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Valley of the Whales (Wadi Al-Hitan)

Western Desert, Egypt
Ranked #175 of 397 attractions in Egypt
4.5 of 5 stars 8 Reviews
Type: Historic Sites, Ancient Ruins
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8 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
seattle
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed April 11, 2012

A "2 hour" trip from Cairo is not true. It took us almost 6 hours with the complicated logistics, traffic, and guards required. Once we got there, nightmare sandstorm, the truck got stuck in the sand, the road washed out and we had to take a detour back to the city. Ended up being a nightmare of a day, mostly... More

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Grafton Australia
Senior Contributor
28 reviews 28 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 22, 2012
1
person found this review helpful

My husband and I went to Valley of the Whales as part of a tour, don't know if you can get out there any other way. Entry is 14LE each paid by the tour company you travel with. This fee also includes entry to Wadi al Rayan ( a picnic area, near man-made lakes and a waterfall in between) you... More

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Brussels, Belgium
Senior Reviewer
6 reviews 6 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 6, 2011
1
person found this review helpful

Less than 3 hours away from downtown Cairo, you'll find the most spectacular desert scenary in Wadi al-Hitan. There are 400 whale and sea cow skeletons from 40 million years ago, not to mention the dramatic landscape formed by water and wind that you can observe in perfect silence. Highly recommended! More

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Cairo, Egypt
Reviewer
5 reviews 5 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
14 helpful votes 14 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed March 20, 2011
1
person found this review helpful

It is a well organised site, luckily situated and desinged in a simple fashion with a ton of good taste. It is an easy walk through the history of the whales, an important part of it anyway. Do not expect anything spactacular from the skeletons, unless you are really interested in biology. I will definetely return here for the site... More

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London
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
38 helpful votes 38 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed November 14, 2010
1
person found this review helpful

...The next on our list was The Valley of the Whales (Vadi Hittan). We had a short stop in Bawiti to change our jeep and say goodbye to lovely Mustafa. If you want, during that break you can have a rest and a shower in the hotel which is already included in the itinerary. Once our jeep was ready we... More

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Cairo, Egypt
Contributor
17 reviews 17 reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed August 1, 2010
2
people found this review helpful

The valley of the whales , have been discovered in 1936. It is an area of fossils; considered as an open museum, dates back to over 40 million years and contains petrified primitive whales skeletons, shark teeth , shells and roots of Mangroves preserved in soft rocks. This area is really amazing, it takes you around 3 hours from Cairo,... More

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Egypt
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed February 19, 2010
4
people found this review helpful

Wadi al-Hitan is about 2 hours by car from downtown Cairo, and a world away. Within the protected area are about 20 exhibits of fossilized whale bones. The exhibits are arranged along a path that winds through the desert, and there's excellent signage in English and Arabic. One company that arranges transport & excursions to Wadi al Hitan is Hani... More

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Perth
Senior Contributor
44 reviews 44 reviews
Reviews in 25 cities Reviews in 25 cities
28 helpful votes 28 helpful votes
1 of 5 stars Reviewed January 14, 2010
4
people found this review helpful

We visited "Valley of the Whales" in mid December. After being diverted around the Western Desert for most of the day by our guides we arrived at Wadi Al Hitan almost at sunset so our visit was quite brief. However we were extremely disappointed. The displays were quite disappointing. Two or three locations a few bones arranged near each other... More

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