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A sheltered table, alone in the desert

The Delta and the north coast · Wadi Natrun

The rest stops of Wadi Natrun

The roadside cafés between Cairo and Alexandria, an institution of Egyptian travel.

€ Budget

Halfway across the desert between the two cities, the Wadi Natrun stops serve tea, coffee and foul sandwiches to everything that drives: coaches, shared taxis, families. It is a ritual of the journey, and the only place anyone stops on that road.

The extra bit

Use the stop to visit the Wadi Natrun monasteries, a few kilometres off the road.

Know before you go

Toilets are paid and need small change: keep some before leaving Cairo.

Directions

Cairo–Alexandria desert road, Wadi Natrun

Directions

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