About White Desert

Sahara el Beyda, the White Desert Protected Area, is a national park in Egypt, first established as a protected area in 2002. It is located in the Farafra depression, 45 km north of the town of Qasr El Farafra. Part of the park is in the Farafra Oasis (New Valley Governorate).

The park is the site of large white chalk rock formations, created through erosion by wind and sand. It is also the site of cliffs (at the northern end of the Farafra Depression), sand dunes (part of the Great Sand Sea), as well as Wadi Hennis and oases at Ain El Maqfi and Ain El Wadi.

White Desert National Park covers an area of 300 km² (120 sq mi). The highest point in the park is at El Qess Abu Said at 353 m (1,158 ft) above sea level, and the lowest is at Wadi Hennis at 32 m.

The park serves as the refuge for various animals, including the endangered Rhim gazelle and the vulnerable Dorcas gazelle, as well as Barbary sheep; jackals; Ruppell’s, red and fennec foxes; and the Sand cat.

Why is the white desert important

It’s is a unique landscape in Egypt that people knows it for its stunning rock formations. Which have been shaped by wind erosion over millions of years.

The White Desert gets its name from the white chalk rock formations that cover the desert floor. Wind erosion and resemble mushrooms have sculpted these formations, chicken legs, and other interesting shapes.

It’s hard to believe that 60 million years ago. This area was the bottom of a shallow sea where sediment accumulated over the next 30 million years. Creating a thick layer of limestone that reached over 300 meters over time.