Travel Guide

Place to Visit: Bahariya

Gateway to the Western Desert

Western Desert, Egypt

Lying some 376km southwest of Cairo Bahariya is the gateway to the Western Desert, home to friendly oasis people descended from Bedouin and site of the Valley of the Golden Mummies. Travellers come here to experience a different side to Egypt, enjoying wide-open spaces and nights under the stars.

Great Reasons To Visit

  • See the Golden Mummies in Bahariya’s simple museum
  • Camp out under the stars after a soak in a hot spring
  • Wander through the palm trees of the oasis to meet local people whose lives are far removed from the city-dweller.

Background

The main town of the oasis – a string of settlements spread over some 2,000 square kilometres – is Bawiti. Its fields of palms are watered by a network of wells and springs. The people here are descended from nomadic Bedouin who once roamed the area but are now settled. Facilities are more basic than many places elsewhere in Egypt, ranging from small backpacker-style camps to 3* properties.

Relaxing

Bahariya is low key with no bars or cafes. An evening soaking in a hot spring with beer in hand can’t be beaten.

Bahariya

Most people come either on a short trip from Cairo or pause here whilst heading south to the other oasis towns which lie to the south. The oasis is the now-famous site of the Valley of the Golden Mummies, an underground burial chamber of gilded Roman coffins discovered when a donkey stumbled in a field in 1996; they can be seen in the museum. Other attractions include hot and cold springs, the Tombs of Zed Amun ef Ankh and Bannentiu in what is called locally Qarat Qasr Salim, the Black Desert and the Temple of Alexander. Other minor attractions include the Temple of Ain al-Muftella, Jebel Dist and Qarat al-Hilwa.

Black Desert

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Western Desert, Egypt

As with much of what there is to see in the Western Desert the Black Desert’s attraction is its landscape. Starting some 7 km south of Bahariya a series of black-topped mountains rise out of the deser...

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Valley of the Golden Mummies

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Western Desert, Egypt

As is the case elsewhere in Egypt the stumbling of a donkey revealed a cache of previously undiscovered tombs, Bahariya’s so-called Valley of the Golden Mummies. This was stunning find and its importa...

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