My Trip to Faiyum and the Desert

Hey dear community, at the beginning I would like to welcome you all to my new post and hope you have a week so far which has been full of positive experiences! In my new post I would like to share an experience with you that I experienced during my Egypt trip and look forward to it if you like the article.

Even before I went to Egypt it was clear to me that I would also like to make a longer trip to the desert to experience the authentic nature of the country and here a visit to Faiyum and the surrounding desert landscape was just perfect for me. It was a slightly more complex trip which I had to plan exactly beforehand, which is also related to the situation because I still come to Faiyum with a normal driver, but a jeep is needed from there further into the desert and so I already started to plan a few days before with an employee of my hotel and this trip should took the whole day. Of course I had to pay for the driver, but the price already included everything for which two different drivers, the jeep as well as the road toll or other fees were included and even if it took some time to plan everything, I was very satisfied with the service of the hotel as well as the price which was even below the average for what was offered. It started early in the morning at 8 am and here I was picked up by a driver who drove me from Cairo to Faiyum which took about two hours and already here I got some interesting insights into the traditional life of the people who have been using the area which is full of oases for centuries to farm here. Even if it is not an real oasis, it's often referred to as this and in general is Faiyum one of the oldest areas in the whole country and here there are even views that thousands of years ago the area was heavily populated because of the fertile soil.

Even today the whole area is extremely important when it comes to the agricultural economy and while some animals in the country are rather rare, they can be found here and this is also the place where the well-known Quarun lake is located, which for me was the first time to see such a large lake middle in the desert. Here was also the first spot where the driver took a break which I used to take a few pictures and admire the landscape and the special thing here is also that the lake is salt water and is about 40 kilometers long. At the beginning it was even fresh water, but later changed and this can be attributed to the fact that there is no drain and due to the natural process of evaporation, the salt content has also increased more and more. Even in the past, this body of water was already known and even if old cultures had other names, the benefit was just as important as well as an important retreat for some animals and those who should spend a few days nearby can also experience water sports or other activities there and the driver also told me that there are some well-known ruins here which can be visited.

Now the tour continued and we drove to a small camp with restaurant which is located just outside Faiyum and here I met the next driver who drove the jeep and told me everything about the route. The first driver took a break here and then it started with the jeep directly into the desert and drove over dunes during a nice conversation and he explained to me pretty much everything important about the area and also what there is to consider here and without jeep or driver, there is probably no one here. The desert is generally guarded and there are border posts that we crossed before and also had to pay a toll to get in here at all and then the first spot led to the Wadi El-Hitan Fossil and Climate Change Museum. Even if it cannot be suspected since no people live here, there is a museum in which well-known fossils are exhibited which have been found nearby and also a circular path that has led past different skeletons.

The area is also called the Valley of the Whales and is probably one of the most important places in the country when it comes to evolution and the museum is also the only one of its kind in the world and also the special architecture does quite a lot. Here I had enough time to explore the museum or the valley a bit while the driver waited for me but the museum is rather smaller and the visit only took 20 minutes while the route to the stations took more time and here was the moment where it began to be a bit tricky with my photos. Anyone who has already been in a desert will know the old known problem when sand is collecting on the lens and it comes to dust stains which I could remove afterwards with the program Luminar Neo. It can be really frustrating when you later see that so many pictures have suffered and this program could be a remedy what with the help of AI removes the stains without problems, but there are also other alternatives for these purposes of course ans this is only my choice.

We continue on our route to the probably most beautiful lakes in this area which are really in the middle of the desert and here in the Wadi El-Rayan National Park are the upper, lower as well as the magic lake which has the name because it reflects in the morning when the sun shines on it. It has already been an impressive experience to have discovered lakes in the middle of the desert and there were also no people here and then the driver drove down the dunes until we were at the next spot and here I drove down some sand dunes with a snowboard which was also a unique experience. This was not the last stop and then we went to the well-known waterfalls of the area which are also the only real ones in the country and from there I also had a unique view of the whole area as well as the lake before it went back to the start where I enjoyed a unique meal for a few dollars. Then I changed the driver again who then drove me back to Cairo where he let me out right at the airport from where it went on to Luxor and I have to say that during my time in Egypt it was probably one of the most interesting experiences which I do not miss in any way and can recommend it to everyone who should be here. If someone should also travel to Egypt and find this day trip interesting, please let me know and I will try to explain the route more, it's also possible to sleep there in the middle of the desert with the tent.

Many thanks for stopping by and I hope you could learn something new and like my post and appreciate my effort! I captured these pictures with my Sony Alpha 6000 plus 55-210 mm and iPhone 16.