If you have extra time in Egypt and are feeling adventurous, you should make sure to see the breathtaking deserts! Of course, you will absolutely need to have a guide to show you around. The trip to the desert was included with our package to Egypt so we really don’t know any prices involved with doing this.
On our 5th day in Egypt, we left Cairo super early in the morning and settled into the car for the 5 1/2 hour drive. Our driver picked us up at our hotel and took us all the way to a small town, in the middle of nowhere.
Our first stop was to a local’s house. He welcomed us into his home and finished preparing a feast of food for us. Once we stepped inside the dining area, we noticed it was a traditional setting with pillows and handmade blankets where you sat on the floor. Honestly, we had no idea what most of the food was that we were eating but it was good and very filling. We tried to eat as much as we could, but it was impossible to finish it all.
Travel Tip: The local’s house will be the last real restroom you will be able to use in the next 12-16 hours! Make sure to take advantage as the desert doesn’t have any modern facilities.
Once we were done eating, we loaded up our stuff in the guide’s Jeep, that we were going to be taking throughout the whole desert. Our guides spoke fairly fluent English so it wasn’t too difficult to communicate.
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Cold Springs
Our first stop was to the Cold Springs in a nearby village by Farafra, Egypt. The water felt amazing as we put our legs and feet to soak in the mineral water. The water didn’t seem to be filtered so the minerals build up inside the tub which can look strange at first glance.
Travel Tip: Since you are in the middle of Egypt, there is no place to change into a bathing suit. It was actually better for us to just take off our shoes and soak our feet and legs in the spring. If you want to submerse your whole body into the spring be prepared to change out in the open or wear your suit prior to arriving.
The Black Desert
After soaking our feet in the Cold Springs, we hopped back into the jeep and our guides took us to the Black Desert. We took a paved road for about 30 minutes before our jeep jumped onto a well-worn dirt path. Looking out our windows, we noticed black mountains and hills in the distance. The desert had a black coat of rocks all over the mountain and hilltops, which is made up of volcanic material called dolerite. These volcanoes exploded ages ago to create this beautiful desert. Our jeep stopped at the base of the one of the mountains and we got to hike up it to get a 360 degree view of the desert.
Crystal Mountain
The Crystal Mountain is located between the Baharyia Oasis and the Farafra Oasis. We had the opportunity to explore this amazing mountain that is made of crystal. The short hike up to the top gave great views of the shining crystals all over the mountain. The wind molds the rock and crystal to create stunning formations.
The White Desert
The White Desert is the first National Park we have visited in a different country. The stunning rock formations and the snow white desert is so breathtaking. To get to the heart of the desert we had to four-wheel drive through thick sand, which was a crazy whirlwind of a drive. Driving up large sand hills, it was necessary to keep going at a high speed or there was the possibility of getting stuck.
We both needed a break from the Jeep, so on one of the big sand hills, we grabbed a snowboard and went sand boarding. It was a bigger workout that what you would think. If you have ever gone sledding down a snowy hill, you know that the fun is really only with coasting down the hill. The same can be said for sand boarding. Once we reached the bottom, we had to struggle to make our way back up, with the sand giving out underneath our feet, making it a hard climb back up the hill. We definitely got our exercise for the day, and after about 5 times down we called it quits.
After getting back into our jeep, and driving down the crazy sandy hills and quick turns we made camp in the White Desert. Our guides made dinner for us, but the portions were so large, we couldn’t even begin to eat all of the food. Plus, we were still feeling a bit nauseous from the journey there. In our exhaustion, we went ahead and settled in for some sleep.
When we woke up in the early morning, still not feeling our best, we asked our drivers to take us back to Cairo. On the way back, we got to stop and see a view unique rock formations, ‘mushroom and chicken’ rock and ‘camel’ rock. As much as we wanted to stay and enjoy the beautiful views, we were feeling a bit sick and wanted to go back to a modern bed and restroom.
Travel Tip: Remember that once you’re out here in the middle of the desert, you will have no access to modern facilities or restrooms. Be prepared if you make this trip and bring toilet paper as your guides might not have any!
**If exploring Ancient Egypt interests you please check out The Traveling Kings Egypt Tour partnered with Egypt Holiday Tour! You can call yourself an adventurer and immerse yourself with the great people and culture. You can find the link to our page here.
