The Mysterious Plateau

A featureless plateau famous for its rugged beauty, remoteness and prehistoric rock art, Gilf Kebir (Great Barrier) is a seductive destination for the more adventurous of travelers. Finally given a name by Prince Kamal El Dine Hussein in 1925 — the Gilf had been nameless since it was discovered in the early 1900s  — this plateau covering 7,700 square kilometers should definitely be on your list of travel destinations. That is if you have the heart for it. Desert lovers Rami El Dahan and Alaa Taher embarked on a three-week trip across the Western Desert to the Gilf Kebir with their own vehicles as part of an organized convoy. Groups like Sahara Safaris (saharasafaris.org or SaharaSafaris on Facebook), help bring like-minded people together for these excursions, but you always need an experienced desert tour operator leading the expedition. This is not a trip that anyone with a 4x4 can do — the potential for getting lost and cars breaking down is vast. “You don’t need to have a licensed guide to go to Gilf Kebir. But you do need to be with someone who is experienced and has been through these routes before. In our case, we were a convoy of approximately 10 cars with an expedition leader and police escort,” says Taher. “You will also need permits, and lots of them! You have to report your itinerary to the authorities to receive these permits, which took us a full day at the Dakhla Oasis just to get the paperwork ready. After that you’re ready to go, escorted by police cars of course.” Are You Ready? For desert lovers, any time is a good time, however as summer is too hot and winter extremely cold, autumn — preferably November — is the ideal time for desert trips. A Gilf excursion can range from two to three weeks, covering from 2,500 to 4,000 km, depending on the chosen route — most of which are off-road. However, experienced and well-equipped teams can do the trip in a week or even less. (You, however, should not try this). The duration of the trip also depends on the itinerary and the number of cars. The greater the number of cars, the more time you will need to plan for the trip as there is a greater chance of cars getting stuck in the sand or breaking down. The minimum number of cars going on such a trip should be at least four; less than that may be dangerous. If you plan on taking your vehicle on this hard-core trip, tick off everything in the checklist below before you head out, and follow El Dahan’s advice religiously: “Keep the desert clean. Take nothing but photos. Leave nothing but footprints.”