Wadi Hitan (Whale Valley) and the Western Desert

In Faiyum, there is a fascinating paleontological site called Wadi Hitan or Whale Valley. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site where fossil remains of primitive whales from 30-40 million years ago were found. The fossils that were discovered at Wadi Hitan show Archaeoceti, the early ancestor to the whale, in the stage of losing its hind limbs. It is considered the most important site in the world to show how whales evolved from land mammals to marine mammals.

We booked a driver with a 4WD vehicle through the eco-lodge next door to our Airbnb to visit Wadi Hitan or Whale Valley. I didn’t think too much about it, I didn’t think it would be anything other than an uneventful drive through the Western Desert to reach the fossil sites and museum. We didn’t know what we were in for. That morning, we were picked up by a group of Bedouins in their 4WDs. We were in a caravan with about five or six other cars. We drove out of the village and once we hit the desert, our driver turned up the Bedouin music and hit the gas. In a seemingly orchestrated maneuver, the cars fanned apart from each other and sped ahead through the sand.

We flew through the desert like we were on a magic carpet. The driver floored the gas up steep sand dunes and then cut down the other side at a wide angle. We were on a roller coaster without a track. There were times we reached the crest of the dune and the drop was so steep that we couldn’t see down the other side. We zig-zagged through the desert with nothing but sand and sky in front of us. I know I was hanging onto the handrails for dear life because the next day, my fingers were very sore. Our kids, on the other hand, are thrill-seekers. They love roller coasters and this desert driving experience was right up their alley. They danced in their seats, they sang to the atmospheric music and screamed and laughed at each unexpected turn. I felt like we were in a James Bond movie but I wasn’t sure if we were the good guys or the bad guys. All I could do was go with the flow and enjoy the ride.

The thrill ride came to an end as we approached Wadi al-Hitam. It was a hot day with temperatures around 35 degrees c but under the relentless desert sun, it felt like 40 plus. We followed the designated outdoor path through the desert where the fossil remains were on display. There was nowhere to hide from the baking sun. Not without complaints, we pushed forward, and toured the outdoor museum with a number of fossil skeletons mainly of the Basilosaurus and Dorudon. Unlike modern whales, these prehistoric whales had small hind limbs and feet.

It was so hot that we didn’t make it through the entire outdoor museum. We searched for refuge in the indoor museum that included a video and exhibit area. Millions of years ago, Wadi Hitam and much of the Western Desert was a sea filled with rich marine life. Other than fossils of the prehistoric Archaeoceti, there are fossils of mangroves, early sharks, crocodiles, sawfish and turtles.

The museum gives us an idea of what Wadi Hitan was like in the distant past and displays an impressive collection of prehistoric fossils. It also tells the story of climate change over millions of years that transformed a once vast sea teeming with rich marine life into an arid desert that is inhospitable to most life. In the past, climate change caused by nature produced massive changes on Earth. Today, climate change is caused by mankind itself with devastating effects on the environment. The museum draws this link between the distant past and the present to show the significant and potentially devastating effect of climate change.

We headed back into the desert to catch a glimpse of Magic Lake, a saltwater lake that got its name because the color of the water changes depending on the time of the day. Nearby, we found a shady spot to unpack our picnic lunch. Our driver unrolled a thick carpet for us and we enjoyed our picnic in a quiet, shady spot beneath huge sandstone sentinels.

Full of energy after a filling lunch of sandwiches, hardboiled eggs and oranges, the children attempted to climb the nearby sand dunes. I watched them from our shady picnic spot and they looked like little ants crawling to the top of the dune. It was an exhausting endeavor and I was surprised that given the heat, all of them made it to the top. When it was time to come down, three of them started to descend but EY stalled at the top. RY crawled back up and tried different ways to help her, holding her one hand and then both hands, walking in front of her and then in back of her. He even tried carrying her on his back. It looked comedic from a distance, but I could feel EY’s fear and RY’s stress. They made it half-way down in this awkward fashion and then Leo went to help. One day, when the situation requires and even if we are not there to help, I know they will be there for each other.

In Alain’s home, we saw some photos on the refrigerator of Alain’s family sandboarding. The one that I liked the best had a younger Alain and his son smiling with exhaustion and joy. Alain had his arm around his son’s shoulder as they sat at the top of a sand dune as the light showed the transition at dusk. When we arrived, Alain had recommended sandboarding and invited us to use the two sandboards in his home.

We continued on into the desert and the driver drove us to the top of the tallest sand dune in sight. On one side of the dune was a patch of vegetation and on the other side was a small lake. The sand here was full and soft. We had arrived at the sandboarding slope. Everybody was eager to give it a try. It was slow going at first because sand creates much greater friction than snow. We eventually got the hang of going down the dune but we never got the hang of going back up. Climbing up the dune with the sandboard was a full body workout that left us struggling for breath. We had to rest a few times before making it to the top. After a few runs, we decided it just wasn’t worth it to go down on the sandboard. Instead, Jiu Jiu and a few of the kids rolled down the hill without it.

At the end of our day in the Western Desert, I could imagine that we felt much like how Alain and his son felt in the photo on the refrigerator – exhausted, content and simply in awe of the desert landscape.