Four hours from Cairo's chaos, Egypt's White Desert scatters wind-carved chalk formations — mushrooms, chickens, sphinxes, depending on your imagination — across a floor that glows under a full moon like another planet entirely. Trips run as overnight 4x4 camping safaris from Bahariya oasis: dinner by fire, mattresses under the stars, desert foxes auditing the leftovers. Book through a Bahariya-based operator and check current travel advice before committing. October to April is the window.
Featured in Ten desert adventures worth the sand in your boots · Adventure