What's better than spending your weekend sandboarding down sand dunes, taking a safari in the desert, swimming in a magic lake or even camping on the floor of a million years old ocean. Fayoum is the place where you will find all of that and so much more.

At the same time, you can listen and jam to music by local musicians and experience the art of pottery in Tunis Village.

It's only around 1.5-2 hours away and can be closer to you than the mall (depending on where you live). Fayoum is home to many artists, musicians, actors, directors, and all-round creatives who escaped the hustle and bustle of congested Cairo to live by the Oasis. One of the best ways we can describe it is it's an escape, a safe haven, where you can be surrounded by nature and tradition at the same time. The amazing locals want nothing more than to share their love, traditions, culture, art, heritage, and cuisine like all Egyptians do.

Vacations, there are a lot cheaper compared to other trendy places in Egypt. Making it perfect if you're traveling on a budget, or even just taking a weekend away from the city. The weather in the mornings is warm and scorching in summer. It's best to visit in spring and autumn because, in the winter, it tends to get extremely cold at night.

Egypt's only waterfall is in Wadi El-Rayan. Where rare animals like the Dorcas Gazelle, Ruppell's Sand, Fox, and Fennec Fox live. Along with numerous different species of birds, making it a bird watchers heaven. 

Qaroun Lake, aka Magic Lake, is said to be one of the oldest ancient natural sites. It has been a protected area since 1989, and it's perfect for fishing and bird watching. The best time to visit is from July to September.

Waterwheels are the symbol for Fayoum and its Oasis. There are more than 200 wheels that locals depend on for agriculture, irrigation, and farming. 

Fayoum is home to many cultures and historical attractions from all around the world. The Graeco-Roman era left behind monuments from the third century B.C like Kom Oshim, a city that houses temples for crocodile gods. During the Roman rule in the XIIth dynasty, an Obelisk of Senouesrt tower was built, along with the Hawara and Abd Al Lahun Pyramids.

You can go horseback riding by Qaroun lake/ magic lake, which is nothing less than magical. 

Camping on the million years old dried ocean floor in Wadi El-Hitan. It's recommended that you camp during winter weekends for cool temperatures at night and during the day. 

Take a pottery workshop in Tunis village. Which was founded by Evelyne Porret, a Swiss woman who moved to Fayoum with her husband, in the 1980s. Both, like all of us, immediately fell in love with Fayoum. And decided to build a house that was used as a pottery center. To teach locals how to be better potters and craftsmen. After that, Tunis village was known as a utopia for artists. Till today people travel from all over the world to Tunis village to live, learn, and work alongside the locals and their traditional techniques for creating pottery art.

For breakfast we suggest you go to Sobek Lodge for and have a traditional brekky on the roof with a view of the serenity of Fayoum. 

If you're up for an exotic desert feast, have the local Bedouins prepare an underground meal in an earth oven (ground oven/cooking pit) as the ground traps all the heat and flavors. They can also smoke, steam, or even bake your food in it. Our favorite dishes were rice, chicken, and juicy duck, probably the best we've ever had. 

Also, if you have a sweet tooth or even a savoy one, you'll need to try their famous feteer. Which is a fluffy flat pastry that is buttery and heavenly. You can have it with honey or even cheese, making it perfect for everyone.  

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For a more fancy atmosphere, Lazib Inn's Blue Donkey is the place to go! You will probably spend more than you would spend on accommodation BUT we heard the food is DELICIOUS! 

Make sure that you support the locals while you're visiting. Most of them make their living by farming or making handmade products like palm-leaf baskets, kilim, accessories, or pottery pieces by selling them to tourists. When you're shopping, try not to bargain with the craftsmen and pay them the asking price. After all, you're buying a piece of art and culture. 

At the end of every month, there is a huge market where all the locals showcase all their crafts. So it's a recommended time to go visit and shop. Think of it like a trip to your local Saturday market but only a little bit further away.