Fayoum Oasis

Strictly speaking, Fayoum is not a true oasis. The other oases of the Western Desert drink from underground aquifers, but Fayoum is a huge natural depression fed by the Bahr Yusuf, a branch of the Nile that has flowed into it since prehistoric times. Middle Kingdom pharaohs such as Senusret II and Amenemhat III drained and farmed it, which is why their pyramids at Lahun and Hawara stand at its edge, and the Ptolemies settled Greek veterans here, leaving Graeco-Roman towns like Karanis and the famous Fayoum mummy portraits.

Today the basin is a patchwork of palm groves, cotton and vegetable fields and canals turned by ancient wooden waterwheels, with salty Lake Qarun along its northern edge, around 43 metres below sea level. Beyond the farmland the scenery changes abruptly: the Wadi el-Rayan protected area has two desert lakes joined by small waterfalls, golden dunes and, deeper in, Wadi el-Hitan, the Valley of the Whales, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005.

Because the Cairo–Fayoum desert road starts right by the Giza Plateau, Fayoum works as a long day trip, but it is far better with a night or two. Staying in a guesthouse at Tunis village or by the lake lets you reach Wadi el-Hitan before the heat, watch the sunset over the dunes and see a side of rural Egypt that most visitors never do.

Top things to see in Fayoum Oasis

Wadi el-Hitan (Valley of the Whales)

A desert valley scattered with the fossil skeletons of early whales, mainly Basilosaurus and Dorudon, which swam in a shallow sea here around 40 million years ago and still had small hind legs. A marked trail links the skeletons, and the underground Fossils and Climate Change Museum displays a complete Basilosaurus. The last stretch is a sandy desert track, so a 4WD is the sensible choice.

Wadi el-Rayan lakes and waterfalls

Two lakes created in the 1970s from diverted agricultural drainage water, joined by a short run of cascades usually billed as Egypt's only waterfalls. They are modest by Australian standards, but the setting of blue water against sand dunes is striking. Nearby are the Magic Lake, which changes colour through the day, and dunes good for sandboarding.

Lake Qarun

Egypt's oldest lake and the shrunken remnant of the ancient Lake Moeris, now a salty lake roughly 40 km long. It is a protected area and a stop on the migratory flyway, with herons, egrets, grebes and in winter flocks of waterbirds; early-morning boat trips with local fishermen are the best way to see them.

Tunis village

A village of mud-brick houses on a ridge above Lake Qarun, known across Egypt for its pottery. The craft took off after Swiss potter Evelyne Porret began teaching village children decades ago, and today dozens of family workshops sell colourful bowls, plates and figurines. It is also where most of Fayoum's characterful guesthouses are.

Qasr Qarun

A well-preserved sandstone temple of the late Ptolemaic period at the western end of Lake Qarun, on the site of the town of Dionysias and probably dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek. Its dark inner passages lead up to the roof, which gives a view over the ruins of the town.

Hawara and Lahun pyramids

The mud-brick pyramids of Amenemhat III at Hawara and Senusret II at Lahun date from the Middle Kingdom, around 1850 BC. Hawara's vanished mortuary temple is thought to be the Labyrinth described by Herodotus, and it was at Hawara that Flinders Petrie found many of the painted Roman-era mummy portraits now in museums worldwide.

Karanis (Kom Aushim)

At the northern entrance to Fayoum, Karanis was a Ptolemaic and Roman farming town founded in the 3rd century BC. You can walk its mud-brick streets and two stone temples, and the papyri found here are one of the richest records of daily life in Roman Egypt.

Medinet Madi

A remote temple in the southwest of the basin begun by Amenemhat III and IV and expanded under the Ptolemies, approached along an avenue of sphinxes and lions. It sees very few visitors and is worth the detour for anyone with a 4WD and an interest in the Middle Kingdom.

The waterwheels of Fayoum

Fayoum's wooden waterwheels, or sawaqi, are turned by the current of the canals rather than by animals, and their creaking is the sound of the town. A cluster near the centre of Medinet el-Fayoum is the easiest place to see them, along with the obelisk of Senusret I.

In-depth sight guides

• Wadi el-Hitan (Valley of the Whales): Wadi el-Hitan is a desert valley in the Fayoum where hundreds of fossil skeletons of early whales lie exposed in the sand, the…
• Lake Qarun: Lake Qarun is the salty lake along the northern edge of the Fayoum basin, about 43 metres below sea level and the shrunken…
• Tunis Village: Tunis is a farming village on a ridge above the south-west shore of Lake Qarun that has become Egypt's best-known pottery village,…
• Wadi el-Rayan: Wadi el-Rayan is a protected desert depression on the southern edge of the Fayoum, where two lakes created in the 1970s from farm…

Unforgettable experiences

• Walking among 40-million-year-old whale skeletons at Wadi el-Hitan in the early-morning light
• Sandboarding the dunes around Wadi el-Rayan and the Magic Lake
• A pottery lesson in a family workshop in Tunis village
• Birdwatching by boat on Lake Qarun at dawn
• Stargazing from a desert camp in the Wadi el-Rayan protected area
• A quiet night in a mud-brick guesthouse overlooking the lake

When to visit Fayoum Oasis

October to April is the best time for Fayoum, with warm days of about 20–28°C and cool, sometimes chilly nights, ideal for desert walking and camping. December to February brings the most migratory birds to Lake Qarun. From late March the khamsin can blow dust across the desert, and from May to September the open desert at Wadi el-Hitan is fiercely hot by mid-morning, so go at first light. Cairo families flock here on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays, so a weekday visit is noticeably quieter.

How long to spend in Fayoum Oasis

A long day trip from Cairo or Giza can cover Wadi el-Hitan and Wadi el-Rayan, or Lake Qarun, Tunis and Qasr Qarun, but not both comfortably, because Wadi el-Hitan alone is around three hours from Giza. One night lets you do the desert one day and the lake, Tunis and a pyramid or two the next. Two nights suits birders, photographers and anyone who wants to camp in the desert or add Medinet Madi and Karanis.

Getting there

Fayoum is reached by private car on the Cairo–Fayoum desert road, which begins close to the Giza Plateau and the Grand Egyptian Museum; allow about 1.5–2 hours to Lake Qarun or Medinet el-Fayoum. Wadi el-Hitan is further, at the end of a rough desert track, and needs a 4WD and an experienced driver. There is no practical public transport for visitors. Coming from Australia, fly into Cairo via the Gulf and add Fayoum at the start or end of your Cairo stay.

Specialist tips

• Do Wadi el-Hitan first thing in the morning; there is very little shade and the reflected heat builds quickly
• Use a 4WD with a driver who knows the desert tracks, and carry plenty of water and snacks
• Plan Fayoum for a weekday; local weekend crowds fill the lakes and Tunis on Fridays and Saturdays
• Combine the drive with Meidum, Dahshur or Saqqara, which lie close to the routes in and out
• Desert excursions may be registered with or accompanied by police; check Smartraveller before you go and let your guide handle the arrangements
• Bring cash in small Egyptian pound notes for pottery, guesthouse extras and boat trips