During my trip to Egypt in February and March 2025, I spent three nights at the Zad El Mosafer guesthouse in Tunis in the Fayoum and Lake Qarun region. I used Tunis as a base to visit Wadi Al-Hitan, Gebel Qatrani, and Soknopaiou Nesos. I organized all these activities through my guesthouse. What's more, they also arranged transport to Alexandria, with stops at the monasteries of Saint Pishoy and Saint Macarius the Great and Abu Mena.

On my second day in this region, the excursion organized via my guesthouse took us to the north shore of the lake. I had requested an excursion to Soknopaiou Nesos, the petrified forest, and the quarries of Gebel Qatrani. I was again with the driver who had accompanied me the day before to Wadi Al-Hitan, but this time we were sharing the vehicle with a second guide and a Russian tourist who was also able to act as interpreter, as she spoke both Arabic and English. As was the case on several occasions during my trip to Egypt, the excursion organized and negotiated with my guesthouse did not go according to plan.

After visiting Soknopaiou Nesos and the Qasr Sagha temple, we entered the protected zone of Gebel Qatrani. The boundaries of the protected area are well marked, so I'm convinced I've entered the future core zone of this WHS if it is inscribed in 2026 as planned. There are several signs along the roadside, with a map of the area and a few identified points of interest.

The first thing we saw were some fossilized vertebrae set in the sand (photo). This was the only animal fossil we saw that day. We then visited a viewpoint overlooking the cliffs, then a second one overlooking a small dry canyon. Here, there were a few pieces of fossilized wood. In fact, we were following the arrows pointing to the petrified forest right up to this point. But neither the driver nor the guide knew anything about the petrified forest, and they refused to go any further, even though I had negotiated this destination with the guesthouse receptionist. We made another stop to observe the desert landscape, then turned back before seeing the quarries too. Worse still, the Russian tourist had been sold an excursion to canyons and waterfalls while this landscape was completely dry. So, I can recommend the guesthouse for accommodation or the excursion to Wadi Al-Hitan, but they don't offer a trusted service for other destinations.

Finally, the landscapes of Gebel Qatrani are beautiful, but I don't think they have OUV. As for the fossils, much better on-site interpretation will be required before we can judge their OUV. I also feel that this site is underdeveloped and that I only visited superficial elements due to the incompetence of my driver and guide duo. For now, this site deserves a thumbs down as far as I'm concerned.