No one could possibly imagine the Sahara as being as white as this. The magic of the White Desert is, in fact, its sudden candid appearance after endless sand banks of yellow ochre or the colour of black volcanic rock. The dunes, interrupted by whiter than white areas left by dried up lakes and marshes, surround this geological miracle made up of chalk and limestone rock formations that over the years have assumed the shape of men, animals, mushrooms and flowers. The oases of Bahariya and Farafra provide the boundaries for this Bedouin cradle of culture. And then there is Dakhla, where water flows naturally from the depths of the desert land, creating more than 500 springs. And last but not least, Kharga, the biggest and oldest of the caravan routes that from Africa led up towards the Mediterranean.