White Desert, Egypt
Egypt's White Desert is truly awe-inspiring. And the experience isn't lost on the kids. Bizarre white chalk formations and inselberg monoliths, the result of thousands of years of mechanical weathering, will soon have them shouting, 'Hey mom, look over there!' Mushrooms, camels and fields of marshmallows are but a few of the rock-sculpted shapes on show. Crystal mountain, an outcropping made entirely of quartz crystal, can't help but get them wondering, 'How did this lone mountain get here?' Seashell fossils and black iron pyrite litter the ground and will keep the kids talking long after the ... Read Moresetting sun turns nature's hand first orange and then pink. Yet before you make the trek to this unique Western Desert destination, take note. It takes more than a day to fully explore this 300 square kilometer protectorate. What's more, a 4x4 vehicle and professional guide are a necessity for all off-road desert safaris.
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The White Desert merits a trip off the beaten path
Submitted on 30 March 2009 by snowedunder from Monza, Italy
Touring Egypt's White desert is awe-inspiring and frustrating at the same time. The white chalk formations and inselbergs are stunning. Camping in a field of marshmallows that turned first orange and then pink as the sun set was nothing short of unique. An evening visit from a timid fox was heartening. Unfortunately, the stop at Crystal Mountain will, for my 9-year-old daughter, forever define the trip. A group of rough-cut travelers chipped away at the quartz notwithstanding our appeal to the posted sign 'Do not break, collect fossils, calcite crystals, and stones from the site.' After 5 days in the desert it was an unwelcome brush with reality.
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