The Gilf Kebir and Jebel Uweinat
Heading west from the already remote oases of the Western Desert this expedition takes us along ancient caravan routes and invisible desert highways through the furthest reaches of Egypt's Libyan Desert to the Gilf Kebir and Jebel Uweinat. Here we explore an other-worldy landscape of rock sculptures and prehistoric art, following in the footsteps of Laszlo Almasy and the Long Range Desert Group before turning north through the Great Sand Sea to the Berber outpost of Siwa. Travelling as a self-sufficient expedition in 4WD vehicles this is a journey of a lifetime for the true desert lover prepared to tolerate some discomfort in order to see places only a few Westerners have ever visited.
SOUTH FROM CAIRO
After our arrival we start with an included visit to the Giza Pyramids and Egyptian Museum, home to Tutankhamun's gold, before heading first southwest, to Bahariya, then south to Farafra - a long drive. By any usual measure these oases are remote, however they will seem accessible by the time we arrive in Siwa. At Dakhla we see the remains of the mud brick town called al Qasr before turning west heading towards the Gilf Kebir, taking the Darb al Tarfawi.
THE GILF AND JEBEL UWEINAT
Having crossed the Selima Sand Sheet we arrive at the eastern flank of the dramatic, 300m high limestone plateau of the Gilf Kebir. By now we have left human habitation far, far behind. Although no-one now lives here this wasn't always the case; prehistoric rock art litters the region, stretching from here into the Fezzan area of Libya and beyond, proving that the area was once habitable for humans. Exploring this Switzerland-sized massif by 4WD and on foot over the next 7 days we'll discover stunning rock sculptures, explore sand-filled wadis and the better-known sites such as the Cave of the Swimmers at Wadi Sura whilst enjoying the simple but increasingly rare experience of utter isolation. Before leaving we make our way to the furthest reach of southwest Egypt and to the foot of the Jebel Uweinat - at 1898m, highest point in mainland Egypt and meeting point of Libya, Sudan and Egypt.
SIWA - BERBER OUTPOST
An epic crossing of the Great Sand Sea - no misnomer as it covers 72,000 square kilometres - we eventually arrive in the Berber town of Siwa; seeming to us a teeming metropolis after our days in the interior. Isolated from the outside world for centuries Siwa has preserved a language and culture unique to itself in Egypt. The crumbling mud-brick houses of Shali old town, some 800 years old, evoke an age when camel caravans plied ancient routes between the Nile valley and Libya. We head out by bike to the Mountain of the Dead and continue to The Oracle at Aghurmi village, the Temple of Umm Ubaayda and Cleopatra's Bath, then commence our final, long drive back to Cairo via Marsa Matruh.
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Details |
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Price Includes |
(HK-4255-P) |
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International connections from London |
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Accommodation |
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6nts hotel, 1nt desert lodge, 9nts camping; |
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16 breakfasts, 13 lunches & 13 dinners; |
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Price Excludes |
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The Local Payment for this tour is 200 GBP. |
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Suitability / Level |
Moderate |
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Theme |
Small Group Travel
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Itinerary
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Among the many highlights featured on this tour, we particularly mention:
CAIRO
Full day tour of the Pyramids, Sphinx and Egyptian Museum.
FARAFRA
Exploring the surreal landscape of the White Desert
DAKHLA
Visit the ancient mud-brick village of Al Qasr
GILF KEBIR
Exploring the spectacular landscape and prehistoric rock art of the Gilf Kebir & Jebel Uweinat regions
GREAT SAND SEA
Fabulous desert landscapes in one of the last undiscovered regions
SIWA OASIS
Exploring the desert stronghold of the Oracle of Amun
DAY 1. FRIDAY. DEPART LONDON AND JOIN TOUR CAIRO
Departing London today we will arrive in Cairo and transfer the short distance to our hotel.
DAY 2. TOUR GIZA PYRAMIDS, SPHINX AND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM
In the 12th century it was written, “…all things fear time, but time fears the Pyramids”. Today we visit this last remaining wonder of the ancient world, the magnificent Pyramids of Giza. Sandwiched between the sprawling mass of Cairo and the open plains
of the desert, the Pyramids even today can evoke awe in the newly arrived visitor. The Great Pyramid of Cheops, the largest of the group, originally 145m high and measuring 232m at its base, dominates the plateau. Second in size is the Pyramid of Chephren, whilst the smallest of the trio is that of Mykerinos.
You can opt to venture inside, or visit the magnificent Solar Boat, designed to transport the Pharaoh’s soul to the afterlife (both optional). The complex also includes the splendid Granite Temple and the enigmatic and mysterious Sphinx, the Father of Terror, a crouching lion with a human head, carved from a single piece of solid rock.
From the Pyramids we head for the Egyptian Museum, a repository of some 120,000 items encompassing all aspects of the world of the ancient Egyptians, from ornate jewellery to towering granite statues and, of course, the treasures of Tutankhamen himself. This evening we will brief you on the coming days ahead, as we set out into the remote barren lands of Egypt’s Western Desert.
DAY 3. DRIVE TO FARAFRA VIA BLACK DESERT AND CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN
Our journey begins in earnest this morning, as we leave the bustling bazaars and congested streets of Africa’s largest city behind and head south-west, towards the isolated desert oasis of Farafra. Passing a landscape of remote springs and wind-eroded sandstone plains we pass through the environs of Bahariya, the site of a spectacular recent archaeological find that saw the magnificent Valley of the Golden Mummies unearthed, considered one of Egypt’s most important finds since the
discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb.
Continuing south we cross the escarpment and approach the vast and mysterious landscape of the Farafra Depression, the second largest in the Western Desert. The scenery around Farafra is amongst the most dramatic and spectacular in the entire region and our journey takes us through the black iron pyrite landscape of the Black Desert and past the quartz outcrop of the aptly named Crystal Mountain.
By far the most remarkable spectacle though are the magnificent surreal formations of the White Desert. Eroded by wind and time this landscape of chalk and limestone is one of the most unique of Egypt’s natural marvels and as the afternoon sun plays across its moonscape its shapes begin glow pink and red. Poised at the eastern edge of the Great Sand Sea, Farafra is the smallest of the four major oases, but the desert scenery here is at its best. Steep cliffs ring the oasis on one three sides, whilst to the south the wind forms towering dunes against the desert sky.
DAY 4. DRIVE TO DAKHLA VIA AL QASR
Leaving Farafra this morning we turn east, taking the Darb el Farafra as it crosses the dunes towards Bir Dikker, before turning south to cross the escarpment that leads us down towards the lush landscape of Dakhla Oasis. Travelling via the unusual mud-brick Islamic village of Al Qasr we stop to wander its ramshackle streets, a living museum of crumbling mosques, pottery workshops, basket weavers and blacksmiths.
Parts of the town dates back to the 10th century and its atmospheric warren of alleyways hide a myriad of delights that reveal some idea of life in this desert as it has existed for generations. The landscape around Dakhla offers us a spectacular scenic diversity, with olive groves, dates and orchards of oranges and apricots standing out against the rich red sands of the desert.
To the north stands the impressive sandstone mountain of Jebel Abu Tartur, whilst its western border is hemmed in by the towering dunes of the Great Sand Sea and to the southwest, across the open desert, lies the Gilf Kebir, Jebel Uweinat, Libya and the Sudan.
DAY 5. 4WD TO ABU BALLAS VIA MUT
Before we set off west we visit the town of Mut, Dakhla’s principal town and self-styled ‘capital’. Reputedly named after the ancient goddess of Thebes, Mut has a population of some 12,000, mainly of Berber and bedouin descent, but with a healthy mix of Libyans, Nubians and Sudanese as well, indicating the oasis’s important position on the desert highway.
From here we head towards the southeastern edge of the Great Sand Sea and our first desert camp, at the foot of Abu Ballas, some 240km from Dakhla. Its name translates as Father of Pots and derives from the discovery of hundreds of water pots here in 1916, denoting its importance as a water storage location. Each pot was believed to be able to hold up to 30 litres of water and Abu Ballas’s strategic location on the edge of the Great Sand Sea and close to the Kufra and Abu Minqar camel track, made it an ideal spot to store lifesaving provisions.
Markings on many of the pots found here seemed to indicate that they were the property of the Tebu, tribesmen from Libya who crossed the desert in raiding parties, looking to benefit from the rich pickings at Dakhla. There is evidence though that the area has seen the movements of humans through this region since prehistoric times. Rock art located on the slopes of the mountain show hunting scenes and as we shall discover later in our journey, these deserts are full of paintings and engravings that form a rich vein of prehistoric art, that runs from the Arabian Desert in the east to the valleys of Jebel Uweinat and Gilf Kebir.
DAY 6. DRIVE TO THE EASTERN FLANK OF THE GILF KEBIR
The formidable limestone plateau of Gilf Kebir lies beyond the Selima Sand Sheet and, at over 300m in height and the size of Switzerland, forms one of the most imposing barriers on the entire African continent. Today we travel well beyond the sanctuary of current human habitation, deep into the wilds of this remote and largely forgotten region. Languishing in Egypt’s distant southwest corner, we are nearly 1000km from the Nile and the Mediterranean in either direction.
The terrain of this region has been likened to that of Mars, a landscape of red sand, cut with gullies and wadi that radiate from the huge mass of Gilf Kebir’s towering cliffs. This gigantic plateau lies partially buried beneath the encroaching sands of the Great Sand Sea, the desert winds eroding it into inselbergs and cones, an altogether fabulous setting and one that we will be exploring in depth over the coming days.
DAYS 7 – 12. EXPLORING THE GILF KEBIR & JEBEL UWEINAT REGIONS
We will spend the next few days exploring one of the most isolated regions on earth, traversing a landscape that has captivated the imagination of explorers for millennia. These ancient deserts are a place of ghosts and legends, of towering peaks and endless sands. They have witnessed the passing of countless souls, from prehistoric hunters, through to the intrepid members of the Long Range Desert Group, who hunted a different kind of prey during the dark days of the Second World War.
Our days will be spent exploring the wadis and canyons, relishing the magnificent and unique tranquility of the region and searching out examples of prehistoric art, much of which dates back more than 7000 years. At Karkur Talh, close to the Sudanese border, we discover thousands of images that depict scenes of Nilotic hunters, lions, giraffes and cows. Once believed by locals to be the work of jinns, they represent a priceless record of life in these ancient deserts.
Some 150 km south of Gilf Kebir we find the imposing site of Jebel Uweinat, at nearly 2000m above sea level the highest point in Egypt outside the Sinai. Straddling the borders of Egypt, Libya and Sudan it is a mix of granite, sandstone and quartz and its wind eroded formations dominate the surrounding desert sands. This is one of the most inhospitable regions of the Western Desert, where rain might fall every ten years.
From the slopes of Jebel Uweinat we head north again, passing along the western edge of the Gilf Kebir Plateau, towards Wadi Sura and its famous Cave of Swimmers. This remarkable set of paintings were discovered in 1933 and show a number of stylised figures swimming and diving, indicating perhaps that a lake once occupied this area. Wadi Sura translates as Picture Valley, a name coined by the explorer and, some say, spy, Ladislaus Edouard de Almasy. It is a name justly deserved, as the caves contain a wealth of paintings that depict numerous figures, hunters and animals.
Continuing to follow the plateau’s western edge we travel via Fugini Cave to Wadi Abd al-Malik, a long valley dotted with acacia trees and once believed to be the location of the fabled lost oasis of Zerzura. Since the Middle Ages stories of a fabulous treasure buried deep within the desert captivated explorers and treasure hunters alike and a succession of fruitless searches failed to dampen their enthusiasm.
We spend some time exploring this expansive wadi and its prehistoric art, before resuming our journey north, to investigate the extensive fields of yellowgreen silica glass fragments that lie littered amongst the dunes on the edge of the Great Sand Sea. Called ‘desert glass’, its origins have remained a mystery for years, some believing it to be extraterrestrial.
A recent discovery by scientists believe it may be the result of a gigantic impact crater that has recently been discovered on the plateau’s northern edge. More than twice the size of the impact crater in the Sahara, it is believed that the intense heat from the explosion could have created the glass and spread it across the desert floor. Whatever its origin the large chunks of green-grey glass that lie scattered amongst its dunes just add to the mystery and colour of what is one of the last great frontiers.
DAYS 13 – 14. CROSS THE GREAT SAND SEA TO SIWA
Described as the biggest dune field in the world, the Great Sand Sea stretches for some 800km, from Gilf Kebir to Siwa Oasis in the north, covering some 72,000km. Little lives in the dune fields and the shifting sands themselves, some 150 metres in height, have proven treacherous to travellers and explorers alike in the past.
During the Persian colonisation of ancient Egypt in the 6th century BCE, King Cambyses is said to have dispatched an army of 50,000 men across the northern edges of the Great Sand Sea to destroy the Oracle of Amun in Siwa. The army was simply never seen or heard of again, presumably having given up to thirst or been buried by a sandstorm.
Obviously we are in more expert hands and spend the next two days crossing this remarkable moving sea of sand, passing dunes that measure up to 100km in length as we head for the lush oasis of Siwa. After our epic crossing of the desert the fertility of the oasis is astonishing: as much a surprise today as it must have been to traders and merchants arriving with their camel caravans in the past. Siwa’s date and olive trees are provided with water by more than 300 freshwater springs (according to legend the great Cleopatra bathed in one of them).
Siwa has very much retained its traditions and culture and it is easy to image this timeless Berber stronghold as it must have been in times past when the caravans plied these ancient trails between Egypt and Libya. As dusk draws in and the evening light softens the characteristic Siwan mud-brick architecture, it is easy to understand why Siwa was chosen as a location for many scenes in the film ‘The English Patient’.
DAY 15. EXPLORING AROUND SIWA; DRIVE TO MARSA MATRUH
This morning we take to bikes (the terrain is flat), or donkey carts, to uncover the gems of Siwa Oasis. On our tour we visit some of the key sites, including the old town of Shali, established in the 13th century and much of it now crumbling into ruin, as well as the Temple of the Oracle at Aghurmi, where Alexander the Great once stood to consult the divine Oracle. In 331 BC Alexander the Great trekked through the scorching desert for eight days to reach the Oracle of Amun on a quest to confirm that he was the son of Amun as well as the son of Zeus. After a positive reply, Alexander left to spend the next four years conquering the lands between Egypt and India, secure in his own immortality.
We also visit the macabre tombs of Jabal al-Mawta (Mountain of the Dead), its slopes honeycombed with tombs dating from the 26th Dynasty and the Ptolemaic period and littered with fragments of bones and shrouds. We also visit the Temple of Umm Ubaayda, a second temple dedicated to Amun and dating from the 30th Dynasty.
Our final call will be to the Baths of Cleopatra, where we can enjoy a regal swim and a picnic lunch before returning to Siwa. The afternoon is left free to wander around the oasis and take in its unique ambience and character. We recommend investigating the arts and crafts displayed and for sale in the traditional town centre, or perhaps wander through the carefully tended fruit groves and palm plantations. Later we drive to Marsa Matruh on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.
DAY 16. DRIVE TO CAIRO
And so we come full circle, returning to Cairo today the small town of El Alamein, made famous by the pivotal tank battle that raged around it for eleven days in October 1942. The battle became a turning point in World War II, as the relentless progress of
Germany’s Afrika Korps towards British Egypt and the strategically important Suez Canal was finally halted by the Allied Eighth Army. Soon afterwards the Axis armies of Germany and Italy were forced to evacuate from Tunisia, leaving the Allies in full control of North Africa. Turning inland we pass through the pleasant valley of Wadi Natrun, meaning the Valley of Salts, as we begin our final leg into Cairo.
DAY 17. SUNDAY. TOUR ENDS CAIRO |
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Accommodation
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6 nights hotel
1night desert lodge
9 nights camping |
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