Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley), Egypt

Wind erosion features, Wadi Al-Hitan
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wind_Erosion_Features_in_Wadi_Al-Hitan.jpg
Author: Tom Horton


Wadi Al-Hitan or Whale Valley is an important prehistoric site in the Western Desert of Egypt. This is where numerous fossils of anicent animals, not extinct, have been discovered. They include an extinct suborder of whales, the Archaeoceti, which gave the valley its name.

The discovery at Wadi Al-Hitan provided scientists a important glimpse into the emergence of whales as an ocean mammal. According to scientists, the fossils show the evolution of the whales in the last stages of losing their hind limbs.

Wadi Al-Hitan was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 29th session of the World Heritage Committee in Durban, South Africa, on 10 - 17 July, 2005.

Whale fossil, Wadi Al-Hitan
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Whale_fossils_in_matrix,_Wadi_Al-Hitan.jpg
Author: Tom Horton

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 29 19 59.988 E 30 10 59.988 in
Inscription Year:
Type of Site: Natural
Inscription Criteria: VIII

Visiting Wadi Al-Hitan (Whale Valley)

The site is not open to casual visitors. It is not accessible by private car. Scientists get there by four-wheel-drive vehicles.

 Latest updates on Penang Travel Tips

About this website

Dear visitor, thank you so much for reading this page. My name is Timothy Tye and my hobby is to find out about places, write about them and share the information with you on this website. I have been writing this site since 5 January 2003. Originally (from 2003 until 2009, the site was called AsiaExplorers. I changed the name to Penang Travel Tips in 2009, even though I describe more than just Penang but everywhere I go (I often need to tell people that "Penang Travel Tips" is not just information about Penang, but information written in Penang), especially places in Malaysia and Singapore, and in all the years since 2003, I have described over 20,000 places.

While I try my best to provide you information as accurate as I can get it to be, I do apologize for any errors and for outdated information which I am unaware. Nevertheless, I hope that what I have described here will be useful to you.