Wadi El Rayan

Wadi El Rayan is a protected desert depression in Faiyum Governorate, declared a protectorate in 1989 and covering some 1,759 km² of dunes, lakes, and desert wilderness. Its centrepiece is a pair of artificial lakes — an upper lake of about 51 km² and a lower one of about 62 km² — created in the 1970s when excess irrigation drainage water from the Faiyum Oasis was channelled into the depression; a series of cascades formed in 1973 where the upper lake spills into the lower one, often cited as Egypt's largest waterfalls. The reserve shelters rare desert wildlife, including the slender-horned gazelle and the fennec fox. Within its bounds lies Wadi Al-Hitan ("Valley of the Whales"), a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005 that preserves hundreds of fossils of some of the earliest whale species, dating to roughly 40 million years ago when the region lay beneath an ancient sea — regarded by the IUCN as the world's most important site for understanding whale evolution.

By Car / Road

Wadi El Rayan is reached by road from Faiyum city, via Ibsheway to the west; there is no rail or air access into the protected area itself.

The protected area is large and desert-bound; getting between the lakes, waterfalls, and Wadi Al-Hitan is generally by car or organised tour rather than on foot or local transport.

The twin lakes and the waterfalls where they connect are the reserve's main sight, alongside the surrounding dunes. Wadi Al-Hitan (Valley of the Whales), a UNESCO World Heritage Site with fossils of some of the earliest known whale species, lies within the protected area and has a small on-site interpretive display.

Visit the waterfalls and lakeshore, and make the trip out to Wadi Al-Hitan to see the whale fossils in situ.

Cairo or the nearest major city.