Wadi Hitan – Valley of the Whales
Western Desert
The Whale Valley in Egypt 's western desert is a unique site in the Al Fayyum Governorate of Egypt , about 150 km southwest of Cairo . Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2005 for its hundreds of fossils of some of the earliest whale forms; it shows the evolution of the whale from land-dwellers to ocean-dwellers. The valley was discovered in 1936.
The area is characteristic for its movable sand dunes, various species of desert plants and about 15 types of wild mammals like the white deer, the Egyptian deer, the fennec fox, the red fox, reptiles and over 100 species of resident and migrating birds. Nearby are four natural sulfuric springs.
Wadi Hitan is considered an open museum, which dates back to 45 million years and contains petrified primitive whales skeletons, shark teeth , shells and roots of Mangroves 
preserved in soft rocks. Wherever you go there are petrified sea shell and corals.
An amazing discovery revealed whales in the last stages of losing their hind limbs as once they had feet and used to walk on the shore before getting into the water.
Access is only possible by jeep, and it is well worth to take a day out from bustling Cairo into this amazing site, enjoying an awe-inspiring desert scenery and relics from million of years of history.
Email us for information and itineraries: excel@exceltrvl.net
published January 31, 2008
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