White Desert

 

The White desert, named after its chalk formations, is a 116 square mile protectorate located in western Egypt with a small desert fox being its only animal wildlife, however its abundance of fossils including sea shells serve as a reminder that the barren desert landscape was once under water. After the ocean dried up, the White desert turned into a savannah and a fertile hunting ground for early man with its lakes and abundance of wildlife including gazelles, elephants and giraffes but, over the millennia, these lush green areas became desertified and eroded by wind and sand producing the desert we now see.

Today the White desert is uninhabited, just home to eerie structures protruding from the ground that provide a haunting landscape when the moon reflects on the formations created mainly by sandstorms. On the cusp of the White desert can be found the lonely and isolated oasis of Farafra with its many hot springs. Farafra is mainly inhabited by the local Bedouins, however trips to the white desert are made from there. The video below shows the White Desert in all its glory, and a popular tourist destination for one of the most incredible landscapes on earth.

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White Desert: Egypt Country Profile In another of our African country profiles, find out all about Egypt in a series of information articles, latest daily news, videos, and images together with volunteering and child sponsorship opportunities. More >

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White Desert: Main Deserts Information about the largest deserts of Africa which you may visit when volunteering there. More >

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