Bahariya feels like the first real desert oasis in Egypt.
You reach it after a four or five hour’s drive from Cairo along a well made road that sees a bit of tanker traffic but little else. There is only one stop en route-a barn-like tea house-after 150km (and a smaller one about 10km further on) and that is it. It was on the right hand side of the road, in the direction of Wadi Natrun, that French Flyer Antoine de Saint Exupery crashed in 1935. Surviving on a half pint of coffee and an orange Exupery survived- and later wrote about the experiences in the marvelous desert book ‘‘Wind, Sand and Stars’’.
Being relatively near to Cairo Bahariya has attracted a number of foreigners over the years in search of peace and desert freedom. They have started, or been involved with, the several eco-spiritual companies springing up with safaris tailored to match the growing breed of travellers out to do more than stand and stare.
At Bahariya itself the main town you drive through is Bawati. There are other smaller villages clustered within the depression of the oasis, many of them mentioned in Roman times. Bahariya has been inhabited for many centuries and it was here that the so calledGolden Mummies were unearthed a few years ago.
Some of the mummy cases can be seen in the museum in Bawiti which you drive past on the way in. There are shops selling most things- here you can buy your Bedouin scarf’s and rugs.
Look out for the traditional shops such as the bakery which is a small blackened hole in the wall through which hands pass to receive their daily bread.
The hills behind the town include Gebel Dest- this was where important dinosaur remains were found by German paleontoligist Eric Strommer nearly a hundred years ago. He discovered a tyrannosaurus- like carnivore called Spinosaurus, which, if you have seen ‘‘Jurassic Park III’’ does battle with T-Rex towards the end of the film.
All around Bawiti there are ancient sites waiting to be visited. When one tires of sightseeing the oasis is well equipped with hot springs that gush from the earth and cleanse you of the sand of desert traveling.
Temple of Alexander
On the road going in the direction of Siwa is the temple dedicated to Alexander- the only one that still exists in Egypt- perhaps he came back through Bahariya after visiting the oracle at Siwa.
After the dusty atmospheric town of Bawiti one drives through theBlack Desert, called this because the air has oxidized the manganese in the rocks making them black.
Egypt Oases
- Farafra Oasis Egypt
- Siwa Oasis Egypt
- Bahariya Oasis Egypt
- Dakhla Oasis Egypt
- Kharga Oasis Egypt
- El Fayoum Oasis Egypt
- Oases Practical information
- Valley of El Heiz Western Desert
- English Mountain in Bahariya Oasis
- Black Desert in Egypt
- Badr’s Heritage Museum in Farafra
- White Desert Bahariya Oasis Egypt
- Crystal Mountain Bahariya Egypt
- Whale Valley
- Agabat
Red Sea and Sinai
- Dahab and Nabq Bay Sharm El Sheikh
- Taba and Taba Heights
- What to do in Hurghada
- Sharm El-Sheikh Egypt
- Port Ghalib Red Sea
- Mount Sinai & St. Catherine's Monastery
- El Gouna in Hurghada Red Sea
- Ras Mohamed National Park
- Things to do in The Red Sea and Sinai
- Safaga Port Red Sea Egypt
- Marsa Alam Red Sea Egypt
- The colored canyon and Pharoah Island in Sinai
- Red Sea Snorkeling
- Soma Bay Resort, Red Sea
- Sindbad Submarines Hurghada
- Burning Bush St. Catherine Monastery
- Red Sea & Sinai Practical info
- Do's & Don'ts
- Makadi Bay in Hurghada
Alexandria Attractions
Cairo Attractions
- Hanging Church (El Muallaqa, Sitt Mariam, St Mary)
- Bent Pyramid at Dahshur
- Djoser Step Pyramid in Saqqara
- Saint George Church, Old Cairo
- The Egyptian Museum in Cairo
- The Great Pyramids of Giza
- Khan El Khalili Bazaar in Cairo
- Ben-Ezra Synagogue in Cairo
- Suez Canal Egypt
- The church of Saint Barbara in Egypt
- The Great Sphinx in Giza
- Fortress of Babylon in Old Cairo
- Traditional Tanoura Show in Cairo
- Saqqara Stepped Pyramid
- Saladin Citadel & Mohammad Aly Mosque
- Memphis Necropolis in Egypt
- Coptic Cairo
- The Solar Khufu Ship Museum in Egypt
- Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids of Giza
- The Valley Temple in Giza Cairo
- Pyramid of Teti at Saqqara
- Snofru’s northern Red Pyramid
- Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo
- Al-Hakim Mosque, Cairo
- Ibn Tulun Mosque, Cairo
- Sultan Hassan Mosque in Cairo
- Al Rifai Mosque in Cairo
- Bab Al Futuh in Cairo
- Bab zwayla in Cairo
- Al muizz Street, Cairo
- Al-Hussein Mosque, Cairo
Luxor Attractions
- Mummification Museum in Luxor
- Colossi of Memnon in Luxor
- Hatshepsut Temple in Luxor
- Valley of the Kings
- Kom Ombo Temple
- Dendera Temple Egypt
- Temple of Edfu
- Temple of Khnum in Esna
- Luxor Temple of Egypt
- Luxor Museum Egypt
- Karnak Temple in Luxor Egypt
- Kalabsha Temple Near Aswan
- Edfu Sound and Light Show
- Sound and Light Show at Karnak Temple Luxor Egypt
- The Temple of Abydos in Egypt
- Temple of Hathor Egypt
- Valley of the Queens in Luxor
- Hot Air Balloon Ride in Luxor Egypt
- Ramses II Mortuary Temple
- Temple of Horus
- Seti I Temple
- Luxor Bird Watching
- Medinet Habu
- Ptolemaic Temple of Deir El-Medina
- Temple of Amenhotep III
- Howard Carter House
- Valley of the Nobles
- Asasif Tombs in Luxor
- Tomb of Tutankhamun
Egypt information
Diving in Egypt
Fayoum Attractions
The Nile Valley
- Abu Simbel Temples Egypt
- Cairo and Giza Egypt
- Do's & Don'ts Egypt | Know before you go Egypt
- Aswan City Egypt
- Long Nile Cruise Journey
- Luxor City Egypt (Attractions and Things to Do)
- Felucca Ride on the Nile River
- Which Nile Cruise is the Best for you | Best Nile Cruises
- Dammam City: The Eastern Province's Coastal Jewel:
Aswan Attractions
- Lake Nasser Egypt
- The majestic Philae temple of Aswan
- Abu Simbel Temples
- Aswan City Egypt
- The High Dam in Aswan Egypt
- The Unfinished Obelisk in Aswan
- Philae Sound and Light show
- Kitchener's Island in Aswan
- Nubian Museum in Aswan
- Nubian Villages in Aswan Egypt
- Aswan souk | Aswan Old Market
- Elephantine Island
- Fishing in Lake Nasser
An Egyptian Desert Safari adventure to explore not only the magnificent ancient sites of Pharaonic Cairo at the Pyramids and Great Sphinx but the unspoilt and vast landscapes of Egypt in the Desert regions with Oasis’s, canyons and rock formations.
Enjoy a festive Christmas Nile Cruise in Egypt with an insight into the amazing Pyramids, cruising the Nile on a Budgeted Nile cruise whilst enjoying the festivities onboard.
This 5-day tour explores Egypt's Western Desert, visiting the Black and White Deserts, ancient Roman temples, and early Christian sites.
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