Dakhla Oasis

Dakhla stretches for about eighty kilometres along the foot of a pink and orange escarpment, a chain of villages and cultivation among palm groves fed by springs and wells, and it is the most immediately attractive of the Western Desert oases. Its centre is the modern town of Mut, but the reason to come is what lies around it: the medieval mud-brick town of Al-Qasr with its covered lanes and minaret, the Roman cemetery of Muzawaka with painted tombs, the temple of Deir el-Hagar, Balat with its Old Kingdom governors' cemetery at Ain Asil, and hot springs scattered through the groves. Sand dunes push against the cultivation on the northern side. It is quiet, with almost no organised tourism outside the desert circuits.

What you actually see

• The escarpment backdrop - pink and orange cliffs above the green.
• Al-Qasr - a medieval mud-brick town of covered lanes.
• Painted Roman tombs at Muzawaka - decorated chambers in the desert.
• Hot springs - bathing pools among the palms.

When to go

October to April. Two to three days to see the sites along the oasis properly. Winter nights are cold; days are pleasant. Buses connect to Kharga and Farafra, but a car makes the scattered sites practical.

Honest expectations

Sites are spread over eighty kilometres and public transport between them is poor, so a vehicle or a hired driver is close to necessary. Some tombs are locked and need a guard. Accommodation is limited. Restaurants are few and basic.

Nearby

Al-Qasr and Deir el-Hagar are within the oasis; Kharga lies east.