AL WAHAT AL DAKHLA DESERTNational park
Cave of Swimmers
23.5947, 25.2335
In the utterly remote Gilf Kebir plateau of Egypt's southwestern desert, near the Libyan and Sudanese frontiers, the Cave of Swimmers hides one of the world's most evocative pieces of prehistoric art. On its rock walls, tiny human figures appear to swim and float, painted some 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, astonishing evidence that this hyper-arid corner of the Sahara was once green and dotted with water.
The cave found global fame through the novel and film The English Patient, though the real setting is far more inaccessible and humbling than any screen version. Reaching it demands a serious multi-day desert expedition across the Great Sand Sea by 4x4. This is frontier travel for the truly adventurous, a pilgrimage to the edge of the map and the deep human past.
Know before you go
This is a major expedition near sensitive border zones requiring permits, an experienced desert operator and days of 4x4 travel, so it can only be reached on an organised safari.