White desert of in western Egypt is truly a white desert in clear contrast with
the yellow desert elsewhere, something which you will not believe before seeing
with your own eyes. At night, and many of the organized trips out here include
overnight stay out in the desert. The white desert is best viewed at sunrise or
sunset, in the light of a full moon, which gives the landscape an eerie Arctic
appearance ( Other than the temperature difference) or when the sun turns the
white into chalk pink and orange in the day.
It is a vast stretch of land in the Western Desert that borders Baharia Oasis to
the north and Al-Farafra to the south, About 45 km north of Farafra, the White
Desert begins. This is a unique travel and tourism destination of Africa and
should not be missed.
This place is very popular tourism spot for its dramatic and unusual rock
formations, you should not miss out on the weird rock balancing on top of a
white pillar. The snow-white desert is actually made of chalk that has been
exposed for years to what geologists call "differential weathering," the erosion
of soft particles that results in eerie protrusions of hard rock. These
mushrooms were rock formations, ten to fifteen feet tall, whose limestone bases
had been worn away by the mixture of wind and sand that had blown by them at
high speeds for thousands of years. Seemingly defying the laws of gravity, these
huge rocks stand high atop narrow bases that looked like they could crack at any
moment. The differential weathering explains the very beautiful forms that now
fill the White Desert including shapes like domes, minarets, castles, towers and
so forth.
The richness and variety of Egyptian landscape is endless. At least if you ever
decide to visit the White Desert , that's the message you'll get. This travel
destination has proved a great tourism attraction to low-budget travelers who
camp in the few oases, watch the fauna and flora and enjoy the mild winter
weather. Trips into the desert is arranged from either Bahariyya or Farafra. If
you are going to both oases, then Farafra latter is the better choice, as it
reduces the trip from about 400 km to 100 km.
There are no sorts of settlements or amenities in the desert. Your chances of
eating here and spending the night is however big many who come out here do so
as part of a guided tour which includes a night under the open sky, the tents
are provided by the tour organizers.
The best time to travel is between October to March. It is also worth traveling
to explore the springs found in the surrounding area, they often have plants
around them.
