A night in the desert
Bahariya, the Black Desert and a night among the chalk formations of the White Desert.
2 days
Two days on an old road. Bahariya lies between Siwa and the Nile Valley, and the written record shows armies and travellers crossing the Western Desert through it for well over a thousand years. Beyond it, the White Desert is a landscape rather than a monument: pale rock shaped by weathering, and a night under the stars.
Day 1
7 am pickup and a drive of about 4 hours to Bahariya. Lunch, then by 4x4 to Crystal Mountain, the Agabat Valley and the White Desert. Barbecue dinner and camp.
Photo: Ahmed Yousry Mahfouz · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized for display.
White Desert: Chalk towers in the desert north of Farafra, best seen at the low light of dawn and dusk.
Day 2
Breakfast in camp, then the Black Desert and the hot spring at El Haize. A break in Bahariya and the drive back to Cairo, arriving around 5 pm.
Photo: Crashsystems · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized for display.
Day and time labels describe the planned sequence, not confirmed departures. Your written quote confirms pickup, flights, sailing and return times for your date.
Why go
This White Desert camping tour from Cairo takes you to one of Egypt's strangest landscapes: a plain of chalk formations carved by the wind into mushrooms, spires and animal shapes, white against the sand, with a night to see them under the stars.
You leave your Cairo hotel at 7 am for the drive of about four hours to Bahariya Oasis. After lunch in a local restaurant, you switch to a 4x4 with your Bedouin driver and head out to Crystal Mountain, a ridge of glittering quartz, and the Agabat Valley, before entering the White Desert National Park. Camp is set among the formations, with a barbecue dinner cooked by your Bedouin crew and a night under a sky with almost no light pollution.
In the morning, after breakfast, you drive through the Black Desert, whose hills are capped with dark volcanic stone, and stop at the natural hot spring at El Haize. After a break in Bahariya you return to Cairo, arriving around 5 pm.
Meals, the camp equipment, the 4x4 and park entrance fees are included. The desert is cold at night from November to February: bring warm layers.
Our tip
Stay the night. The White Desert at sunset and sunrise is the point, and it cannot be done as a day trip.
Also consider: More time? The 3-day safari adds a night in Bahariya Oasis.
The details
Before you go
Questions
A simple desert camp set up by your Bedouin crew, with bedding and meals provided. Tell us if you need anything specific.
Yes, from November to February temperatures fall sharply after dark. Bring warm layers.
Children from 7 years old can join.
Prices are per person and fall as the group grows: 1 person $150; 2–4 people $150 each; 5–7 people $120 each; 8–10 people $100 each. All prices are in US dollars.
Add to the day
Pairs well with
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Deluxe Trips Egypt
Send your dates and party size here. We reply with a written quote: the price for your party, what is included and the terms. Nothing is booked until you accept it.
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Ahmed Yousry Mahfouz, CC BY-SA 4.0; Crashsystems, CC BY-SA 3.0; Roland Unger, CC BY-SA 3.0; Bilal Detailz, CC BY-SA 4.0; Ibrahim El-Mezayen, CC BY-SA 4.0; Bernd Out, CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and cropped for display.
