Less than two hours from Cairo, Wadi El Rayan is one of Egypt's most famous nature reserves. Named in honor of King El Rayan Ibn El Walid who lived in this area with his army. The nature reserve is part of the governorate of El Fayoum and is located approximately 75 km from the city of El Fayoum.

The Wadi El Rayan reserve consists of seven parts: upper and lower lakes, El Rayan springs, El Rayan waterfalls, El Modawara mountain (Jabal El Modawara in Arabic), El Rayan mountain (Jabal El Rayan) and Wadi El Hitan (Whale Valley). All these areas are full of beautiful landscapes: oases, mountains, rock formations and waterfalls.

The area is also home to Egyptian wildlife, including white gazelles, Egyptian gazelles, sand foxes and fennec foxes, as well as rare species of native birds, migratory birds and various species of eagles and falcons.

The area is also of great interest to archaeologists and geologists, as many marine fossils and archaeological remains are found here. Wadi El Hitan, or the Valley of the Whales, is named after prehistoric whale fossils found in the area, which are considered the earliest whale fossils ever found and which earned the valley a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

El Rayano Falls is about 15 km from the reserve gate, on the left side of the road. The waterfalls are beautiful, but due to the unfortunate lack of attention from the authorities, they look a bit worn out.

Just five kilometers away, Jabal El Modawara is the definition of beauty. Once you climb this magnificent mountain, the view from the top will easily take your breath away. It is also a great place for bird watching, especially if you plan to see eagles or falcons.

Traveling further beyond Jabal El Modawara, adventure seekers can head to Magic Lake, a small lake surrounded by sand dunes.

Wadi El-Rayan is important because it is a natural habitat for endangered animals such as white deer, Egyptian deer, sand foxes, wolves and rare migratory birds such as golden eagles, peregrine falcons and peregrine falcons, as well as others for migratory birds.