Summary

• The article introduces Egypt’s deserts as prime locations for adventure travelers, offering a wealth of information provided by experts on the diverse landscapes and activities available in the Egyptian Sahara, from the enchanting White Desert to the historical Blue Desert.
• It highlights the unique characteristics of various deserts, such as the surreal rock formations of the White Desert, the volcanic terrain of the Black Desert, and the artistically painted Blue Desert, showcasing the natural beauty and diversity of Egypt’s desert landscapes.
• The piece emphasizes the historical and cultural significance of areas like the Nitrian Desert, home to ancient monastic communities, and the Blue Desert, symbolizing peace, reflecting Egypt’s rich cultural heritage and historical depth.
• Mention of Whale Valley and Watermelon Valley underscores the scientific importance of these sites, with well-preserved fossils and geological wonders providing insights into the Earth’s past environments and evolutionary history.
• Finally, the article promotes Egypt’s deserts as destinations for adventure tourism, highlighting activities such as sandboarding and the exploration of natural and historical sites, contributing to the allure and economic benefit of Egypt’s tourism sector.

Egypt Deserts is an ideal place for every adventure traveler to explore all the natural sites of the Egyptian Sahara. This article’s main goal is to provide every traveler with all the information and facts about how to discover all the incredible deserts of Egypt. A group wrote this article about a talented and skilled group of tour operators, tour guides, and travel consultants who know every detail about the enchanting deserts of Egypt and the most entertaining activities to do.

Egypt is blessed in every shape and form, rich in the sense of the world, and filled with the most breathtaking natural attraction in existence, even in the desert, where the wild beauty can hypnotize all the senses and elevate the horizon to a whole new level of awareness. The Egyptian desert all over Egypt is filled with a hidden gem of divine allure since the time of creation.

1. The White Desert

The white desert in the Farafra Oasis is one of the most famous, captivating natural destinations in the western desert. The white desert is an enchanting rock formation made entirely of white sand, which resembles mushrooms, animals, and other very strange and realistic shapes. The entire area was once covered with pure seawater because some seashells were located in the halls of the rocks.

One of the most recognized rocks in the white desert is “The Finger of God” or “Al Qubar” which is 20 m high and is shaped like a huge finger rising from the sandy heart of the western desert. To the northeast of it is the Aqabat, or the obstacles, because of the number of obstructions in front of anyone who tries to enter the white desert, and in the middle of it is a mountain called Twin Peaks.

2. The Black Desert And Crystal Mountain

The Black Desert, an extraordinary natural marvel located in Western Egypt, stretches over a span of approximately 30 kilometers. It is strategically positioned between the White Desert to the south and the Bahariya Oasis to the north, forming a unique landscape that captivates visitors with its stunning beauty. This remarkable desert owes its name and distinctive appearance to the presence of countless small volcanic rocks and stones, which scatter across its surface. These dark, volcanic remnants rest upon an orange-brown canvas, creating a visual spectacle that resembles a magnificent modern art painting, where nature’s hand has skillfully blended colors and textures to produce a breathtaking view.

The origins of the Black Desert’s unique landscape can be traced back to ancient volcanic activity. Over millennia, eruptions spewed forth lava and ash, which, upon cooling, transformed into the small black rocks and pebbles that now dot the desert. This process has endowed the area with a surreal, otherworldly appearance, making it a subject of fascination and a photographer’s paradise. The contrast between the dark volcanic stones and the lighter-colored sands produces a striking visual effect, akin to a natural mosaic crafted by the earth itself.

3. The Blue Desert

The Blue Desert is a remarkable and visually captivating area situated in the Sinai Desert, near the resort cities along the Red Sea. This unique desert gets its name from the striking blue hue that covers its rocks and structures, a vivid transformation brought about by a Belgian artist. The transformation involved the use of ten tons of paint, a generous gift from the United Nations, marking a creative and symbolic gesture to commemorate the historic peace accord signed between Egypt and Israel in 1979.

This artistic endeavor not only beautified the natural landscape but also infused it with a deep sense of historical significance. The choice of blue, a color often associated with peace, tranquility, and harmony, serves as a visual representation of the newfound peace between the two nations. The artist meticulously painted a vast number of rocks and constructions, turning the desert into an open-air gallery that attracts visitors from around the world.

4. The Western Desert

The Western Desert is an ethereal dimension that is located west of the Nile up to the Libyan border and south to Sudan, contrasting with the Eastern Desert east of the Nile toward the Red Sea. It covers 680,650 square kilometers (262,800 sq mi), about two-thirds of Egypt’s land area. Its highest elevation is 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in the Gilf Kebir plateau, which is mostly rocky, with a sandy region called the Great Sand Sea bordering Libya. It is famous for having a string of oases that include Siwa, Bahariya, Farafra, Dakhla, and Kharga.

Within the western desert is the Great Sand Sea, which stretches 650 kilometers north-south and 300 kilometers east-west, displaying long sand ridges with varying mega dunes. The region hosts oases formed where the land meets aquifers. Unique landscapes like the Black Desert, White Desert, and the Gilf Kebir plateau showcase volcanic hills, chalk rock formations, and prehistoric sites. Additionally, it’s home to the Giza Plateau, housing the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. The White Desert is a national park with chalk rock formations that serve as a refuge for diverse wildlife. It’s a plateau characterized by rugged, brown terrain with scattered scrub, contrary to romanticized notions of dunes and oases. In prehistoric times, the Western Desert was a grassland, later transitioning to desert due to over-grazing and climate change. It hosted ancient Egyptian remains, and historical events such as Alexander the Great’s visit to the Oracle of Ammon occurred here. Over time, it fell under various jurisdictions, including Rome, Byzantines, Arabs, and Turks. The area witnessed conflict during the 20th century as it became a battlefield in conflicts like the Senussi Campaign in World War I and the Western Desert Campaign in World War II. In modern times, Egypt encouraged settlements in the oases and conducted mineral surveys, notably for oil.

5. The Eastern Desert

The Eastern Sahara, also known widely as the Arabian Desert, is an expansive and geographically significant region that stretches across the eastern flank of the Nile River, from the northern reaches of Egypt down to the southern parts of Eritrea, incorporating areas within Ethiopia and Sudan. This vast desert landscape is uniquely positioned between the Nile River and the Red Sea, covering a substantial part of Northeast Africa. The Eastern Desert is renowned for its rugged beauty, characterized by volcanic-rock mountains that trace the coastline of the Red Sea. These mountains, which were formed approximately three billion years ago, add a dramatic backdrop to the desert’s otherwise stark expanse.

Encompassing an area of about 85,690 square miles, the Eastern Desert accounts for roughly 21% of Egypt’s total surface area. Its terrain spans southeastward into northeastern Sudan and stretches from the verdant Nile River valley eastwards to the Gulf of Suez and the Red Sea. This region is often referred to as the Red Sea Hills or the Arabian Desert, a name that reflects both its geographical orientation and its historical connections.

6. Whale Valley (Wadi El Hitan)

Wadi El Hitan, also known as Whale Valley, is one of the most extraordinary and scientifically significant locations in the world. It is located 150 km south of Cairo in the Faiyum Governorate of Egypt. This unique paleontological site is renowned for its well-preserved fossils of Archaeoceti, an extinct sub-order of whales, which have provided crucial insights into the evolution of these marine mammals. The discovery of hundreds of these fossils within the confines of Wadi El Hitan has dramatically enhanced our understanding of how whales transitioned from land-dwelling animals to the ocean giants we are familiar with today.

The significance of Wadi El Hitan extends beyond the remarkable state of preservation of the whale fossils. The site is also home to an array of other ancient marine and terrestrial creatures, including crocodiles, sharks, and rays. The abundance and condition of these fossils have made it possible for scientists to fully reconstruct the ecological and environmental conditions of the time period in which these animals lived. This comprehensive fossil record is invaluable for understanding the evolutionary processes that have shaped life on Earth, offering a window into a past ecosystem that was vastly different from today’s world.

7. Watermelon Valley (Wadi El Batikh)

The Watermelon Valley, situated in the New Valley Governorate of Egypt, presents a fascinating geological landscape that captivates both scientists and tourists alike. This unique region is characterized by its abundance of Chert nodules from the Drunka Formation, dating back to the Lower Eocene epoch. These nodules, reminiscent of watermelons due to their size and shape, range in diameter from 40 cm to an impressive 120 cm. They are not randomly scattered but are quasi-uniformly spaced about 2 to 3 meters apart within the plane of bedding, suggesting a remarkable geological process at play during their formation.

These spherical nodules boast a concentric internal structure, revealing layers of geological history and providing insights into the environmental conditions of the Eocene period. The spacing and arrangement of these nodules in the landscape are a subject of interest for geologists, who study their formation to understand the sedimentary processes and the paleoenvironmental conditions of the time. The nodules, except for the rare smaller ones that are less than 6 cm in diameter and are solid chert, are typically less than 85% silicified, indicating that they have undergone a complex process of mineralization and preservation.

8. The Sinai Desert

The Sinai Desert Peninsula is part of Egypt and the only section of the country in Asia that serves as a land bridge between Africa and Asia, bordered by the Red Sea to the south and the Mediterranean Sea to the north, which covers about 60,000 square kilometers with a population around 600,000, it’s divided into South Sinai and North Sinai Governorates. Historically known as Arabia Petraea, the name “Sinai” comes from a divine mountain near Saint Catherine Monastery, which is known as the Biblical Mount Sinai that played a significant role in Abrahamic religions. Sinai has been part of Egypt since ancient times as a turquoise mine around 3100 BC. It has seen foreign occupations, notably by the Greco-Roman, Ottoman Empire, and later the United Kingdom. Geographically, Sinai’s triangular shape links Africa and Asia via the Isthmus of Suez, containing the Suez Canal. It’s bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea’s Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba to the southwest and southeast respectively. Its eastern shore separates the Arabian and African plates.

The region’s notable attractions include Mount Sinai, St. Catherine’s Monastery, and beach resorts like Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba, and Taba. The area’s tourism industry has grown through capitalizing on scenic spots, coral reefs, and religious structures. Due to its high altitudes, Sinai experiences cold temperatures in winter, with some areas dropping to -16 °C (- 3°F). Additionally, the region has had historical military significance, with cactus hedges forming defensive positions during World War I’s Sinai and Palestine campaigns. Sinai’s landscape is predominantly arid and mountainous, sparsely populated with major settlements like Arish, Sharm el-Sheikh, and El Tor. Agriculture, particularly cactus cultivation, has historical significance here, and dromedary herding is important despite concerns like Trypanosoma Evansi, a disease transmitted by various vectors.

9. Nitrian Desert

The Nitrian Desert is a magnificent region found in northwestern Egypt, which is located between Cairo and Alexandria just west of the Nile Delta and has a history of Christian monasticism. During Late Antiquity, the Nitrian Desert hosted three significant monastic centers. Around 330 AD, Macarius the Egyptian created a monastic community in Wadi El Natrun (known as Scetis), deliberately far from arable land. Shortly after, in the 330s, Saint Amun established Nitria, merely 30 miles southeast of the immortal city of Alexandria, following the principles set by Saint Anthony.

Amun then established a second center, Kellia, deeper into the desert upon the suggestion of Saint Anthony. Kellia has undergone thorough scientific excavations, shedding light on its historical significance. Presently, only Scetis in Wadi El Natrun continues as an active monastic site that preserved its ancient heritage.

10. Great Sand Sea

The Great Sand Sea is a celestial marvel filled with true epic treasures made by nature which is located at the northern edge of the Sahara Desert that covers more than 27,000 square miles. The Great Sand Sea is one of the best destinations for sandboarding in Egypt, offering a unique and exhilarating experience for adventure seekers. It is the second-largest sand-covered area in the world and features incredible sand dunes that stretch 85 miles in length. It’s predominantly covered by sand dunes, stretching approximately 650 kilometers from north to south and 300 kilometers from east to west. This desert displays long sand ridges running mostly north-south, showcasing two major areas with different types of mega dunes. About 10% of the Egyptian Western Desert is veiled by the dunes of the Great Sand Sea.

It is known that there are five types of sand dunes in the world, and Egypt’s Great Sand Sea has four of them: star, whaleback, barchan, and straight or linear dunes. Each dune is formed by blowing winds and sands colliding together from different directions.  The Great Sand Sea was first documented by Friedrich Gerhard Rohlfs, a European explorer, in 1865. It wasn’t until 1924, with the maps created by Ahmed Hassanein, that Europeans recognized the full scale of the Great Sand Sea. This dessert is featured as one of the regions, called nomes, in the 2017 Ubisoft game “Assassin’s Creed Origins“.

Effects Of Deserts In Egypt

Egypt’s landscape is primarily shaped by its vast deserts which include the Western and Eastern Deserts and the Sinai Peninsula. This arid terrain brings scorching days, cooler nights, and scarce rainfall, profoundly affecting how people live, farm, and build. These deserts also hold ancient treasures, from archaeological sites to remnants of past civilizations, preserving Egypt’s cultural heritage. The unique landscapes of the White Desert and others draw tourists seeking desert adventures and cultural immersion, boosting Egypt’s tourism sector.

Egyptian Oases like Siwa and Kharga provide havens for settlement and farming in the midst of these harsh deserts, which plays a crucial role in sustaining life. Egypt’s deserts aren’t just barren land; they’re rich in resources like oil, natural gas, and minerals found in the Western Desert and Sinai, boosting the country’s economy.