Overview
A salt lake in the Fayoum depression, 43 metres below sea level, and the surviving remnant of the ancient Lake Moeris.
Attraction
Lake Qarun
One of the world's oldest lakes, a salt lake below sea level ringed by bird life and fish restaurants.
Photo: Shema abdelnaser / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized)
Why Visit Lake Qarun
A calm, easy counterpoint to the desert sites, with migratory birds in winter and fish restaurants along the southern shore.
History of Lake Qarun
Lake Moeris was fed from the Nile through the Bahr Yussef channel and managed as a reservoir from the Middle Kingdom onward. As inflow declined and with no outlet to drain it, the lake shrank and its water turned increasingly saline.
Best Time to Visit Lake Qarun
November to March, which is both the comfortable season and the migratory bird season.
How to Get to Lake Qarun
In the Fayoum depression, about 100 km southwest of Cairo. Normally combined with Wadi El Hitan on a single private day.
Nearby Attractions
Tours That Include Lake Qarun
Plan Your Visit to Lake Qarun
Want to include Lake Qarun in your Egypt itinerary? Browse our tours or ask for a custom plan.
- Fayoum Attractions Explore Fayoum Attractions
- Tunis Village Shared taxonomy
- Wadi El Hitan (Valley of the Whales) Shared taxonomy
- Aswan Tourism relevance match
- Cairo Tourism relevance match
- Egypt Tourism relevance match
- Can this itinerary be customized around our arrival and departure dates? Tourism relevance match
- Is a Nile cruise worth it on a first Egypt trip? Tourism relevance match