White Desert

The White Desert, Sahara el Beyda in Arabic, lies in the Farafra depression of Egypt's Western Desert, about 45 kilometres north of the town of Qasr al-Farafra in New Valley Governorate. It was declared a protected area in 2002 and is managed as a national park.

The landscape began as the bed of an ancient sea. Layers of chalk and limestone left by marine life were later exposed and carved by wind and sand into the shapes seen today. Ancient seashells and fossils can still be found on the ground.

The best-known sights are the white chalk formations scattered across the plain, some shaped like giant mushrooms, others resembling a chicken, a rabbit or an ice cream cone. In the soft light of early morning and sunset, and under a full moon, the rocks shift from white to pink and orange. The park also includes cliffs at the northern edge of the depression, dunes of the Great Sand Sea and small springs such as Ain El Maqfi.

Most visitors come on a guided four-wheel-drive trip from Bahariya Oasis, about a day's drive from Cairo, stopping at the Black Desert, Crystal Mountain and Agabat valley on the way, and spend a night camping among the formations. Fennec foxes often visit the camps after dark.

The cooler months from October to April are the best time to go. A park entry fee is charged, and trips should be booked with licensed operators, who arrange any permits needed.

The protected area covers about 300 square kilometres. Its highest point is El Qess Abu Said at 353 metres above sea level, and its lowest is Wadi Hennis at 32 metres, so the drive in passes from the cliffs at the northern edge of the depression down to the open plain of chalk towers. Egypt's environment agency describes the formations as one of the most important karst areas of the Western Desert; they are made of white calcium carbonate with quartz crystals and limestone.

Wildlife is shy but present. Besides the fennec fox, the park shelters the endangered rhim gazelle, the vulnerable dorcas gazelle, Barbary sheep, jackals, Rüppell's and red foxes, and the sand cat.

The landscape has found its way into film and games. Scenes for the song Suraj Hua Maddham in the Bollywood film Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham were shot here, the 2017 video game Assassin's Creed Origins includes the White Desert as a playable region, and Civilization VI added Sahara el Beyda as a natural wonder in 2019.