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.
