Siwa Oasis

Siwa is an oasis at the far edge of the Western Desert near the Libyan border, about 300 km south-west of Marsa Matrouh. Its people are Amazigh, with their own language and customs, and it is known for its dates, olives and the fresh water that rises from hundreds of springs.

In the heart of town stand the remains of Shali, the old town built from kershef, a mix of mud and salt, from the 13th century. Nearby are the Temple of the Oracle of Amun at Aghurmi, visited by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, and Cleopatra's Spring, where visitors swim in warm, clear water.

Around Siwa lie turquoise salt lakes in which you float as in the Dead Sea, and a sea of sand stretching to the horizon, crossed by four-wheel drive to a hot spring among the dunes. October to April is the season; the road is long, so we arrange Siwa for lovers of nature and quiet.