White Desert tour

If we tell you “White Desert”, what comes to mind? A boundless expanse of white dunes in the middle of nowhere? No, far from it!

The White Desert of Egypt goes beyond any imagination: it is a surreal and evocative place. In short, you have to see it with your own eyes to believe that such a place exists on earth.

We were looking for something that was beyond the most traveled tourist routes in Egypt and that gave us a sense of adventure. Looking through various online blogs, magazines and books, we finally came across – until that time unknown to us – White Desert: an expanse of calcareous pillars and chalk monoliths eroded by the force of the wind between the oases to the south-west of Cairo.

Without hesitation we have included the White Desert as a stop for our itinerary in Egypt. It was not easy to find out information on tours that organize expeditions in the desert and what most shocked us was the cost (about 300 euros per person!) that we found online by some agencies.

But we did it and when we just arrived in Cairo we organized our unforgettable tour in the White Desert.

We relied on the tour organized by Dahab Hostel (dahabhostel@gmail.com), going directly to the hostel in Cairo to negotiate the price and try to customize the itinerary as much as possible. We managed to get a price tag of $ 100 per person for a private tour (see below for more details).

The organization of the tour, unfortunately, is left a bit “to chance”: we waited hours before leaving with the jeep for the desert and then we stopped during the journey in stages not really interesting, to the detriment of those really suggestive. In any case, after being back home we can say that, despite everything, it is definitely worth spending hours in the car: we bring in the heart one of the most evocative natural landscapes we have seen!

Here below there are some tips on tours in the White Desert.

• How long is a tour in the White Desert?

The White Desert is not just around the corner: get ready for exhausting hours of driving along straight roads in the middle of nowhere before you get to your destination.
The classic tour itinerary in the White Desert is 3 days / 2 nights. It starts in the morning from Cairo and after 5 hours by car you arrive at lunch at the nearest oasis, Bahariya. As a rule, the tour includes lunch at an accommodation in the village and an afternoon visit to the thermal baths and a lake. The next day we leave for the desert and stop to sleep in a tent for the night. You return the next day at lunch time. This solution is ideal for those who want to experience the tour with all calm and tranquility.

Given the short time available, we opted for the concentrated itinerary of 2 days / 1 night. It was the best solution and we avoided in this way to “lose” a whole day in the oasis of Bahariya that – sincerely dictated – has very little to hurry: the thermal waters and the lake are not so interesting. The first day we leave early from Cairo and we arrive for lunch at the oasis of Bahariya. After lunch we leave immediately for the White Desert and in three or four hours we arrive at our destination: we contemplate the suggestive sunset and get ready to sleep for the night in a tent, after eating and dancing to the rhythm of local songs played by Bedouins. You return the next day around the afternoon.

• Better a tour group or individual tour?

Usually, we always opt for group tours for two main reasons: the price of the excursion drops radically compared to the private tour and we have the opportunity to meet new people from all over the world.

This time, however, we opted for the private tour because it was our only alternative: the day after the night in the desert we had a plane to Luxor starting at 16 and then we had to be in the airport in time. The groups usually leave in the late morning from the desert and we would inevitably lose the plane.
The private tour allowed us to customize the itinerary a little: our Bedouin guides were really available to drive at dawn in the desert expanse, taking us to places less traveled by the classic itinerary.

• Which itinerary to follow in the White Desert?
The tours, both group and private, follow the same itinerary

– 1st stage: the Black Desert

After about one hour driving from the oasis of Bahariya we stop at the first stop of the tour: the Black Desert, a stretch of sand with a dark colour resulting from a remote volcanic activity. There is the possibility of reaching the top of a hill along a gravel path from which you can admire the expanse in all its “black” beauty.

– 2nd stage: Crystal Mountain

After another hour drive we stop at Crystal Mountain, the stage that most disappointed our expectations. It is nothing more than a small formation of bridge-shaped quartz. It is not yet in the white desert and the surrounding landscape is a simple succession of dark formations, next to the long straight road.

– 3rd stage: the mushrooms of the White Desert

Finally, after another hour of driving you will reach the calcareous mushrooms of the White Desert. Ask the guides not to stop at the entrance to the national park as do all the groups but to continue for ten minutes inside the expanse: this is where the landscape begins to become impressive! Finally, just before sunset we arrive at the most famous limestone desert formation, called “The chicken and the mushroom”. Stop and admire the sunset until the sun sweeps behind the white expanse of the desert.

The “Tent” in the White Desert

“The chicken and the mushroom” in the White Desert

– 4th stage: night in the desert

We are getting ready for the night in the desert: the cold begins to be strong and we gather around the fire, the guides begin to cook chicken on an improvised grill and shortly after we have dinner. The evening is not over: under a mantle of stars you are heated with Egyptian tea with mint leaves by dancing to the beat of the local songs until you are too tired.

Arounf the fire, spending the night in the White Desert

– 5th stage: sunrise in the desert

Point the alarm clock very early, just before dawn: the Bedouins will be able to tell you exactly the time. Come out of the tent and in front of you there will be a breathtaking scenery. Walk among the limestone formations and choose one: to admire the sunrise from this point is an unforgettable experience, the timid rays of the sun pink and blue sky and the white of the mushrooms begins to become almost blinding. It’s time to go back to Cairo: still long hours drive to get to the capital.