Itinerary
Departure in the morning from your hotel in Luxor towards the Oasis of Kharga (about 250 km).
After a forty-minute drive in the Nile Valley admiring the peasant countryside, we will head west into the heart of the desert. it's a magical getaway to enjoy the sumptuous desert landscape with its naturally captivating sand dunes.
Before reaching the oasis of kharga, we will stop at Barès; made up of two small oases on the hillocks of Aïn Dakhakhin and Ezbet Gaga . A short walk in these oases will allow you to prepare for immersion in the Oisian atmosphere by getting to know the inhabitants and their lifestyle. You can also enjoy the dune landscape whose heights vary from one to six meters which seems to embrace the greenery on the edge of the oasis.
We will also stroll through the new village of Barès inspired by traditional Oisian architecture, designed by world renowned Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy.
We will take the road to the Oasis of Kharga through the visit of the archaeological remains of two historical sites:
Qasr el-Zayan and Qasr Ghweita temples
The Qasr el-Zayan temple which was built during the Ptolemaic reign and enlarged during the Roman period. It is dedicated to the cult of Amon Ré d'Hibis. It contains a shrine made of white limestone blocks with numerous mud brick side chambers.
The sanctuary of Qasr Ghweita, which means fortress of deep springs, 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 Douch, which is right next to it, which dates from the Persian occupation. It stands on top of a hill on the ruins of a pharaonic colony.
We will take the road to the oasis of kharga ... arrive and have lunch in a typical restaurant.
Kharga Oasis
Kharga Oasis is one of the most beautiful places in Egypt. The contrast between the greenery of the palm groves, fruit plantations and the yellow ocher of the desert offers a splendid view. This oasis was an important transit point for the desert caravans, which linked Egypt to Central Africa by the famous historic route of forty days.
We will walk in the oasis to discover the palm groves, the dovecotes, the farms, the fields etc...
We will take the road (about 30 km) to Ganah , where we will set up the bivouac.
We will enjoy a sublime natural landscape and a bath in a hot spring and a magnificent sunset
Barbecue dinner and night in bivouac
Breakfast and departure for the visit
of the temple of Hibis dedicated to the god Amon. It is the best preserved of the ancient monuments of the oases. This temple dates from the 6th century BC at the time of the Persian invasion.
of the Necropolis of Bagawat which stands on the slope of a valley about a 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 .
We will visit the Oasis of Kharga without forgetting the craft center of the oasis to attend the manufacture of pottery, air conditioning, utensils in palm stems.
Bathing in a hot spring.
Lunch in a typical restaurant.
Return to Luxor.
