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Western Desert & Oasis Tours

The Western Desert of Egypt is all west of the Nile valley, in other words two thirds of the country. If you combine the size of Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria and Greece - then you have the size of the Western Desert, all in all 680 thousand square kilometres (262 thousand square miles) of desert in all it's differnt forms!

From the medieval city Qasr Mut in Dakhla Oasis.

Don't ever think the desert is boringly repeating the same landscape over and over again. It is in fact so different from place to place that one hardly can believe it. Not only are the oases having their own individual personality and nature. The vast sand dune field called the Great Sand Sea, the mountain plateau Gilf Kebir with its valleys (about the size of Switzerland), the Black Desert close to Baharia and then suddenly the White Desert north of Farafra.

The Western Desert.

There is five main oases in the western desert plus a sixth which was manmade during pharaonic times. Close to Libya, north of the "Great Sand Sea" is the Siwa Oasis and in what late President Nasser named "the New Valley" you find (from north to south); Baharia, Farafra, Dakhla and Kharga Oasis. Fayoum is south of Cairo and is a very good option for at least visiting one oasis while in Egypt.

Formations from the White Desert close to Farafra Oasis

The mentioned "New Valley" is in fact the Old Valley as it was here the prehistoric Nile had its course.

As said, the desert is multifaceted and the photo above is from the White Desert. Can you see the lion head in the left formation?

Children from Farafra Oasis around a water source.

Children around one of the hot springs in the desert. Note that land mean nothing as inheritance in the oases, one inherit water - a well or part of a water source. It's quite logic when thinking about it, land is not much wort if you don't have water to cultivate it.

Riding into the sunset the desert way.

You can go in the desert with 4x4 vehicles, or have a minivan and follow the desert roads. Most places one can rent a local jeep for a shorter off-road tour. Some will find it rather expensive to go alone with a 4x4 car, so it's better price wise to at least be 3, 4 persons. For going off-road deep into the desert one must have a minimum of two 4x4 cars.

From Cairo it's possible to make a full day tour to Fayoum, and from Luxor one can go to Kharga, but we recommend at least one night in Kharga to be able to see what's here.

A real safari is not inexpensive, but then again, where can one ride into the sunset as seen on the photo above?


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Latest tour updates:

Camel safari is an exiting form for travelling, but don't plan too long journeys before you are used to ride. Is it your first time on a camel, plan at least a few days in one of the oases so you gradually can get used to ride the "ship of the desert". It's all well worth it as there is hardly any way more unique travelling the seas of sand.

This is from Qasr El Mut, the old medieval city in the Dakhla oasis. Mut is still the centre in the large oasis and the name comes from Pharaonic times when Mut was the wife of the sun god Amon of Luxor.

Here a photo from one of the largest stalactite and stalagmite caves in the world, with amazing cave paintings. It's located between Farafra oasis and the Nile valley.

In the middle of Cairo lies one of it's secret, the restaurant and bar Estorile. We will tell you why you should visit Estorile

Newly restored to the glory it had during it's opening in 1906, Hotel Metropole in Alexandria today rivals other famous heritage hotels in Egypt.

OUR BACKGROUND   

The four of us who is responsible for Egyptmyway.com have a collected experience of more than half a century in management positions within Egyptian tour operations. Holding lectures in Egyptology as the modern culture, guided special journeys and been responsible for television and film productions. Hotels, luxury tour operators as Abercrombie and Kent, American Express Travel and European charter operations to this destination.

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MAPs OF EGYPT  

We provide you with maps of Egypt, a full map including the Nile valley, the deserts and Sinai. Map of Greater Cairo and a very special Nile Valley map with the original Ancient Egyptian names. More maps will be added including plan drawings of important monuments.