3 Days Fayoum Oasis & Wadi El Hitan Safari

Why travellers choose this trip

Places on this trip: Fayoum

Your route

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1
   Day 1 · FayoumCairo to Fayoum and Lake Qarun

   Pick-up. Your driver collects you from your Cairo hotel in the morning and takes you to the Faiyum depression. It is irrigated with Nile water from the Bahr Yussef canal, so the farmland is green while the desert around it is bare. Bottled water is in the vehicle.

   Afternoon. Lake Qarun, the modern form of the ancient Lake Moeris, lies about 80 km south-west of Cairo and covers about 202 km2. Your local desert guide takes you to the lakeshore for a walk, and lunch is included. The lake is a protected area, and in winter it is a resting place for migrant water birds; we cannot promise which species you will see.

   Evening. Dinner is included, and you sleep in a hotel in Fayoum.

   • Pick-upPrivate transfer to your hotel
   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • MealsLunch, Dinner

   Overnight in Fayoum
2. 2
   Day 2 · Wadi El RayanWadi El Rayan and the dunes

   Morning. After breakfast at the hotel the 4x4 takes you about 65 km south-west of Faiyum city to Wadi El Rayan, a nature protectorate. It has two man-made lakes, an upper and a lower, joined by waterfalls. You walk to the falls with your guide, then drive on to the dunes around Gabal Madwera near the lower lake. The permits for the protected areas are arranged by us.

   Afternoon. Lunch is included. Three sulphur springs lie on the southern side of the lower lake. In the afternoon you drive on toward Wadi El Hitan on an unpaved track, where the 4x4 is needed, and reach the camp before sunset.

   Evening. Dinner is cooked at camp and is included. The camp site and its arrangements are confirmed when you book.

   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Overnight in desert camp
3. 3
   Day 3 · Wadi El Hitan, CairoWadi El Hitan and return

   Morning. Breakfast is at camp and comes with the camp night. Wadi El Hitan is about 150 km south-southwest of Cairo and lies inside the Wadi El Rayan Protected Area. Visits follow a set trail with walkways between the main fossils, and your guide leads the group. The valley is known for the archaeocetes Basilosaurus and the smaller Dorudon, early whales. Other fossils include sea cows, sharks and sawfish. The longest whale skeleton found is about 21 m.

   Return. After the walk your driver takes you back to Cairo by road, with lunch included on the way. Timings for the return are confirmed when you book. The drop-off is at your Cairo hotel or the airport.

   • Drop-offPrivate transfer to the airport or station
   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch

   Trip ends in Cairo

How much does this 3-day trip cost?

In US dollars, per person, for a private trip. The price in your written quote, made for your dates and group, is the one that counts. International flights are not included. Choose a hotel level in the booking box to see the total for your group.

Where you’ll stay

What’s included

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