The White Desert in Egypt's Western Desert

The White Desert in Egypt's Western Desert

The White Desert (White Desert National Park) is located in the Farafra Depression within the Western Desert, in the New Valley Governorate of west-central Egypt.

It is approximately 45 km north of the city of Qasr al-Farafra, on the road between the Bahariya and Farafra Oases in the New Valley. The distance from Cairo is about 500–550 km southwest (approximately a 6-hour drive), within the Farafra Depression, which extends north of the Dakhla Oasis, at approximate coordinates 27.28°N and 28.20°E, in the heart of the Western Desert.

It covers an area of ​​approximately 300 km² as a national park, containing some of the most famous white limestone formations, highly eroded by wind.

The nature of the rocks and topography: The formations are composed of white limestone or chalk rocks that are tens of millions of years old. They were originally deposits of an ancient seabed that covered this area before receding.

Sand-laden winds have sculpted the rocks at their bases more than their peaks, creating mushroom-shaped formations, small domes, and strange columns that may resemble animals, trees, or human figures.

Climate and Environment: The climate is extremely arid desert; rainfall is very rare, and temperatures are high during the day and cold at night. Strong winds are responsible for continuous erosion.

Scattered desert vegetation and some small wildlife adapted to the extreme water scarcity exist, while oases like Farafra and Bahariya are located on the fringes of these areas where groundwater is found close to the surface.