| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 65 | 49 | 0.20 |
| Feb | 68 | 50 | 0.20 |
| Mar | 73 | 54 | 0.10 |
| Apr | 82 | 59 | 0.10 |
| May | 89 | 64 | 0.00 |
| Jun | 93 | 70 | 0.00 |
| Jul | 93 | 72 | 0.00 |
| Aug | 92 | 72 | 0.00 |
| Sep | 90 | 69 | 0.00 |
| Oct | 85 | 65 | 0.00 |
| Nov | 75 | 58 | 0.10 |
| Dec | 67 | 51 | 0.20 |
The colors on the rock were vivid and rich, as if the figures had been painted yesterday. We'd trekked thousands of miles to reach the middle of nowhere, and found ourselves in the heart of a civilization long past.
We have travelled for days over the desert in 4X4 vehicles to arrive here. We've brought everything with us: water, food, fuel, supplies, GPS locator and our indispensable guide. We seek out primitive paintings in caves and on rock, as well as the tools, axes, beads and bones of a people who inhabited this area 18,000 years ago. The occasional piece of WWII military debris, untouched in this harsh but stunning desert environment, makes our quest all the more intriguing.
People once thrived here when a branch of the Nile supplied life-sustaining water, and each stop brings new hope of uncovering a pottery shard or some other clue to a culture long departed. This region once pulsed with life; a lake, now vanished, once reflected the crisp blue desert sky. Now it's an uninhabitable expanse of pure white sand punctuated with mushroom-shaped chalk formations and rife with archaeological mysteries. Uninhabitable, but not inaccessible, not to us.
Diaa Shawki Michail has explored the Egyptian desert for 25 years, guiding nearly 5,000 overland expeditions into the White Desert. He has also guided the Egyptian military in search and rescue operations in the desert.
Today you arrive in Cairo. On arrival and after clearing customs and immigration formalities, you will be met by an Abercrombie & Kent representative and transferred to your hotel. Spend the remainder of your day at leisure.
Four Seasons Hotel First ResidenceDepart Cairo early this morning for the el-Baharia Oasis, famous for palm trees, olives, apricots, rice and corn. Intertwined trees provide attractive scenery with contrast to massive sand dunes. The region is the site of a massive Greco-Roman burial ground and is rich in antiquities. After lunch at a local café, set off in 4x4 vehicles for the 25-mile drive to your camp in Abou Mouhkarik, where the dunes reach heights of more than 200 feet.
Mobile Camp B L DMake an early start today, driving 34 miles from our camp to the Djarra Cave, discovered by pure chance in 1872 by geographer Gerhard Rohlfs. So remote is this location that the cave was not visited again for more than a century, by a party of German travellers painstakingly retracing Rohlfs’ route. Stop for lunch here, then explore the cave, noting its large stalagmites and stalactites, some of which are so large they actually touch.
Continue to your next campsite, taking a 37-mile drive through the Watermelon Valley (Wadi Bateekh), a flat landscape dotted with naturally smoothed black stones. Reaching your campsite, enjoy the sunset before gathering with your team for dinner. This evening, sit by the campfire and take in the solitude of the desert at night.
Mobile Camp B L DYour journey continues 37 miles toward the White Desert to observe its Dali-esque white chalk formations that rise out of the desert sand like huge mushrooms. These chalk formations are the remnants of an ancient seabed formed from the calcium carbonate of bones and shells. Sixty-five million years of erosion by wind and rain have created these striking formations — an extraordinary sight and a highlight of the expedition.
Arriving at camp in the White desert, there is time to watch the sun set and have dinner in the desert before turning in for the night.
Mobile Camp B L DAfter breakfast, drive 35 miles to the Aqabat area with its great chalk formations. At the Ain el Serw there is a natural spring that has been in constant use since the time of Roman rule in the region. Have lunch in the shade of palm trees, and then drive 40 miles toward the Bir El Dakar dunes, where you camp for the night.
Mobile Camping B L DSet out this morning through fertile cultivated areas dotted between sand dunes toward the Dakhla Oasis, stopping for lunch along the 87-mile route. Spend the afternoon visiting the old Islamic Village of Al-Qasr, its narrow cobblestone streets and baked brick buildings still hearkening back to the days of the Mamluk Sultanate in the 14th century. Explore the ruins before setting off 60 miles into the Western Desert and your next campsite.
Mobile Camping B L DWith an early start today, travel 124 miles toward the Farafra Oasis, known as Ta-iht or the “Land of the Cow” in Pharaonic times. This isolated hillside village is surrounded by palm groves and provides a nice respite of cool shade and fresh water to the desert traveller. A short ride away are hot sulfur springs at Bir Setta and El-Mufid Lake, enjoy lunch and a chance to bathe in one of the hot natural springs. Later in the day, set off toward the White Desert and another scenic camping spot.
Mobile Camping B L DDrive 62 miles to the el-Baharia Oasis to visit the Hall of the Mummies, a site containing more then 1,000 mummies that was discovered by pure chance in 1997. The site is closed to visitors, but your expedition has special permission to see the 10 mummies on display in the antiquities building. Your guide explains the distinct wrappings that identify these mummies as belonging to the Greco-Roman period.
You also have an opportunity to visit a tomb called Penantio, one of several discovered in 1946 that date from the Greco-Roman period (around 2,300 years ago). Inside the tomb, review the original colorful drawings depicting the afterlife as well as daily life during this period.
Your journey continues towards Umm El Lephah, where you enjoy your last evening camping under the stars.
Mobile Camping B L DAfter breakfast, drive along the main highway back to Cairo. Upon arrival, transfer to your hotel where you have time to refresh and relax. Join your fellow travels for a farewell dinner this evening, a perfect opportunity to toast your journey and share memories.
Four Seasons Hotel First Residence B L DToday you bid farewell to Egypt as you are transferred to the airport to board your international flight home.
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