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Jebel Uweinat - Gilf Kebir Expedition, Egypt October/November, 2009
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Day 1. - Cairo - Dakhla
The first day will be a full day drive on the road to Dakhla Oasis, starting from Cairo at 6am. We'll spend the night at the Mebarez hotel, fueling the cars in the evening.
Day 2. - Dakhla - eastern Gilf Kebir
In the morning we'll start out south on the road towards East Uweinat (an artesian water based agricultural project near Bir Terfawi), and will turn off the road after about 200 kilometres, to cross the great flat expanse of the Selima Sand Sheet. Depending on our progress, we'll camp either at the dunes in the middle of the sand sheet, or beyond among the dunes flanking the eastern edge of the southern Gilf Kebir.
Day 3. - Gilf Kebir - Jebel Uweinat
Leaving camp, we will visit the only rock art site of the southern Gilf Kebir, Mogharet el Kantara. We'll continue south via Eight Bells aerodrome dating from WWII, then round the southern tip of the Gilf, visiting the Kemal el Din monument erected by Almasy in 1933. We will continue south west, reaching our campsite in Karkur Talh at Jebel Uweinat.
Day 4-10. - Karkur Talh
We will spend one week at Uweinat, visiting the most important rock art sites in the Karkur Talh area, and the southern side of the mountain. The plan is to take two long two day treks to the upper areas of the mountain, bivouacing away from camp, exploring unvisited areas in hope of finding new sites. The actual programme will be adjusted to the physical fitness of the party.
Day 11-12. - Wadi Sora
On the morning of the 10th day We will drive north to Wadi Sora, where we will camp for two nights, exploring the rock art in the area. A highlight of the trip will be a visit to the recently discovered large shelter to the north of Wadi Sora proper.
Day 13. - Wadi Sora - LDG area
We will drive north along the western edge of the Gilf, then cross Wadi Gubba to the Libyan Desert Glass area.
Day 14. - LDG area - Great Sand Sea
In the morning we will start our journey north towards Siwa accross the Great Sand Sea. First we skirt the dunes till 'Big Cairn', then we enter the dunes in earnest. All things going well, we will camp about 60-70 kilometres south of Siwa.
Day 15. - Great Sand Sea - Siwa
In the morning we will pass by the miocene fossil beds south of Siwa, and reach the oasis around midday, allowing for a visit of the main sights of the oasis in the afternoon. We will spend the night at the Siwa Paradise hotel.
Day 16. - Siwa - Cairo
The last day will be a long and mostly dull drive to the Mediterranean coast, then past the WWII battlefield of el Alamein to Cairo, which we expect to reach in the late afternoon.