Wadi Hitan is fantastic. 50 million years ago, it was under water, and the legged ancestors of modern whales swam in the waters, ate sharks and early manatees, and sank to the bottom when they died. Now, in the middle of the desert, you can find the stunningly well-preserved skeletons of these ancestors of modern whales as they took those early steps back into the water. Talk to the paleontologists still working the site, walk the path and look at the fossils up close, and revel in enormity of time.

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Took a taxi from Cairo. Get a newer car, not one of the older Ladas or Peugeots. You don't need 4 wheel drive, even if the tourism police insist you do. There's good signage to Wadi Hitan/Wadi Rayan once you pass the Fayyum checkpoint.

Last edited on Mar 9, 10 8:26 PM.
Contributors: Josh R. Show History

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