White Desert National Park (Arabic: محمية الصحراء البيضاء الطبيعية, Maḥmīyat aṣ-Ṣaḥrāʾ al-baiḍāʾ aṭ-ṭabīʿīya) is in the Western Desert region of Egypt. It is a large nature reserve in Egypt about 30 kilometres north the depression el-Farāfra. The sanctuary is one of the most extraordinary areas in the western desert and ranges roughly from Crystal Mountain in the north to Table Mountain et-Tabalī in the south (about 50 kilometres) and from the Hidden Valley (Hidden Valley ) in the west over 100 kilometres to the east into the here nameless desert. Two further buffer areas with an area of 971 square kilometres have been identified to the west and south.

Understand

History

The White Desert area was declared a protected area in 2002. The landscape is characterised by limestone and chalk cliffs. The desert was formed from the remains of microscopic sea creatures that lived here around 80 million years ago. After the disappearance of the sea, winds formed the present rocks. Depending on the composition or hardness of the rocks and their sequence of layers, bizarre structures such as mushrooms, tower-like or finger-like structures were formed over time. With a little imagination you can see dogs, camels and other creatures in them.

There are now around 50,000 tourists who travel here from el-Farafra or el-Bahriya every year. Trips over Christmas and Easter are particularly popular. Christmas - of course, because then they are white, but without the snow.

Of course, the crowds of tourists make various protective measures necessary. With funds from the Italian government and the Egyptian Ministry of the Environment, slopes have been laid out and camping sites have been designated for overnight stays.

Landscape

Unlike what you may be thinking, this part of the world is not dry. There are three important springs in the national park: ʿAin Chadra ( ʿAin el-Wādī ), ʿAin es-Serw and ʿAin el-Maqfī.

These springs provide vegetation with palm trees, tamarisk and acacia. And if you have some time and luck, you can also observe gazelles, desert foxes, small rodents, geckos and much more.

Get in

The easiest way to reach the source is via the trunk road from el-Farāfra to el-Baḥrīya.

The national park has six entrances, from north to south: Aqabat entrance (to the east, track 1) south of the Aqabat Pass (Naqb el-Aqabat), after another 10 kilometres the el-Babein entrance (to the west, Track 3), after another two kilometers the Ain Khadra entrance (to the east, track 2), after another six kilometres the main entrance (to the east, tracks 1 and 2), after four kilometres the Bir Regwa entrance (to the east, track 4) and after six kilometres the el-Qabur entrance (to the west, track 3).

Another route is the 50-kilometre-long so-called English Track (English route), which branches off about 10 kilometers north of the crystal rock to the southeast into the desert and meets track 1 at the source ʿAin es-Serw.

Fees and permits

An entrance fee must be paid to visit the national park. It's US$5 per person during the day (LE5 for Egyptians), additional LE10 for an overnight stay in the national park and US$5 per vehicle (LE5 for Egyptians). Admission is free for members of the local NGO, who also take care of the maintenance of the park. At the beginning of 2009, however, it was still not clear who would collect the money.

See

The landscape of the park

The sights are described along their routes. Tracks 1, 2 and 4 lead to the east, track 3 to the west.

Track 1 is the longest at 65 kilometres. It starts at the main entrance, first goes southeast and forms a large circle that ends far to the north at the Aqabat entrance.

Track 2 is about 17 kilometres long and starts at the Ain Khadra entrance.

Track 4 (yellow) is about 30 kilometres long in its full length and starts at the Bir Regwa entrance. The return trip is usually made along track 1. After the ample half, the route has an early branch to track 1.

Track 3 (purple) is the only one on the west side. It is about 30 kilometers long and begins in the north at the el-Babein entrance.

Other destinations

In the extreme north of the national park, on the east side of the road, is the so-called Crystal Mountain (Crystal mountain, Gebel el-Kristal).

In the extreme south-east is the Rajah (Rajih, Ragih) area, already outside the national park but still in its buffer zone. This point is best reached from the south via the Bir Qarawein spring .

In the western buffer zone on the Farafra-Ain-ed-Dalla slope is the Hidden Valley and the el-Ubeiyid Cave with archaeological evidence from the middle and late Holocene (6000–5000 BCE).

Eat and drink

There are no rest stops in the park and so food must be carried with you. The waste too, of course. You can only cook at the designated rest areas.

Sleep

There are fifteen designated rest areas in the park where you can camp overnight in your own tent.

Stay safe

The natural beauties are fragile. The sight of rotting souvenirs from modern times is also not exactly edifying. Therefore, there are some important rules of conduct:

• Drive only on the designated paths. Landscapes simply look more beautiful without wheel tracks. Also, you can't get lost.
• Only stay overnight at the designated rest areas. There are at least 15 – so probably enough.
• Take all rubbish with you and don't leave it in the desert.
• Bring your fuel and do not use onsite plants or plant debris to maintain a campfire or cook.
• Avoid interfering with the animal and plant world as much as possible. Animals and plants also have a right to life, possibly seriously interfering with the ecosystem.
• "I was here" - another 50,000 tourists a year too. This or similar graffiti does not belong on the rocks. You can also prove that you were here with your photo or video camera.
• Leave everything where it is. This applies to rocks, minerals, fossils and archaeological remains. Others want to see it too. Archaeological finds that have been torn from their find environment can tell posterity much less about prehistoric times.