Itinerary
Departure in the morning from your hotel in Luxor towards the Oasis of Kharga (about 250 km). For about forty minutes you will cross the Nile Valley with its beautiful village landscapes, then you will drive west to sink into the heart of the desert. it is a magical getaway allowing you to enjoy the sumptuous desert landscapes, punctuated by sand dunes with captivating natural formations.
Before reaching the oasis of kharga you will stop at Barès . These are two small oases: Dakhakhin and Gaga . A short walk will allow you to prepare for immersion in the Oisian spirit by getting to know the natives. You can also admire the desert that wins over these small oases through the sand dunes whose height varies between one and six meters.
You will also walk through the new Barès , a model design by the world-renowned Egyptian architect, Hassan Fathy, inspired by traditional Oisian architecture.
You will take the road to the Oasis of Kharga passing by archaeological remains of two historical sites:
Qasr el-Zayan which was built during the Ptolemaic reign and then enlarged in the Roman period. This temple is dedicated to the cult of Amon Ré de Hibis. It contains a shrine made of white limestone blocks and numerous mud brick side chambers.
Qasr Ghweita (Fortress of Deep Springs). This “fortress” temple is dedicated to the worship of the holy triad: Amon, Mut and Khonsou. It was built in the 6th century BC during the reign of Darius 1st . It is the only one in Egypt with that of Hibis which is right next to it, dating from the Persian occupation. It stands on top of a hill on the ruins of a pharaonic colony.
Take the road to the oasis of kharga. Arrive and have lunch in a typical restaurant.
Kharga Oasis is one of the most beautiful places in Egypt. The contrast between the greenery of the palm groves and fruit plantations and the yellow ocher of the desert offers a splendid view. This oasis was an important transit point for the desert caravans that linked Egypt to southern Africa by the famous historic forty-day route.
You will walk through the oasis to admire the palm trees, dovecotes, farms, fields, etc.
You will take the road (about 30 km) to Ganah , where the bivouac will be set up.
You will enjoy a sublime natural landscape, bathing in a hot spring and enjoy a magnificent sunset
Barbecue dinner and night in bivouac
After breakfast departure to visit:
The Temple of Hibis which represents different stages of Egyptian history: Pharaonic, Persian, Ptolemaic and Roman and that is why it is of significant importance. It was built during the 26th Pharaonic Dynasty, the last native dynasty to rule Egypt before occupation by the Persians in the 6th century BC. Most of the work was completed during the reign of Persian King Darieus I. The temple is made up of an aisle of sphinxes (with ram's heads) that lead to the main gate. It has a sacred lake and a sanctuary with remarkable and unique inscriptions. Consecrated to the god Amun. It is the best preserved of the ancient monuments of the oases.
The Necropolis of Bagawat which stands on a slope of a valley about one kilometer northwest of the temple of Hibis. Bagawat is one of the oldest Christian necropolises in the world. It is made up of 263 raw brick chapels in the Romano-Byzantine style, some of which retain very beautiful paintings of biblical scenes. These chapels with raw brick cupolas surround a church built around the 4th century .
You will walk in the Oasis of Kharga with the visit of the center of craftsmanship oisien to attend the artisanal manufacture of pottery, air conditioning, utensils in stems of palm tree, then, you will benefit from bathing in a hot spring.
You will take the road to the Oasis of Dakhla (180 km) .... and on the way you will visit:
Teneda , a stunning place in the middle of the desert characterized by its stunning natural dune formations. You will admire caves with very rare prehistoric drawings, sketching giraffes, antelopes and other Oisian fauna.
The mountain of the English which was camp of the English troops during the 2nd world war, one can discover there the graffiti of the soldiers as well as the remains of their tools, such as topographic maps etc...
You will continue the path to Balat , a traditional Oisian village with undeniable charm. It is characterized by its narrow streets sometimes painted blue and often covered with slightly low ceilings, which prevented possible enemies from entering it on camelback or on horseback.
You will continue to Mut , the main center of the oasis of Dakhla. Originally it was a colony from the time of the pharaohs, then it became a medieval city whose doors were closed at night to protect the population from possible raids. You can admire the remains of the old town while strolling through its narrow streets and enjoy swimming in a hot spring.
Lunch (a little late) in a typical restaurant.
You will take the path back to the place where the bivouac will be set up: a dry wadi in a mountainous cirque, your feet in the fine sand of the desert to enjoy a natural spectacle with breathtaking cut-out surroundings . You will also enjoy a superb sunset over a sand dune which offers an exceptional panorama of Lake Qalamoun: a natural lake with jagged edges.
Barbecue dinner and night in bivouac.
Breakfast and departure to visit:
Qalamoun Village; an ancient village leaning on the top of a hill with its small climbing streets, its houses with traditional doors, its medieval mosques and the remains of an ancient fortress.
The medieval city of Al-Qasr is a medieval city made of mud bricks with some buildings dating from the 10th century . It is a veritable maze of narrow streets and secret passages. It is built at the foot of a limestone cliff and dominated by the Ayyubid-style Nasr el-Din Mosque from the 13th century .century. This historic mosque is characterized by its high minaret bristling with rough logs reminiscent of the minarets of black Africa. The architecture of the mud-brick houses in these narrow streets and alleys, which are always cool despite the summer heat, is of great beauty.
The Roman ruins of Deir El-Hagar which are a few kilometers from Al-Qasr . This archaeological site was buried in the sand, which explains its extraordinary preservation. You will admire his paintings dating from about 2000 years ago quite astonishing. On the other side of this complex of Roman temples are conical hills which house numerous tombs, some of which have been excavated and others looted.
Bathing in a hot spring and lunch in a typical restaurant
Take the road to the white desert (about 140 km), and get there at the end of the day:
The White Desert is one of the most unusual places on the planet. Characterized by its chalky rocks long shaped by wind erosion and made up of mineral formations of dazzling whiteness, hence the name of the white desert .....!. We discover mysterious forms and just as fanciful as each other; mushrooms, pyramids, sphinxes, towers, etc. litter the ground.
Barbecue dinner and night in a bivouac in the white desert.
You will enjoy a sublime sunrise in the middle of this grandiose landscape. The light on waking highlights this unreal landscape even more
Breakfast and another short walk to enjoy the last moments in this magical place.
We cross the dunes towards the black desert which is a vast expanse of small conical shaped mountains that look like volcanoes. These small mountains are black in color hence the name of this desert. You can climb one of them (Mount el-Zogag) to admire the view of the black desert and you will enjoy a rather special, intriguing and somewhat lunar landscape.
You will take the road again with a stop in Aqabat . It is a huge circus framed by mountains where you can admire the famous flowers of the desert: black pyrite stones sculpted by the wind and the sand which take the shape of a flower. A truly sumptuous landscape.
Back on the road with a stop at the mountain of crystal : a mountain of rock in the shape of an arch streaked with quartz veins. They are the most beautiful attractions of the Egyptian desert. The Crystal Mountain is made up of a small natural arch in the rock and sparkling calcite crystal walls. When the rays of the sun hit the crystals, which are either clear or of an opaque white, it is a delightful sight... Then you will take the road again towards the Oasis of Bahariya . On arrival, installation in your hotel.
Bahariya Oasis is located 330 km from Cairo and is located in a natural depression of 2000 m2. It has been renowned since the time of the pharaohs for its appreciated production of wine. Today, palm trees, date palms, vines, fruit trees, olive trees, watermelons, vegetables and cereals are produced there. Bahariya Oasis is also home to a vast array of natural resources, warm waters as well as important ancient monuments.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
You will bathe in a hot spring and you will walk in the oasis to discover its traditional clay brick dwellings and its palm groves.
You will also climb the Montagne des Anglais (or the Montagne Noir) to enjoy a sublime sunset at the highest point of the oasis, which will allow you to admire a magnificent view of this splendid landscape.
Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
Breakfast at the hotel and departure to visit the archaeological sites of the oasis of Bahareya with:
The chapels of Ain El-Muftalah dating from the 26th dynasty (approximately 7th century BC) These chapels were carved into the rock, then painted. They are dedicated to the god Bes, god of fertility.
Qaret Qasr Selim, an archaeological site dating from the 25th Pharaonic dynasty (about 6th century BC). This historic site contains two surprising tombs with their colorful frescoes.
The Museum of Golden Mummies which contains golden mummies discovered in 2004 in the vast necropolis of the oasis of Bahareya. These mummies are artistically bandaged and often equipped with very beautiful stuccoed and gilded cartonnage masks characteristic of the Greco-Roman period.
The Temple of Alexander the Great erected by the very famous Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC, when this conqueror passed through the oasis of Bahariya on his return from the oracle of Zeus-Amun to the oasis of Siwa .
Qaret el-Halwa with the oldest tomb in the oasis of Bahariya: the tomb of Amenhoteb Hui, local governor under the new empire and native of the oasis, dating from the 19th Pharaonic dynasty.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
Back on the road to Cairo (about 4 hours drive)
