Whales with legs
A stage of evolution.
Tom Horton from Shanghai, China — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Guy Debonnet — CC BY-SA 3.0 igo · Jolybook — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hatem Moushir — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hatem Moushir — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hatem Moushir — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tom Horton from Shanghai, China — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Ibrahim ghonaim mosa — CC BY-SA 4.0
A desert valley in Fayoum inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2005 for its hundreds of fossils of some of the earliest whales, which lived here about forty million years ago when the desert was the floor of an ancient sea. The fossils reveal a key stage in whale evolution, when they still bore small hind legs after moving from land to sea. Nowhere else in the world gathers so many fossils of such quality in an open natural setting, among them skeletons of Basilosaurus and Dorudon. Visitors walk an open trail past skeletons kept where they lie in the sand and among strange wind-carved rock formations. The site has a Fossils and Climate Change Museum showing a complete ancient whale skeleton, and camping areas under a clear, star-filled sky. Foreign visitors pay about ten US dollars according to recent guides, separate from the Wadi El Rayan fee. The last stretch of road is a desert track, so a four-wheel drive or an organised trip is best; bring water and a hat.
A stage of evolution.
Skeletons where they lie.
Desert camping.
Inside the Wadi El Rayan reserve, about 150 kilometres south-west of Cairo
The last stretch is a desert track that can be hard on ordinary cars, so a four-wheel drive or an organised trip from Cairo or Fayoum is best.