WHITE DESERT – EGYPT NATIONAL RESERVE
The White Desert in Egypt (White Desert) is one of the numerous national reserves of this country, which is a small area located in the west of Egypt, 500 km from its capital, Cairo. In fact, it is part of the Sahara desert, located between the oases of Bahariya and Farafra. Its area is about 300 thousand km2. In deep antiquity, there was an ocean floor here, but after the gathering of water and drainage there remained karst limestone formations that formed stunningly beautiful and bizarre landscapes. Getting to the White Desert is not easy, but this place will definitely impress you.
DESCRIPTION
The white desert is a unique place, nothing of the kind you will not find anywhere in the world. It actually has a white color due to karst formations that make up a bizarre contrast with the yellow desert sand. At night, especially when the terrain is lit by the full moon, the desert becomes similar to the Arctic with its snow-white landscapes (many scientists also note its similarity to the Dry Valleys located in the Antarctic). The most beautiful views here can be seen at sunrise and sunset or at night.
The White Desert also amazes with its amazing mountain formations, the most amazing of which is the White Rock, balancing on a pole. All of these formations are completely composed of limestone, which formed them for thousands of years. Once these huge stone mushrooms were ordinary mountain formations, but the centuries-old painstaking work of sand and wind erased their foundations. So these stone monuments stand in defiance of all the laws of physics – it seems that they will collapse from minute to minute, but for some reason this does not happen and is unlikely to happen anytime soon. Here you can see formations resembling castles, domes, minarets of mosques, towers.
INFORMATION FOR TOURISTS
Better time to travel here – the period from October to March. The white desert itself is flat and smooth, so you can walk along it on foot or by car. But not every car is suitable for this – the sand is very soft, so it will be possible to drive only on an all-wheel drive SUV.
Most often, tourists stay here for the night, setting up a tent camp. This is not scary, as there are no snakes, scorpions or other dangerous places in the desert. The only animal that lives here is the little desert fox. She usually comes close to the camp late at night to feast on the remnants of a tourist dinner. At night, and especially closer to the morning, it becomes quite cold in the white desert, so be sure to take warm clothes and a blanket with you.
Row of rocks
To travel to this place you need to get permission from the authorities, but these questions are usually taken by hotel guides. The white desert is perfectly clean – it is not allowed to litter here, and all food waste is carefully packed in plastic containers and recycled.
White desert is an amazingly beautiful place. For millions of centuries, nature has transformed the former seabed into the likeness of some other planet. And still remains a mystery, as on the African continent, in the midst of hot Egypt was part of the cold Arctic with its icebergs, ice blocks and hummocks.
