In a special report to MEO, Amira Elhamy unveils the beauty of untapped touristic sites in Fayoum.
Located 100 kilometer southwest of Cairo, with its moderate weather, year long, Fayoum is definitely a unique destination to visit in Egypt.
The uniqueness about this old city, is the richness of its natural resources along with its prominent paleontological and historical sites to visit; in a one day trip to Fayoum you can enjoy the serenity of the dessert, enjoying various water activities, visiting old historical sites, buy Egyptian pottery artifacts from Tunis village and ending the day with a mouthwatering Bedouin dinner.
The best time to hit the road to Fayoum is 7:AM; the road will take around 1:00-1:30 to reach from the Giza Pyramids. The best scenario for the day is to rent a 4X4 car, with an experienced driver from Fayoum to show you around the city.
The exceptional scenery that will first hit your eyes is the beautiful yellowish sand dunes that are beautifully lying on both sides of the road, as the 4×4 driver said to MEO: “It is not quite normal to be driving in the dessert and suddenly find beautiful glowing lakes lighting up the dry nature of the dessert; this is not something common to find!.”
Fayoum is very famous with its lakes, the most famous one is the magic lake; it is overlooking the sand dunes; the locals explained that it is called the magic lake because it is surrounded by the sand dunes from all sides and it is not obvious from where the water is coming!.
There are two other lakes that the locals in Fayoum call them Lake 1 and lake 2. The best program for the day is to go first to lake1; get your breakfast, which must include “Fateer”(Egyptian pancakes), and enjoy birdwatching by the lake while eating a typical Egyptian breakfast. Locals use their small colorful boats for fishing by this lake.
To go to Lake 2 you have to take the 4×4 car; the experience of climbing the sand dunes and small hills, with a 4×4 car is something you cannot miss!.
On your way to lake 2, you will pass by Gabal El Medawara, which means the rounded mountain, it is one of the famous sites in Fayoum. You can do some mountain climbing as well, it is pretty easy, and usually tourists go there to take pictures. On your way, you will also be able to see, what the locals call, the small white dessert, which contains small white hills, that are similar to the ones you can find in the white dessert. You can make a stop to take pictures.
If you are interested in bird watching, fishing and doing some water activities, then your next destination, should be Qaroun Lake; it is one of the largest and oldest natural lakes in Fayoum.
The next step is to head to one of the most significant paleontological sites worldwide!, which was designated a UNESCO World Site in 2005, which is Wadi El Hitan.
To reach Wadi El Hitan, or the valley of the whales, it will take you around 20 minutes driving. It is an extremely well preserved open museum. By the entrance of the valley, you will find on your right side high mountains with wide paved natural arrays that some people do climb.
The open museum in Wadi El Hitan, displays the skeletons and the fossils of the earliest forms of whales and sea creatures that used to exist in this area millions of years ago when the Mediterranean sea used to fill the dessert. It indicates what the director of the museum refers to, as the start of the Holocene Epoch, which is roughly 11,700 years ago.
Prior to entering the open museum valley, you have to pass by the Fossil & Climate Change Museum, which was opened in 2016, under the auspices of the Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi; the Italian Ambassador Maurizio Massari and the UNDP representative Anita Nirody.
The museum includes two halls, the small hall shows a movie that explains every detail about Wadi El Hitan and its history; it is a 20 minutes short movie.
The big hall displays the fossils that has been taken out from the valley for display; the displayed skeletons show the evolution of the marine life and the climate change that took place millions of years ago.
Mr. Abdel Samie, director of the Fossil Museum explains to MEO: “The evolution of whales as marine creatures happened through millions of years, the fossils indicate the emergence of the whale as an ocean-going mammal from a previous life as a land-based animal. Some whales reached 22meter long; and this kind witnessed an extinction and the smaller whales are the ones that survived.”
The Fossil & Climate change museum also displays photos taken from El Gilf El Kabeer, which means the “Great Barrier” located at the remote southwest corner of Egypt and southeast Libya, the photos display magnificent drawings that document the adaptation of the ancient Egyptians to survive the tough nature of the dessert. Wadi El Hitan protected area is a worldwide attraction, no other place in the world yields the number, concentration and quality of such fossils; “it is such a heritage”, this is why the museum was designated a UNESCO World Site, explains Abdel Samie.
After Wadi El Hitan visit, which might take almost an hour or more, you might think about sand boarding! It is real fun. You can either choose to do sand boarding by the sand dunes that surround the magic lake or by another highly recommended place called “Qosour El Arab”, meaning Palaces of the Arabs. It is almost 25 minutes driving from Wadi El Hitan; the road is a bit bumpy however, it is a perfect place for having a Bedouin dinner.
With the perfect boards, you can do sand boarding on the smooth dunes and watch the beautiful sunset. The best food that you can ask the locals to serve you is the Charcoal grilled chicken cooked the Bedouin way! A bit spicy but delicious, with rice and vegetables and special cooking sause!. It is up to you to stay for the night for camping and enjoy the serenity of the dessert with a full moon lighting up the tents, or you might drive back to the 4×4 stop. If you have time you can sure stop by Tunis village on your way back to see the beauty of the Egyptian pottery artifacts; a special pottery festival is held every year in Tunis village to promote the Egyptian artifacts.
ou might buy some souvenirs to remember such a day fully spent in a beautiful, exotic Egyptian old city like Fayoum.
