Fayoum governorate is one of the northern Upper Egyptian governorates and enjoys a privileged location, as it is about 95 km from Cairo, about an hour and a half away from the Giza Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum. Egypt Travel Packages often include visits to this scenic and culturally rich region.
Fayoum Governorate has many tourist and archaeological attractions that make it a destination for visitors, whether Egyptians or tourists, as it is characterized by the presence of many types and products of tourism, including environmental, rural and cultural tourism, in addition to the presence of a number of hotel and tourist facilities, and the governorate is also famous for traditional, heritage and handicraft products, pottery, and ceramics. For travelers looking for convenient options, Egypt Shore Excursions often feature Fayoum’s top sites.
While in Fayoum, visitors can engage in a variety of tourism activities, including boat tours, canoeing, safaris, horseback riding, stargazing at night, migratory bird watching, sandboarding, and camping, in addition to enjoying learning about ancient Egyptian civilization by visiting its museums and archaeological sites. Egypt Day Tours are a great way to explore these activities within a short timeframe.
Some of Fayoum's attractions include Wadi El-Hitan, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005, Wadi El-Rayan, Lake Qarun, the Enchanted Lake, Al-Hadir Sawi, and Tunis Village, which is famous for its handicrafts. In light of this, the ministry launched a number of initiatives, including the “Fayoum is not far away” initiative. The ministry also launched the “Know Your Country” initiative since December 2020 to encourage domestic tourism in the various Egyptian governorates and increase tourism and archaeological awareness among all segments of society.
Here are the most important and prominent tourist attractions and archaeological places in Fayoum Governorate.
Swaqi
The waterfalls are one of the most important landmarks of Fayoum Governorate, as it is the only governorate in Egypt that has this type of waterfalls, and in fulfillment of its role in spreading greenery and agriculture in Fayoum, it was placed as an emblem of Fayoum.
Fayoum Pigeon Towers
The pigeon towers are one of the tourist attractions that distinguish Fayoum Governorate from other governorates, and these towers were the most famous after the castle towers, but the models of the towers in Fayoum are different in shape.
Wadi Al-Rayan
Wadi Al-Rayyan consists of the Upper Lake, the Lower Lake, the waterfalls area that connects the two lakes, the Oyoun Al-Rayyan area south of the Lower Lake, Jebel Al-Rayyan, which is the area surrounding the eyes, and Jebel Al-Madoura, which is located near the Lower Lake. Wadi Rayyan is characterized by its integrated desert environment, including sand dunes, natural springs, different plant life, various animals, marine fossils, and the waterfalls area is a popular area for water sports. The reserve has 15 species of wild animals, the most important of which are the white gazelle, the Egyptian gazelle, the fennec fox, the sand fox, and the wolf, as well as several species of falcons.
Qarun Palace Temple
The temple is located on the southwestern tip of Lake Qarun, 50 km from the city of Fayoum, and the temple still retains all its details and its general shape, and its entrance is decorated with a sun disk, and its entrances are decorated with prominent drawings.
The city of Kranis
The city is located on the Fayoum-Cairo desert road, 33 km from Fayoum and 109 km from Cairo, and the city dates back to the third century BC and includes the remains of two temples that were dedicated to the worship of the god Sobek (the crocodile), the god of the region, and includes a Roman bath and a group of houses, and on the opposite side there are city cemeteries.
The Monastery of the Archangel Gabriel in Mount Naqloun
The monastery is located 16 km southeast of the city of Fayoum in Jabal al-Naqloun in the center of Etsa and dates back to the third century AD, and is known as the monastery of Abu Khashba and is considered the only monastery in Egypt that bears the name of the angel Gabriel or Gabriel.