8 Days Great Western Desert Safari: Bahariya, White Desert & Siwa

Why travellers choose this trip

Places on this trip: Bahariya, Siwa, White Desert

Your route

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1
   Day 1 · Bahariya OasisCairo to Bahariya

   Pick-up. Your guide meets you at your Cairo hotel in the morning, and the private vehicle and driver take you to Bahariya. The road is about 370 km, and the drive is a long one with a lunch stop; lunch is included, and so is bottled water in the vehicle. The asphalt road was built in the early 1970s.

   Evening. The evening is for a stroll in Bawiti, the main village. Dinner is at the hotel, which is included, and the night is in a hotel in Bahariya with breakfast. The mummy necropolis waits for day 3, so tonight is a rest.

   • Pick-upPrivate transfer to your hotel
   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • Entrance feesIncluded for the sites of the day
   • MealsLunch, Dinner

   Overnight in Bahariya
2. 2
   Day 2 · White DesertBlack Desert and White Desert camp

   Morning. Breakfast is at the hotel, then you switch to the 4x4 with your local desert guide. The Black Desert is a belt about 30 km long, with mounds up to 100 m high. Your guide stops along the track to explain what you are looking at.

   Afternoon. Lunch is included. Past the Black Desert the track reaches the White Desert protected area, in the Farafra depression. Camp is in a spot chosen by your guide.

   Evening. Dinner is cooked on a fire and is included with the camp night. Your guide follows the camping rules inside the protected area. UK government advice says visitors to Bahariya, Farafra, the White Desert and the Black Desert must apply for permits in advance and use an official guide. We arrange the permits and confirm them when you book.

   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • Entrance feesIncluded for the sites of the day
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Overnight in desert camp
3. 3
   Day 3 · Bahariya OasisWhite Desert to Farafra and back to Bahariya

   Morning. The morning is for the chalk formations in the early light, with breakfast at camp. You then drive about 45 km south to Qasr Al Farafra for lunch, which is included, and a visit to the old town. Farafra has more than 100 wells, some of them warm. Your guide tells you on the day whether swimming is possible at Bir Sitta.

   Afternoon. You return north to Bahariya. Timings are confirmed when you book. If daylight remains, your guide takes you to the Valley of the Golden Mummies, a Greco-Roman necropolis found in 1996. Opening status and ticket rules are confirmed when you book.

   Evening. Dinner is included, and the night is in a hotel in Bahariya.

   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • Entrance feesIncluded for the sites of the day
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Overnight in Bahariya
4. 4
   Day 4 · CairoBahariya to Cairo

   Return. This is the road day. After breakfast at the hotel your driver takes you back to Cairo, with lunch included on the way. You spend the evening at a hotel in Cairo, with time to wash clothes and pack for the coast road. Nothing is planned after you arrive. Bottled water is in the vehicle for the drive.

   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • Entrance feesIncluded for the sites of the day
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch

   Overnight in Cairo
5. 5
   Day 5 · Siwa OasisCairo to Siwa

   Morning. You leave early after breakfast on the Mediterranean highway through El Alamein and Marsa Matrouh, with your driver and bottled water in the vehicle. The final stretch runs south on a paved road. Count on most of the day, and lunch is included. The UK government makes an exception to its Western Desert warning for Siwa and the Marsa Matruh to Siwa road, and Canada advises a high degree of caution on that road. Check your own government's advice before you book. Permits and timings are arranged by us and confirmed when you book.

   Evening. Siwa lies about 19 m below sea level, near the Libyan border. You arrive in the evening and have dinner in the town, which is included.

   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • Entrance feesIncluded for the sites of the day
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Overnight in Siwa
6. 6
   Day 6 · Siwa OasisShali, Aghurmi and the spring

   Morning. The old town of Shali, built from salt and mud brick, is the morning's visit, after breakfast at the hotel. Your local desert guide shows you the mosque that has been repaired and is still in use. Entrance to the Siwa sites is included. Lunch is in the oasis.

   Afternoon. You see the ruins of Aghurmi and the Temple of the Oracle of Amun, and your guide points out what remains of the temple. Entrance is included. The day ends at Cleopatra's Bath, where your guide tells you on the day whether swimming is possible.

   Evening. The evening is free. Dinner is included, and you sleep in Siwa.

   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • Entrance feesIncluded for the sites of the day
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Overnight in Siwa
7. 7
   Day 7 · Siwa OasisGebel al-Mawta and the Great Sand Sea

   Morning. After breakfast, Gebel al-Mawta, with its rock-cut Roman-era tombs, opens the day. Your guide walks you through the tombs and explains how they were cut into the rock. Entrance is included.

   Afternoon. Lunch is included. The 4x4 and driver then go to the salt lakes and on to the dunes at the edge of the Great Sand Sea, with bottled water on board. Your driver chooses the route according to the sand.

   Evening. You watch the sun go down from the sand, then return for dinner, which is included, and the night in your hotel in Siwa.

   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • Entrance feesIncluded for the sites of the day
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Overnight in Siwa
8. 8
   Day 8 · CairoSiwa to Cairo

   Return. The last day is the long drive back through Marsa Matrouh, after breakfast at the hotel. Lunch is included on the way, and bottled water is in the vehicle. Drop-off is at your Cairo hotel or the airport. Book an onward flight for the following day, because most of the day is on the road.

   • Drop-offPrivate transfer to the airport or station
   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • Entrance feesIncluded for the sites of the day
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch

   Trip ends in Cairo

How much does this 8-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

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