The Bahariya Oasis and the Black and White Deserts

Those who know me well are aware that I am not exactly the “outdoorsy” type. As such, I had yet to take a camping trip to the desert in the last six months, which is a popular activity for tourists and backpackers in every country I have visited. Finally, this past weekend, two friends and I rented a Land Cruiser and hired a Bedouin guide named Badry from the Bahariya Oasis to tour and camp in the Black and White Deserts.

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Bahariya does not exactly match the images I once associated with oases: a beautiful pocket of green palm trees, grass and access to water surrounded on all sides by endless rolling hills of dry, hot sand. As an oasis, Bahariya is certainly greener than the desert around it; it has multiple springs all over the oasis that bring hot and cold water to the town and cause plant growth, and therefore, the viability of human life in the oasis. However, as a town per se, I would not characterize it as beautiful, rather similar to other smaller, run-down North African towns in the desert. However, its beauty transcends the physical because Bahariya provides the Bedouin people, who have roamed the desert for centuries, the provisions for happy and fruitful lives.

Badry is somewhat of the “big boss” in Bahariya. As it is a small town, most of its inhabitants are part of the same tribe, clan, family etc., and he is well-known by everyone in the oasis and in the desert. His father began the desert-trekking-tourism business in Bahariya in the 70s and 80s, and Badry is now the family patriarch and owns many businesses in the Oasis (sounds like a family I know very well). Tourism and taking foreigners on tours of the desert is the least profitable of his businesses, but he still does it because of his genuine love for time spent in the desert and his eagerness to show off his home to others. His website is www.badrysaharacamp.com

After we arrived and ate a deliciously simple Bedouin lunch of fresh vegetable salads, cheeses, tuna and BBQ potato chips (haha!), we headed out in our 4×4 to a small mountain in the Black Desert. When gazing out on this desert, one observes, intermingling with the beige color of the sand and stones, a layer of black, the residual color of the volcanic action on the many rolling hills and mountains. I actually climbed to the top of this one hill/mountain and was able to appreciate the full scope of black-and-beige in much of the Black Desert.

From there, we headed to sites in the White Desert, so named because the residual salt of its oceanic state has left the terrain white. The interesting feature of this desert is the oddly-shaped figures dotting its landscape. Reminiscent of structures one would find on the ocean floor, these large stone and sand structures sometimes resemble mushrooms, and even animals (One famous site is “The Tree and the Chicken.”). They all shine a beautiful bright white, and when you look out over the White Desert, all you see for miles are these brilliant white figures.

We set up camp in the White Desert, and within 10 minutes of parking the two cars, a nice Bedouin-style sitting area was erected, complete with rugs and mats lining the floor for seating and low tables for eating. As we took this time to wander the desert a bit and take photos, our Bedouin guides began preparing dinner. All of these supplies somehow had been neatly packed in the car, but we never felt their presence. All of a sudden, we had a full, tasty meal in front of us, prepared with simple tools, simple ingredients and the fire they built. We learned how to make Bedouin tea. It’s very good, and we decided to buy some to take home. This trip has afforded us the opportunity to practice Arabic, speaking with Badry about his life and Bedouin life in general.

The most incredible part of the trip for me, besides the striking beauty of the desert, is that for centuries the Bedouins have tamed this barren and almost unlivable land and really respect and appreciate the natural wonders or beauty of their homeland. According to Badry, he has been wandering and driving around the vast desert from the outskirts of Cairo, west to Libya, and south into Sudan since he was a little boy, and knows its ins and outs like the back of his hand, without a map or signs and with very few roads.

We were so impressed with our trip to Bahariya that we are planning another, larger and longer trip to the Siwa Oasis and the desert surrounding it. Can’t wait!

My friend Zach, who came on the trip, is an excellent photographer and really did a nice job capturing the beauty of the desert. You can check out his photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/rockman1881

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Ceci’s Watson Journey

The Bahariya Oasis and the Black and White Deserts

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