Wadi Degla Protectorate

About this place

Wadi Degla is a nature protectorate in Cairo Governorate, east of the Maadi district in the Eastern Desert, about 12 km east of Maadi and 17 km southeast of central Cairo in a straight line. It was declared a protected area in 1999 and covers about 60 square kilometres. The valley runs east to west for about 30 km, starting as small tributaries that gather rainwater from the surrounding hills. It cuts through limestone laid down in a marine environment about 60 million years ago, in the Eocene, so it is rich in marine fossils. It represents a type of desert habitat found in no other Egyptian protectorate except the Petrified Forest. Cream and golden rock walls wind along both sides of a wide sandy floor, its clay cracking after the rare rains, with scattered desert shrubs and a few trees near the entrance. Visitors hike and cycle trails along the valley floor, look for fossils in the rocks, and many come for an outing close to Cairo. Go early in the morning and carry water, as most of the valley has no shade.