Wadi El Gemal National Park

Wadi El Gemal National Park is a protected area in the Eastern Desert of Egypt. It is one of the most important national parks in the country and is home to a variety of wildlife, including the endangered Nubian ibex and the endangered Egyptian vulture.

Understand
Wadi-el-Gemal National Park (Arabic :محمية وادي الجمال - حماطة, Maḥmīyat Wādī al-Ǧimāl - Ḥamāṭa) is a marine and desert landscape reserve in the Red Sea Governorate and covers an area of over 7450 km².

The national park is also part of the habitat of the ʿAbabda Bedouins, who make their living as herders, herders of camels and, not least, as guides for travelers. Their lifestyle is still partly nomadic today.

Landscape
On the land area of ​​the national park, sandy and rocky deserts prevail. The landscape is dominated by the Red Sea Mountains, which consist of rugged basalt and granite formations and sandstone outcrops. Important elevations in the national park include the Gebel Ḥangalīya in the north (1240 meters), the Gebel Ḥafāfīt, the Gebel Zabāra, the Gebel Nugruṣ, the Gebel Sikait, the Gebel Sarṭūṭ and the Gebel Ḥamāṭa in the south.

There are mangrove areas in several places along the coast.

The Red Sea coast consists of sandy and stone beaches that gently slope into the sea. Coral reefs are not found on the shore, but in the form of islands some distance away in the sea.

Flora and fauna
It is home to a wide variety of plants and animals, such as the Nubian ibex, the Egyptian vulture, the Arabian sand cat, and the endangered Egyptian tortoise.

Get in
The arrival is mostly from Marsā ʿAlam. The distance to the main entrance of the national park is about 80 km, from Hurghada 400 km.

A trip to the national park is an arduous desert expedition. It is usually undertaken with experienced local drivers and guides from the national park administration. This requires several four-wheel drive off-road vehicles, sufficient fuel, water and provisions and a satellite telephone.

Sufficient spare parts and spare tires must be carried. It should be possible to repair the vehicles without the use of special tools and electronic test equipment.

Fees and permits
A permit from the national park administration is required for camping, overnight stays and night visits.

Park entrance at the National Park Administration and the visitor center in the north-east of the national park at the east end of Wādī el-Gimāl. The national park administration can be reached on or.


 * Park entrance Umm el-ʿAbbas on the Red Sea coast south of Raʾs Ḥunkurāb.
 * Park entrance W Kashir at Ḥamāṭa in the southeast of the park.
 * Park entrance Hafafit in the northwest of the national park.

Get around
The use of motorcycles and quads is not permitted in the national park.

Ancient settlements and well stations
Ancient Ptolemaic and Roman settlements along the ancient Berenike Road Berenikes Hodos (Βερενίκης Ὁδός/Βερνικησία Ὁδός) between Berenike and Koptos, modern -day Qifṭ, [1] or Apollonopolis Magna, modern-day Edfu.



Mines
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Do
The park offers a variety of activities, such as hiking, camping, and bird watching.

Hotels
In the coastal area there are few accommodations to choose from at the beginning or end of the trip.



Camping
There are no campsites. You can sleep in a tent or on a mat in the open air.

It's always windy in the desert. That's why setting up a tent is not that trivial. Of course, the tent entrance must face the leeward side. However, the wind load can sometimes be so great that the tent is carried away. The pegs used must be suitable for use on sandy ground. It also makes sense to weigh down the tent with pieces of luggage, water bags or similar. The tents should be impermeable to sand and the zips should be suitable for sand. When choosing tents, you can fall back on standard outdoor tents.

The vehicles are placed next to each other at a distance of about three meters. A windbreak is then stretched between the vehicles on at least one side.