Siwa Oasis of Egypt – Where real adventure still lives
Recently, we visited Siwa Oasis in Egypt. It took us nearly 8 hours from Cairo and we drove by the gorgeous North Coast until we reached the Western Desert. For those, unfamiliar with the half-moon shaped ring of Egypt’s oases in the Western Desert, Siwa is the farthest one. It is actually closer to Libya than Cairo and is still less visited than most parts of Egypt. Beautiful date gardens thrive there amidst natural hot springs, salt lakes, and ruins of the mud and clay Shali Fortress. The temple of Amun, where Alexander received his oracle is also there and keeping the ancient Egyptian traditions alive, the mountains of Siwa are riddled with tombs. A huge necropolis lies there and one can visit some of the tombs.
The people of Siwa oasis
The people of Siwa resemble the Berbers of Morocco and Algeria more than the Egyptians from Lower Egypt and their language also bears resemblance to the Berber tongue. It is one of the rarest languages of the world and since it is believed not to have a written text, is likely to get extinct if not practiced by the oasis residents. Today, Siwa is more easily accessible than just a few decades back and the remote oasis town is changing fast. The traditional mud houses, which stay cool in summer and warm in winters are being razed to give way to concrete constructions and donkey carts are being replaced by imported vehicles.
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The beginning of the Great Sand Sea
The charm of Siwa still remains and it is not uncommon to see sedate hijab-clad women making traditional Siwan embroidery in a sewing circle. The real adventure of Siwa, however, is in the Western Desert which starts right outside the town and it is the beginning of the Great Sand Sea. In the olden days, convoys of adventure seekers used to traverse the Great Sand Sea all the way to Libya or Chad, and many wondrous attractions exist there. This is not possible anymore and the Great Sand Sea is an off-limits area for Egyptians and foreigners alike.
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Desert safari, oasis lakes, and hot springs of Siwa
However, one can get a slight taste of how the multi-day journey through the desert was with an evening desert excursion. There are a few lakes and hot springs in the desert near Siwa and one can drive over the rolling golden dunes to swim in them. The experience is simply marvelous and if you can sleep in the desert, then it gets even better. Just unroll your sleeping bag on the dune, watch the sunset over the desert spring and sleep under the canopy of a million stars. This is the beauty of Siwa Oasis of Egypt.
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FAQs
What are the top things to do in Siwa Oasis?
Per the article, highlights include exploring the mud-and-clay ruins of Shali Fortress, visiting the Temple of Amun (where Alexander the Great is said to have received his oracle), touring the necropolis and tombs in the surrounding mountains, relaxing at Siwa’s natural hot springs and salt lakes, and heading into the Great Sand Sea for a desert safari among golden dunes — including swimming in desert lakes and, ideally, sleeping out under the stars.
Is a trip to Siwa Oasis worth it?
Yes, based on the writer’s account — they describe the whole experience as ‘simply marvelous,’ especially sleeping in the desert under a sky full of stars, and frame Siwa as one of the remotest, least-visited, and most rewarding parts of Egypt to explore.
How many days do you need in Siwa Oasis?
The article doesn’t specify an exact number of days, but notes the drive alone from Cairo takes about 8 hours via the North Coast, which points to Siwa being a multi-day trip rather than a quick stop, especially if you want time for both the town’s sites and a desert safari.
What is Siwa Oasis known for?
Siwa is known for being Egypt’s farthest and most remote oasis — geographically closer to Libya than to Cairo — for its distinct Berber-descended Siwan people and endangered Siwi language, its date gardens, hot springs and salt lakes, the mud-built Shali Fortress, the Temple of Amun, and its gateway location to the Great Sand Sea.
Is Siwa Oasis safe for tourists?
The article doesn’t address safety directly. It does note that Siwa has become considerably more accessible than it was a few decades ago, and is changing fast, but offers no specific safety guidance for travelers.
I’m planning a trip to Siwa Oasis — what should I prioritize seeing and doing there?
Prioritize the Shali Fortress ruins, the Temple of Amun and nearby necropolis, and at least one hot spring or salt lake visit in town, then head out into the Great Sand Sea for a desert safari — the writer specifically recommends trying to spend a night sleeping on the dunes if you can.
Can you give me an honest, first-hand take on what Siwa Oasis is actually like to visit?
The writer’s account is enthusiastic and a little wistful: they note Siwa’s traditional mud houses are being replaced by concrete construction and donkey carts by imported vehicles as the town modernizes, but say the charm still remains — including sedate, hijab-clad women doing traditional Siwan embroidery — and call the desert experience genuinely marvelous.
What’s the best time of year to visit Siwa Oasis, and why?
The article doesn’t specify a best season for visiting Siwa Oasis.
What should a first-time visitor to Siwa Oasis know before they go?
Know that Siwa is genuinely remote — about an 8-hour drive from Cairo, and closer to Libya than to the capital — and that its people and language (Siwi, a rare, largely unwritten Berber language) are culturally distinct from the rest of Egypt. If a desert safari and dune-sleeping are on your list, plan for that as a separate leg of the trip beyond the oasis town itself.
How does Siwa Oasis compare to nearby destinations for someone deciding where to go?
The article positions Siwa as the farthest and least-visited of Egypt’s Western Desert oases, offering a more remote, offbeat alternative to Egypt’s better-known sights — it’s grouped with the writer’s other ‘offbeat Egypt’ pieces on Sinai and Dahab rather than with the classic pyramid-and-Nile itinerary.
