Black Desert and Crystal Mountain
Volcanic black-capped hills south of Bahariya and a ridge of glittering quartz on the road to the White Desert.
The Black Desert
South of the Bahariya Oasis, the road towards Farafra crosses a striking landscape of orange-brown sand dotted with cone- and pyramid-shaped hills whose slopes are covered with dark stones, giving them the appearance of having been dusted with black ash. These are fragments of dolerite and other dark volcanic rocks, remnants of ancient volcanic activity, which have weathered and spread over the hills and the surrounding plain. Several of the hills can be climbed for panoramic views over the desert, and the contrast between the black stones and the golden sand is especially vivid in the late afternoon.
Crystal Mountain
Further south, on the edge of the White Desert, stands Crystal Mountain (Gebel al-Izaz), a small rocky ridge made largely of quartz crystals, which glitter in the sun. A natural arch passes through the rock. It is a traditional stop on the road between Bahariya and Farafra.
Agabat and the road south
Beyond Crystal Mountain lies the Agabat valley, a dramatic landscape of white limestone cliffs and dunes at the northern edge of the White Desert. These sites are visited on desert tours from Bahariya, usually on the way to an overnight camp in the White Desert.
Exhibo editorial
The Black Desert looks like a volcanic dreamscape: a plain of golden sand rising into dozens of small hills, each one capped and streaked with black stones as if someone had sprinkled them with coal dust. Climb one of them as the light softens and look out over a landscape that seems to belong on Mars.
Then comes Crystal Mountain, a modest ridge that glitters when the sun catches its quartz. These are the classic stops on the way to the White Desert — quick, but they give the trip its rhythm, black to crystal to white.
Gallery
How to find it
The Black Desert begins about 30–50 km south-west of Bawiti in the Bahariya Oasis, along the road to Farafra; Crystal Mountain is further south, near the turn-off to the White Desert. Both are standard stops on tours from Bawiti to the White Desert.