Kharga Oasis is the largest of Egypt's Western Desert oases, a long green depression in the desert west of the Nile. The modern town of Kharga is practical rather than beautiful, but the surrounding oasis has exactly the sort of ancient sites that reward a traveller who has already made it this far.
The best anchors sit north and south of town: the well-preserved Temple of Hibis, the mud-brick Coptic chapels of El Bagawat, and a string of Roman forts and temples that once guarded Darb El Arbayin, the "Forty Days Road" caravan route. This is not Luxor with crowds and riverboats; it is desert archaeology, spread out, dusty, and often quiet.
Kharga works best with a hired car or taxi, and some sites require a guide and off-road vehicle. Treat it as a Western Desert stop rather than a casual city break, and it becomes much more interesting.