Travel Guide

Place to Visit: The White Desert

Amazing Landscape of Desert-Sculpted Rock

Western Desert, Egypt

The soft chalk of the White Desert emerge from shifting sand dunes to be eroded into strange shapes that make for a surreal landscape popular with desert explorers. Sculpted into strange shapes a night camping under the stars in their shadow is an unforgettable experience.

Great Reasons To Visit

  • Head out into the desert to explore by camel or 4WD, spending the night under the stars

Background

Formed millions of years ago the soft chalk has over millennia been eroded into strange shapes, some of which resemble animals. They jut out of the ground like jagged teeth or enormous mushrooms and make for a fascinating visit. In places the eroded material lies 40cm deep and can be whipped up into a storm when the wind gets up. At times looking like icebergs the truth is very different - winter months make for a more comfortable visit – in late spring, summer and early autumn temperatures soar with the mercury pushing 50°C regularly.

Relaxing

Sitting around the campfire in the White Desert is the best way of chilling at the end of a day’s 4WD-ing.

The White Desert

The attraction of the White Desert is obvious with a day and night spent here being one of the most memorable visits travellers to the Western Desert oases take back with them. The area is a geologist’s paradise with iron pyrites and quartz crystals commonplace. The constant changes in light that play upon the pinnacles means there is no ideal time to visit, though perhaps the desert is at its most evocative at night.

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