|
The Muqattam Hills , rising beyond Cairo, are seldom visited by tourists but readily accessible by #401 buses from Midan Ataba and Tahrir. Zigzagging up the hillside past caves and quarries, ruined shrines and guarded outposts, they terminate at Medinet Muqattam , an upmarket suburb whose avenues are flanked by villas and casinos. The Muqattam Corniche, circling the edge of the plateau, offers spectacular views across the Citadel and most of Cairo - an unforgettable vista at sunset. People planning desert expeditions might consider a few training runs below the Muqattam. Victorian travellers used to engage a dragoman to lead them to the Petrified Forests - two expanses littered with broken, fossilized trunks, thought to date from the Miocene Period. The larger one is really only accessible with a guide, but would-be explorers can easily find the "Little Forest" on the Jebel el-Khasab plateau, north of the Digla-Ain Sukhna road. The Digla-Ain Sukhna road turns east off the Nile Valley expressway near a zebaleen village beyond Ma'adi. Roughly 25km from the turn-off, you'll pass the Jebel el-Khasab on the left; if you keep on, you'll notice various tracks leading off to the right, which eventually converge on a main desert track running east-west. By following it west, back towards Digla, you'll pass through several meandering wadis before the way is blocked by Wadi Digla . This miniature canyon is good for rock-climbing and bird-watching ; bring water, food and shade.
Your Tip for Muqattam Hills and Wadi Digla
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Muqattam Hills and Wadi Digla - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Muqattam Hills and Wadi Digla - visit the main Muqattam Hills and Wadi Digla forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Muqattam Hills and Wadi Digla webguide section below! Thanks.
| 
