Oases of Egypt (the desert jewels)
Egyptian Oases
Information on the most famous Egyptian oases, including Baharia Oasis, Farafra Oasis, Dakhla Oasis, Kharga Oasis, and Siwa oasis.
Bahariya oasis
is most well-known for the so-called Golden Mummies tourist attraction and the Black Desert area. It has many dunes surrounding it as well as hot springs and good hiking routes. Historical antiquities from the Middle Kingdom and two interesting museums are also located in Bawati town. Baharia Oasis is 2,000 square kilometers in size and used to be along an old donkey trading route from Cairo as well as an important center of wine production in ancient Egypt.
Farafra oasis
is a small town with a lot of tradition and relaxation. It’s one of the tiniest oases in the Western Desert connecting the area together and is located quite near Libya. It is also situated at the borderline of the start of the White Desert, a beautiful landscape of wind-carved chalk formations. Farafra’s economy is centered on agriculture including growing melons, dates, olives, and rice. Your drive to Farafra Oasis also takes you by Crystal Mountain, which is a very interesting and fun place to visit.
Dakhla Oasis
is located between Farafra and Kharga Oases and is often considered the most picturesque. It has over 500 water sources feeding it from the surrounding area and magenta cliffs, and beautiful verdant gardens. You can get an outstanding view by going to the Badawiya Dakhla Hotel pool and get a good look over the beautiful oasis. Anthropologists believe that thousands of years ago Dakhla had a massive lake where many animals like elephants and bison went to drink.
Kharga oasis
This is also known as the Outer Oasis and is the largest in the Western Desert and the farthest outside Cairo. It lies closest to Luxor and was known in ancient Egypt as the Oasis of Thebes. Kharga is ringed by mountains and sand dunes and has many interesting things to discover including numerous fossils including from dinosaurs.
Siwa oasis
is the most isolated big oasis in Egypt and is very close to the Libyan border and over 550 km from Cairo. The best way to get there is from Marsa Matruh driving 300 km on the road. Siwa has nice limestone cliffs around it and has the Great Sand Sea to the south as well as various salt lakes that go from being quite big to drying up during the hottest times of the year. There are charming old buildings in Siwa made from mud from the lakes and Siwa is known across Egypt (and the world!) for its delicious dates and olives, not to mention its extraordinary beauty. Siwa is also becoming increasingly known for its drinking water and numerous mineral water companies now produce and ship water from this beautiful oasis.
there are special organized tours to the egyptian oasis
Written by ATW Updated July 2024