El Dakhla Oasis

The road that loops out into the Western Desert from Cairo reconnects with the Nile Valley at Luxor.

In between it passes through four oases. The first of these, closest to Cairo, is Bahariyya, which is better know and more frequently visited by tourists, who use it as a starting point for desert safaris. Tourists seldom visit the other three oases, but they do offer some interesting ruins, beautiful scenery, and the unique oasis culture to adventurous travelers.

Dakhla can hardly be considered a single unit. Rather it is a series of small settlements spread out along the highway, but it offers the most beautiful scenery of any of the Western Desert oases. Groves of olives, oranges, and dates are interspersed with sand dunes along the highway.

There are also some ancient ruins along these settlements. The tombs of Al-Muzawaka date from the mid-pharaonic era. Al-Qasr is a charming, medieval mud-brick town in which some of the buildings date from the 10th century. Balat and Bashandi are also charming traditional town centers.

The only accommodations in the area are in Mut, where there are several cafes and a couple of hotels.