Escape to the Desert Join the adventure and experience a trip in the deserts of Egypt. Driving in Escapade Travel comfortable & air conditioned 4x4 vehicles, accompanied by our experienced desert experts, you can explore the mysteries and beauties of nature. The Egyptian Western Desert includes areas which differ considerably one from the other. Rock desert, flat plateau, fertile depressions, chains of dunes, and down at the "triple" point between Egypt, Libya and Sudan, large mountains create different types of desert landscape each with its own inhabitants. The only area where life is virtually absent is the so-called Great Sand Sea, the largest and most dangerous dune field of the world, able to swallow and cancel anything which crosses its path. The famous Oasis of Egypt are: Bahreya, Farafra, Dakhla, Kharga & Siwa Set in a depression about 300 km south-west of Cairo, covering over 2000 sq. km., Bahariya Oasis is surrounded by black hills made up of ferruginous quartzite and dolorite. Most of the villages and cultivated land can be viewed from the top of the 50-meter-high Jebel al-Mi'ysrah, together with the massive sand dunes. Recent discoveries like the valley of the Golden Mummies, in addition to the wildlife, the natural water springs, make this Oasis even more interesting. Farafra, known as the Land of the Cow in pharaonic times, is a small village. It is renowned for its strong traditions and piety. According to folklore, the villagers once lost track of time and had to send a rider to Dakhla so they could hold the Friday prayers on the right day. Mostly inhabited by Bedouins, the small mud-brick houses all have wooden doorways with medieval peg locks, decorated with landscapes, birds and animals. Dakhla Oasis lies to the northwest of kharga and about 310 km to the southeast of Farafra. This Oasis thatits in a depression surrounded by pink cliffs, is the farthest Oasis out of Cairo & is considered one of Egypt's most beautiful Oasis. There are about 30,000 acres of cultivated land. The fields and gardens are filled mostly with mulberry trees, date palms, figs and other citrus fruits. Research has found that the Oasis has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and that there was once a huge lake here. There are neolithic rock paintings that indicate that the lake was frequented by elephants, buffaloes and ostriches. As the lake dried up, the inhabitants migrated to the Nile valley and were probably some of its first settlers. Al-Muzawaka tombs, Deir al Hagar, Bashendi and the Balat Village are among the interesting places to visit in this Oasis. Kharga used to be the last but one stop on the Forty Days Road, the famous slave-trade route between North Africa and the tropical south. Today, it is the biggest New Valley Oasis and its modern city houses 60,000 people, including 1,000 Nubians who moved here after the creation of lake Nasser. Outside the main center is the Temple of Hibis, a 6th century BC temple that is well-preserved with painted vultures and huge reliefs. The Necropolis of al-Bagawat contains 263 mud-brick chapels with Coptic murals, including the Chapel of Peace with images of Adam and Eve and the Ark on its dome and the Chapel of the Exodus with frescoes of pharaonic troops pursuing the Jews led by Moses out of Egypt. Siwa, the beloved Oasis of Alexander the Great, its famous for its dates and olives, and is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Egypt. Olive oil is still made in the area by crushing the olives from the 70,000 olive trees in the area with stones. Siwans continue to have their own culture and customs and they speak a Berber a language called Siwi, rather than Arabic. More than 100 separate searches have been carried out to locale the tomb of the Greek conquere, Alexander the Great, but have all have proved futile. Sinai is the junction between Asia and Africa. it is shaped like an inverted triangle, with the base stretching between Rafah and Port Said in the north and Ras Mohammed in the south. Sinai is rich in scenery. To the north, palm-shaded sandy beaches stretch along the Mediterranean shore. Along the Gulfs of Aqaba and Suez, soft golden sands surround bays of clear blue water. In the south, the towering mountains with beautiful coloured rocks are surrounded by huge valleys leading to the Holy Mountain.