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Siwa Oasis & the Western Desert

Why Go? Al-Kharga Oasis ...... 281 Older than the Pyramids, more sublime than any temple, Al-Kharga ...... 281 Egypt’s Western Desert stretches from the Nile and the Dakhla Oasis ...... 287 Mediterranean to the Sudanese and Libyan borders, rolling Mut ...... 288 far into Africa, oblivious to any lines drawn on the map. It’s a place of elemental beauty as alluring as it is forbidding, Farafra Oasis ...... 294 where massive sand dunes ripple and swell, sunsets sear the Qasr al-Farafra ...... 294 sky, and wind sculpts rock into surreal works of art. White Desert ...... 296 Amid this intense landscape, fi ve major oases rise like Black Desert ...... 297 islands of greenery, where fl ourishing palm plantations en- Bahariya Oasis ...... 298 gulf crumbling medieval towns that were once important Bawiti ...... 298 outposts along ancient caravan routes. Far from the hassle Siwa Oasis ...... 304 and hustle of the touristic Nile Valley, they’re among the Qara Oasis...... 316 best spots in the country to glimpse rural Egyptian life – or just slow down, snack on locally grown dates and olives, Great Sand Sea ...... 316 and swim in natural hot and cold springs in the middle of a desert.

Best Places to Eat When to Go » Kenooz Siwa (p 313 ) Siwa » Abdu’s Restaurant (p 313 ) °C/°F Te m p Rainfall inches/mm » Al-Babinshal Restaurant 50/122 2.4/60

(p 313 ) 2.0/50 40/104 1.6/40 30/86 Best Places to 1.2/30 Stay 20/68 0.8/20 10/50 0.4/10 » Camping in the White 0/32 0 Desert (p 296 ) J FDNOSAJJMAM » Shali Lodge (p 311 ) Sep–Oct It’s hot Dec–Feb Jun–Aug » Adrére Amellal (p 312 ) but not brutal, Pleasant daytime Ridiculously hot; » Under The Moon Camp and dates are temperatures low seasons see (p 304 ) being give way to cold fewer tourists and » Al Tarfa Desert Sanctuary harvested. nights. more discounts. (p 293 ) 66644 ‚ 279 Siwa #ø #ø Qara Qattara Lake 4 Oasis Oasis4444Depression Qarun #ø Al-Fayoum ‚ Az- ^# To Cairo #2 #ø Medinat al-Fayoum Oasis #] Zeitun (70km) #\ #øAreg Oasis ^# To Siwa &10 44Shiatta 4444 Beni Suef 4 6(30km) 666666 Bahariya Eastern Bawiti #ø Oasis (Arabian) #\ 2

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Siwa Oasis & the Western Desert Highlights 1 Exploring the geologic 3 Dipping into one of the 5 Taking a multiday safari fantasyland of the White numerous cool and hot among the endless dunes of Desert (p296 ) natural springs (see boxed the Great Sand Sea (p316 ) 2 Soaking up the tranquil text p 291 ) that lie scattered 6 Staying at one of the vibes and unique culture of around the oases incredible ecolodges in Siwa breathtaking Siwa Oasis 4 Walking in wonder through or Dakhla Oasis (p313 & p 293 ) (p304 ) the other-timely fortifi ed 7 Scrambling around the mudbrick town of Al-Qasr old Roman fort at Qasr el- (p292 ) Labakha in Al-Kharga Oasis (p287 )