The Mushroom
The best-known rock.
Mohamed abdelzaher — CC BY-SA 4.0 · L-BBE — CC BY 3.0 · L-BBE — CC BY 3.0 · Fathi.hawas — CC BY-SA 3.0 · L-BBE — CC BY 3.0
The White Desert is a protected area and national park in the Farafra Depression in Egypt's Western Desert, established in 2002, about 45 km north of the town of Farafra and about 135 km southwest of Bawiti in the Bahariya Oasis in a straight line. Part of it lies in the Farafra Oasis in New Valley Governorate. The park covers 300 square kilometres and is famous for huge white chalk rock formations carved over time by wind and sand, among the most important karst massifs in the Western Desert. It also includes cliffs, dunes of the Great Sand Sea and springs such as Ain El Maqfi and Ain El Wadi. Gazelles, foxes and the sand cat live here. Strangely shaped chalk rocks are scattered over the white ground, the best known being the «Mushroom», with many others in varied shapes, standing on stretches of golden sand. The rocks turn pink and orange at sunset and glow under moonlight, making the place feel like another planet. Visitors come on four-wheel-drive tours from Bahariya or Farafra, and many spend a night camping under the stars. Enter the desert only with a guide and a licensed operator; nights are very cold in winter. Some governments advise caution for travel in the Western Desert, so check current travel advice before the trip.
The best-known rock.
Pink rocks.
Under the stars.
Farafra Depression, New Valley Governorate, Egypt
On a four-wheel-drive tour with a licensed operator.
Yes, camping with the guide.