Bahariya Oasis

You’ll leave Cairo early and head west toward Bahariya Oasis, stopping for lunch in the laid-back town of Al-Bawiti before the real adventure begins. From there, your 4×4 Land Cruiser takes you off-road through some of Egypt’s most surreal landscapes. The volcanic Black Desert, the sparkling quartz formations of Agabat (locals call it the Wonders Area), and the iconic White Desert, where chalk sculptures shaped like mushrooms, sphinxes, and flowers rise from the sand. You’ll freshen up with a dip in a cool natural spring and try your hand at sandboarding before the sun goes down. As night falls over the New White Desert, you’ll camp under the stars with a barbecue dinner and end the evening with Bedouin tea by the fire.

Your last morning in the desert starts before the sun does. Wake up to one of Egypt’s most breath taking sunrises over the White Desert. It’s worth every early minute, and the photography is incredible. After a relaxed breakfast in the open air, you’ll visit the palm-fringed oasis groves, soak in the Bahariya hot spring, and pass through the quirky Ice Cream Valley, named for its soft, rounded rock formations that look exactly like scoops of ice cream. A final stop at a traditional Bedouin house gives you a last taste of local life before you head back to Cairo.