Landscapes of the Sahara - Egypt Desert Safari Tour
Introduction
This journey of a lifetime will take us out across Egypt’s
desert sands to the spectacular Gilf Kebir, location of the famous
Cave of the Swimmers, and known to all aficionados of The English
Patient. This truly memorable expedition, accompanied by Sahara
veteran Chris Scott, will head deep into the most romantic and
remote landscapes imaginable, following the great explorations of
the Long Range Desert Group and Count Almasy. The Gilf Kebir today
is extremely remote, and totally devoid of habitation. The
expedition will be self-sufficient for its duration. GPS
navigation, highly specialised expedition and support vehicles, and
all food and water will be brought along. Accommodation will be in
comfortable tents while in the Gilf and Uweinat areas, and
high-quality hotels used elsewhere.
Starting out by 4WD from Cairo, we head down past the Pyramids
into the Fayoum, long known as Egypt’s breadbasket, with its
picturesque waterwheels, pigeon-houses and orchards. The route
continues to the great oases of the Western Desert – Bahariya,
Farafra and Dakhla – where we discover little known archaeological
gems from Pharaonic, Greek and Roman times, explore multicoloured
desert formations, experience traditional cultures and go searching
for fossil whales in one of the world’s most important fossil
deposits.
From Dakhla, the route turns southwest, skirting the edge of the
Great Sand Sea, towards the border with Libya. Here, rising
dramatically out of the desert, is the virtually impregnable
escarpment of the Gilf Kebir. This huge ancient plateau, its sides
now heavily eroded, is penetrated by huge sand wadis and incredible
dune systems which, at one point, rise 300 metres to meet the level
of the plateau – an irresistible force meeting an inmovable object!
Amid this most awesome of natural settings, is located
unquestionably one of the richest storehouses of prehistoric rock
art in the world.
The Cave of the Swimmers is the most famous, but recent
discoveries have revealed many more incredible sites dating back
more than 7000 years. New discoveries continue to be made, with
arguably the single finest rock art site in the Sahara, the
Foggini-Mestekawi Cave, being discovered only in 2002. It is now
thought that the original inhabitants who created these stunning
images influenced early Pharaonic cultures, and trade items have
been discovered that demonstrate the links shared by these early
peoples. In certain locations you can still find Mesolithic
arrowheads littering the sands, huge natural amphitheatres and,
some claim, the lost oasis of Zerzura.
We will visit each place in turn, and so little explored is this
region that there is a very real chance of discovering new sites.
We also have time to explore the even more remote Gebel Uweinat, a
mountain massif that straddles the borders with Libya and Sudan,
which is also filled with rock paintings from a time when the
Sahara was a verdant pastureland. Images of giraffes, cattle, human
figures and printed hands adorn the rocks, caves and canyon walls,
and illustrate some of the customs and habits of these prehistoric
cattle-herders. After two weeks spent exploring this remarkable
area, we head back across the desert, using a different route this
time towards Luxor. Our final night is spent in the great city,
ending the journey as it began – on the banks of the
Nile.
Quick links:
egypt desert safari tour -
itinerary
egypt desert safari tour - factfile
egypt desert safari tour - dates &
prices
egypt desert safari tour - booking
enquiry
egypt desert safari tour - before you
go
REF: Landscapes of the Sahara – Egypt (Desert) -
HW0004
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