Small Group Egypt ToursBest Luxury Egypt Tours: 16-Day Grand Discovery
16 Days / 15 Nights • Limited to 8-12
Itinerary
Cairo • Saqqara • Giza • Minya • Abydos • Luxor • Alexandria • Siwa Oasis
From$9,995 per person.
View Journey
Siwa Oasis Egypt
Siwa Oasis, Egypt: a remote Sahara refuge where ancient Berber culture still thrives.
Overview
Discover Siwa Oasis, Egypt
Siwa Oasis Egypt lies in the Western Desert near the Libyan border, roughly eighteen metres below sea level and about ten hours by road from Cairo. It stayed largely cut off until a paved road reached it in the 1980s, and the isolation shows: Siwi, a Berber language, is still spoken here.
What to See Around Egypt Siwa Oasis
The mud-brick ruins of Shali rise over the town, the Temple of the Oracle sits at Aghurmi, and salt lakes and palm groves fill the basin between them. The Great Sand Sea begins at the edge of the cultivation.
Getting There
Check any Siwa Oasis Egypt map before travelling: the route runs via Marsa Matruh on the coast, not directly west from Cairo.
Not To Be Missed
Siwa Oasis, Egypt Highlights
Attraction 01
Temple of the Oracle
The Temple of the Oracle at Siwa, built in the 6th century BC, drew Alexander the Great across the Sahara in 331 BC to confirm his divine destiny, remaining a highlight of any luxury Siwa tour.
Attraction 02
Aghurmi Village
Aghurmi Village, a fortified hilltop settlement predating the Oracle Temple, preserves mudbrick ruins where ancient Siwans once lived alongside the sacred sanctuary that later drew Alexander the Great across the desert.
Attraction 03
Temple of Umm Ubayda
The Temple of Umm Ubayda, a smaller Amun sanctuary near Aghurmi, once mirrored the Oracle Temple in scale before an 1897 explosion left only a single carved wall standing at this Siwa site.
Attraction 04
Shali Fortress
Shali Fortress rises from the center of Siwa town, built in the 13th century entirely from kershef, a local material of salt rock and mud, forming one of the oasis's most iconic landmarks.
Attraction 05
Mountain of the Dead
The Mountain of the Dead at Siwa, known locally as Gebel el Mawta, honeycombs a sandstone hill with 26th Dynasty tombs where residents sheltered during World War II air raids on the oasis.
Attraction 06
Cleopatra's Bath
Cleopatra's Bath is a perfectly circular spring of warm, mineral rich water in Siwa, said by legend to have once drawn the queen herself, remaining a popular stop on any Siwa Oasis tour.
Attraction 07
Siwa House Museum
The Siwa House Museum preserves traditional Siwan domestic life through handwoven textiles, silver jewelry, and palm wood furnishings inside a restored historic mudbrick residence in the heart of the oasis town.
Attraction 08
Fatnas Island
Fatnas Island, a palm covered promontory jutting into Siwa's salt lake, offers the oasis's most celebrated sunset views across still water framed by distant desert dunes, a must see Siwa spot.
Attraction 09
Siwa Salt Lakes
The Siwa Salt Lakes, mineral rich pools scattered across the oasis floor, allow visitors to float effortlessly on dense, buoyant water framed by palm groves and desert silence, unique to Siwa Oasis.
Attraction 10
Dakrour Mountain
Dakrour Mountain, revered for centuries as a site of therapeutic sand bathing, rises above Siwa's palm groves and draws visitors each August for its ancient healing festival, a cultural highlight of the oasis.
Attraction 11
Great Sand Sea
The Great Sand Sea stretches from Siwa deep into Libya, its 72,000 square kilometers of rolling golden dunes forming one of Earth's largest deserts, perfect for a Siwa desert safari.
Attraction 12
Bir Wahed
Bir Wahed, a remote hot spring bubbling deep within the Great Sand Sea, pairs steaming mineral waters with a neighboring cold spring beneath towering desert dunes, a favorite Siwa adventure stop.
Curated Journeys
Tours in Siwa Oasis, Egypt
Planning Your Visit
Best Time to Visit Siwa Oasis, Egypt
Ideal Season
October to April
Recommended Stay
4-6 days
Region
Western Desert
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about visiting Siwa Oasis, Egypt.
Ready to Explore Siwa Oasis, Egypt?
Let our specialists create a bespoke itinerary that captures the magic of this extraordinary destination.