Fayoum
Wadi El Hitan
وادي الحيتان
UNESCO-listed valley of fossil whales in the Fayoum desert.
Wadi El Hitan, the 'Valley of the Whales' in the Fayoum desert, preserves fossil skeletons of early whales from about 40 million years ago, some with small hind legs, showing the transition of whales from land to sea. It is Egypt's only natural World Heritage site, inscribed in 2005, and has an open-air trail and a fossil and climate change museum.
Part of the UNESCO World Heritage property “Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley)”
Highlights
- Fossil whale skeletons along the trail
- The fossil and climate change museum
- Desert camping under dark skies
Good to know
- Access is by four-wheel drive; stay on marked trails and leave fossils untouched.
Ways to experience it:Desert & safariEco-tourism & protected areas
- Suggested visit
- 1 day
- Coordinates
- 29.2700°N, 30.0400°E (approximate)
- Status
- Editorial draft · unverified
- Sources
- UNESCO World Heritage List — Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley)
- Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency — protected areas
- Wikidata — Wadi El Hitan (Q501833)
Opening hours, ticket prices and access rules are not shown. They will be added only after confirmation with the responsible authority.
