Wadi El Hitan, the Valley of the Whales in the desert south of Cairo, is a Protected Area lying within the Fayoum Governorate. A 3km marked trail winds between weirdly-shaped bluffs, eroded by the desert sandstorms, leading to a succession of full-sized fossil remnants laid out in the sand: full-sized skeletons of whales and swordfish, petrified logs and tangled mangrove roots, all in the glowing light of late afternoon. Tiny, perfectly-shaped teeth and scraps of seashell lie everywhere, falling out of the soft, windblown rock. Two whale species from the Eocene era are represented, one perhaps an evolutionary 'dead end'. As the moon rises, we make camp under the valley walls, catching a fleeting glimpse of a marmalade-coated desert fox. Who would have thought sand makes such a hard bed? - and in the morning tuck into a hearty Egytian breakfast of warm pocket bread, hot foul beans, cheese and halva.

These images were captured in November 2011 with Nikon D300 using RAW format, and are available for licensing. Please visit my blog.