was mentioned in the ancient Egyptian writings by the name (Bi Yam") which means the Lake finally it was changed to be Fayoum and when the Arabs entered Egypt they added the Arabic definite article to be called Al – Fayoum.

What to see there?

1- Qaroun lake:
About 70,000 years ago the Nile flood first broke through the low mountains which surround the large Fayoum Depression and formed Lake Qaroun and the surrounding marshes. it is considered the oldest natural lake in the world .There you can find pharos, roman, Coptic monuments such as the churches area, El-Sagha temple and Karoun palace temple.

2- Water-wheels:
The locals are particularly proud of their water-wheels, first introduced by the Ptolemies and used now as the official symbol of Fayoum province. There are over 200 to see in the region. Besides the 4 large ones behind the tourist office on the main Gomhouria st., the most famous are the series of seven water wheels, about 3 km along Bahr Sinnuris.

3- Rayan Valley:
- It is located in the south western part of the governorate; it consists of upper and lower lakes and waterfalls area connecting the two lakes. Also there is the Rayan water springs south the lower lake; these springs are surrounded by the Rayan Mountain. Near by the lower lake you can find El – Madoura mountain area.
- The Rayan Valley is characterized by its complete desert environment including the sandy hills, different plants and animals and also some ancient aquatic organisms. It has 15 different kinds from wild animals and different kinds of eagles.

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1- Baharia Oasis

Located 365 km south west of Giza and 200 km from Farafra Oasis,the Oases are famous for their palm trees, olives, apricots, rice and corn,Bawiti is the capital of Baharia oases that occupies a hillside. The oases are famous for their 398 mineral and sulphur springs. The most famous are Bir Hakima, Bir Haifa, Bir Al Mata.

What to see there?

1- El Bawiti houses
2- El Heez area is famous for its ancient churches,palaces and Roman tombs.
3- Valley of The Golden Mummies" has been recently discovered in a Roman necropolis, 6 km from Bawiti.

Visitors can arrange safari trips to the oasis while enjoying Bedouin folklore in the evenings. Baharia oasis are connected with Siwa and Farafra oasis through a motorway

4- Trip to the white desert:
Travellers coming From Bahariya will cross through the Black Desert, passing the tiny oasis of El Heez on the way. Nearby, there are some Roman ruins, including a church with Coptic graffiti. Bahariya and Farafra are separated by huge golden sand dunes which make a stunning photograph during the journey.

Once you enter the White Desert through Al-Sillim passage, you meet a unique landscape of surreal wind-eroded rock formations which is particularly fascinating at sunrise or sunset. Camel and jeep trips, including a hot meal and fresh bread, made in the sand Bedouin style, can be arranged from Farafra.

5- Trip to the black desert:
The Black Desert, outside of the Bahariyya oasis, is unlike any desert you have seen before. It is a desert that looks like it belongs more on the surface of some far away planet than on earth. In place of sand, there are layers of black rocks, smoothed by years of wind, expand in all directions towards the horizon, and in place of dunes.

There are mountains of crumbled black stone hundreds of feet tall that shoot out of the earth unexpectedly at points throughout the desert.You can see the Pyramid Mountain, one of the many mountains of rock that shoot up from the ground much like pyramids out of the desert. After Pyramid Mountain, you continue on, riding in the back of your 4x4, towards the Crystal Mountain.

6- The crystal Mountain:

a small hill that sparkles like crystal under the intense rays of the Egyptian sun due to thousands of bits of crystal-like rock that were embedded into the rocks of the Desert over millions of years.It is a quartz crystal rock with a central hole, a popular spot for photographs.

The Crystal Mountain, a large rock formation beside the road between Bahariya Oasis and Farafra Oasis made from quartz. An area of exposed quartz crystal on the side of the Crystal Mountain.

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2- Farafra Oasis

Located between Baharia and Dakhla Oases, 32o km North West of Dakhla. Known as Ta-iht or the Land of the Cow in Pharaonic times,it is an isolated village, of which the oldest part lies on a hillside, next to peaceful palm groves.

The oasis is mainly inhabited by Bedouins and holds approximately 5.000 people most of which live in El Qasr The Bedouins live in one floor mud-brick houses with wooden doors, mostly painted in blue (believed to ward off the evil eye),Their main source of income is agriculture, producing mainly dates, olives, beans, rice and watermelons.Another important industry would be hand made crafts including carpets, rugs and hand woven mats
Day-trips by jeep and camel treks from here to the White Desert, Bahariya, Dakhla and Siwa can be arrange.

What to see there?
1- The hot sulphur springs at Bir Setta
2- EL-Mufid Lake where you can swim.
3- Qasr AL-Farafra and Qasr Abu Minqar which are ruins of Roman buildings.

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3- Dakhla Oasis

It is about 290 km to the southeast of Farfra, Dakhla is the farthest oasis out of Cairo and is considered one of Egypt's most beautiful oases.it is situated above sea level, as high as 122 meters. Still it is fed by more than 520 springs.
The fields and gardens are filled mostly with mulberry trees, date palms, figs and other citrus fruits. Growing, drying and packing of fruit and other productions remain one of the region’s main industries, along with its crafts of pottery, rug-making, handmade woven basket ware, jewelry and wood-working

What to see there?
1- Towns of El Qasr and Mut,
2- The Muzawaka tombs,
3- Deir Al Hagar, Balat, Bashendi.

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4- Kharga Oasis

Kharga is the largest oasis and the capital of the New Valley. It is located at 200 km west of the Nile Valley .It is inhabited by 60.000 people including 1,000 Nubians who moved there especially after the making of Lake Nasser.
The main source of income is agriculture, the cultivation of dates, cereals, rice and vegetables which are sent to markets in the New Valley. Kharga’s main craft is basket and mat-making from the leaves and fibers of the palm trees.

What to see there?
1- The temple of Hibis.
2- Necropolis of Bagawat.
3- Huwaytah Temple.
4- Amenebi, Baris Oasis.

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5- Siwa Oasis

Siwa is the westernmost of the five major oases of Egypt and the most isolated of them all.With a population of about 23,000 It is located nearly 50 km east of the Libyan border, and 560 km from Cairo you can easily reach there through Bahariya oasis.

The area is also famous for its springs, of which there are approximately 1,000. The water is sweet, and is said to have medical properties.The famous spring there is the spring of the sun or cleopatra's bath it was mentioned that cleopatra swam here when she visited the oasis.

Its rich history includes a visit from Alexander the Great to consult the Oracle of Amun in 331 BC. Archaeologists, such as Liana Souvaltsis and implied that the great military leader was burried here,

The area is famous for its dates and olives, and is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Egypt

if you want to see something unique so you must visit Siwa oasis to as there are Many women still wear traditional costumes and silver jewelry like those displayed in The Traditional Siwan House museum in the town center. listen to their different language.In fact the area is also well known for its crafts, particularly woven cloth and carpets, which is unique in Egypt

What to see there?
1- Cleopatra's bath.
2- Gebel Al Mawta.(the mountain of the dead)
3- Gebel Dakrur.
4- The old town of Shali.
5- The Temple of Amun.
6- Many tombs around as you see below!All those openings in the rocks are tombs!!!!

Gebel Al Mawta

remains of Shali

You can reach siwa from cairo by bus or private van or 4x4 jeeb to Alexandria,or via Mersa Matrouh.

There is a lot of camps that you can stay inside it very clean and cheap