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A whole tree trunk turned to stone, lying on desert gravel.

Cairo · South-east of Maadi

The Petrified Forest of Maadi

Tree trunks turned to stone thirty million years ago, on Cairo's doorstep.

€ BudgetOff the beaten track

A protected reserve in the desert east of Maadi: whole silicified trunks lying on the sand as if freshly fallen. The site is listed, fenced, and you can walk among the stone trees twenty minutes from the city.

The extra bit

Combine with the Wadi Degla reserve a few kilometres away: the same urban-desert outing.

Know before you go

Take nothing: the fragments are protected, and removing them is an offence.

Directions

Petrified Forest reserve, Katameya road, Cairo

Directions

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