Egyptian oases correspond fairly with the Hollywood/Disney-like image of an oasis, where sand dunes suddenly turn into lush palm groves with a fresh-water pond in the middle. Some of the oases have blurred borders, where the gardens and settlements in the outskirts are poor and ugly. Other oasis begin almost suddenly after you climb down into the bowl where water is naturally pumped up from the ground, and agriculture is possible |
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| Egypt is very much desert, and the number of oases are smaller than many might imagine. There are 8 oasis communities interesting to a traveller, plus a handful of places where people do little but work and long for the day when they can return to their home town.
Getting to the oases is straightforward these days: There are good roads and plenty of public transportation that costs next to nothing compared with Western price levels.
Egyptian oases correspond fairly with the Hollywood/Disney-like image of an oasis, where sand dunes suddenly turn into lush palm groves with a fresh-water pond in the middle. Some of the oases have blurred borders, where the gardens and settlements in the outskirts are poor and ugly. Other oasis begin almost suddenly after you climb down into the bowl where water is naturally pumped up from the ground, and agriculture is possible.
And that is very much the true reason for the existence of Egypt's oases. Water is pressed up from underground water reservoirs, water which can be distributed through canals to allow extensive agriculture. In modern times, gazoline driven pumps are used for reservoirs without sufficient pressure.
Until a few decades ago, before the roads were built, the oases were quite isolated from the rest of the world. Most of the inhabitants never left the oasis through their entire lives. Culture, lifestylese, clothes and even language could be unique from oasis to oasis. Much of this diversity is disappearing these days, but still there is plenty left to intrigue visitors. Tourism has had a positive impact on the oases; the inhabitants have been taught that they possess something unique, so valuable that people from the other side of the world come to discover it.
Discovering the desert is a bit more difficult, most people only have this experience travelling between the oases. And then the area between Bahariya and Farafra is the most popular, as it boasts the Black and White Deserts.
If you are into true excursions into the desert, the easiest and cheapest will be the crossing between Bahariya and Siwa. Or to travel up to Qara Oasis.
And if you are one of the many who were fascinated by the movie The English Patient, Gilf Kebir should be your destination. This is only visited by organized 4WD trips, and you order the trip from back home. Use your favourite search engine to find offers from or near your own country. |
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Egypt Tailor made tour:
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