Fayoum Oasis in a Day

After breakfast, transfer to Fayoum Oasis, about 90 km (two hours) south-west of Cairo. Unlike the desert oases fed by underground springs, such as Siwa, Fayoum is linked to the Nile by the Bahr Yussef canal, which makes it Egypt’s largest cultivated oasis. On arrival, continue by 4×4 into the protected area and the desert.

First stop, Wadi El Rayan: a protected area known for its two lakes joined by waterfalls, vast sand dunes and natural sulphur springs, home to rare wildlife such as the slender-horned gazelle and a favourite spot for sandboarding and swimming.

Second stop, Wadi El Hitan — the Valley of the Whales — a UNESCO World Heritage Site where fossil skeletons around 40 million years old show how whales evolved from land animals into ocean mammals, set in a unique desert landscape.

In the afternoon, the Magic Lake of Wadi El Rayan, famous for changing colour with the light, framed by golden dunes.

At the end of the day, visit the village of Tunis on the southern shore of Lake Qarun. In the late 1960s the Swiss potter Evelyne Porret settled here, opening her studio and a school to teach the craft to local people; today Fayoum pottery is among the most sought-after in Egypt, and a stroll along the village’s “pottery street” is a delight.

Private transfer back to Cairo (about 90 km, two hours). Overnight in Cairo.

Meals: packed breakfast · picnic lunch · dinner at leisure.