Set in a depression covering over 2000 sq. km, Bahareya Oasis is surrounded by black hills made up of ferruginous quartzite and dolerite. Most of the villages and cultivated land can be viewed from the top of the 50-meter-high Jebel El Mi'ysrah, together with the massive dunes which threaten to engulf some of the older settlements. 

The oasis was a major agricultural center during the Pharaonic era, and has been famous for its wine as far back as the Middle Kingdom. During the fourth century, the absence of Roman rule and violent tribes in the area caused a decline as some of the oasis was reclaimed by the sand.

Wildlife is plentiful, especially birds such as wheatears, and crops (which only cover a small percentage of the total area) include dates, olives, apricots, rice and corn.

There are a number of springs in the area, some very hot, such as Bir El Ramla, but probably the best is Bir El Ghaba, about 10 miles north east of Bawiti. There is also Bir El Mattar, a cold spring which pours into a concrete pool.

Otherwise near the Oasis are the Black and White Deserts, though traveling to the White Desert seems unpractical from the oasis. The Black Desert was formed through wind erosion as the nearby volcanic mountains were spewed over the desert floor.

Finally, there are the ruins of a 17th Dynasty temple and settlement, and nearby tombs where birds were buried.