Come for three things. The Temple of the Oracle at Aghurmi, where Alexander the Great was declared son of Amun in 331 BC. The kershef ruins of Shali, the salt-and-mud town that three days of rain dissolved in 1926. And the water: Cleopatra's Bath in the palm groves, the salt pools west of town, and a hot spring out in the Great Sand Sea. Give it three nights.
Siwa sits in a depression 19 metres below sea level, near the Libyan border and a full day's bus ride from Cairo. It is the one corner of Egypt where the everyday language is Amazigh rather than Arabic, the houses are built from salt and mud, and the ruins outnumber the tour buses.
The oracle Alexander the Great crossed the desert to reach in 331 BC, where the priests declared him son of Amun. What survives is a 6th-century BC sanctuary on a rock spur above the palm groves. Climb it late in the day for the light over Aghurmi village.
The 13th-century town Siwans lived in until three days of rain in 1926 dissolved its salt-and-mud walls. An EU-funded restoration reopened the lanes and lookouts in 2020. Go up at sunset, when the kershef turns the colour of the dunes behind it.
Worked-out salt quarries that filled with brine dense enough to float in without trying, rimmed in white crust and turquoise water. There is no shade and no shop. Bring water, and rinse afterwards; the salt finds any cut you did not know you had.
The dune field that runs from Siwa deep into Libya, and the reason most visitors book a 4x4 afternoon. Sandboarding, a cold lake, a hot spring, and sunset from a crest with nothing behind it. Trips are arranged in town and need a driver who knows the route.
A stone-rimmed pool fed by a spring that never stops turning over, so the water stays clear and cool in any heat. It is the busiest spring in the oasis and the easiest to reach by bicycle. Cafes on the rim sell tea and juice; women usually swim covered.
A palm-covered spit reached by a causeway across Lake Siwa, and the oasis's agreed sunset spot. There is a spring pool, a couple of tea shacks and a long view west over water and salt flat. Come an hour early; the causeway runs single file at dusk.
A cone of rock honeycombed with tombs cut between the 26th Dynasty and the Roman centuries. The painted chambers near the top are the reason to climb, and the guard unlocks them. Go early: the hill has no shade at all.
A hot spring bubbling out of the dunes, with a cold freshwater lake a few minutes' drive away. It is the standard finish to a desert afternoon. You cannot reach it without a 4x4 and a driver, so it is sold as part of the safari rather than on its own.
One traditional kershef house kept as a house, with the layered bridal dresses, silver collars and basketwork Siwan families set aside a generation ago. It takes twenty minutes and it is the only place in town that explains what you have been looking at.
The red hill where Siwans hold the Siyaha Festival each October, and where visitors are buried to the neck in hot sand for joint pain through the summer. Out of season it is a short climb for the best overview of the palm belt and the lakes beyond.
The 6th-century BC sanctuary Alexander crossed the desert to consult.
Three days at Gebel Dakrour: communal feasts, Amazigh songs and the year's disputes settled.
Amnzou ripens in September, Siwi and Azzawi in early October, Takdat by January.
The mills run through autumn on a crop of roughly 27,500 tonnes.
A saint's festival at the shrine of Sidi Suleiman, held once the corn is in.
Kitchens close by day and the town wakes after sunset. Confirm opening hours before travelling.
Three days of family visits. Buses fill weeks ahead and the lodges book out.
The larger of the two Eids, four days long, and the quietest week for sightseeing.
Egypt's national spring picnic day, and the last comfortable holiday before the heat.
The nearest airport with scheduled flights, about 300 km north. Cairo to Matruh is an hour in the air, then three to four hours by road across the desert.
West Delta runs from Cairo Gateway and Almaza, eight to twelve hours depending on the service. Buy at the counter a day or two ahead rather than through a reseller.
Several departures a day, including an overnight. Change at Marsa Matruh where there is no through service; the last leg is about three and a half hours.
Rented bicycles reach Shali, Cleopatra's Bath and Fatnas. Tuk-tuks cover the eastern springs. Anything in the sand needs a 4x4 and a driver.
Flat wheat bread baked in hot sand under coals, eaten with everything.
Chicken or lamb layered with vegetables and cooked in a buried clay pot.
Steamed grain under stewed vegetables and whatever meat is going.
Lamb shank braised slowly until it comes away from the bone.
The wedding dish: a whole goose simmered for hours in aromatic broth.
Slow-cooked until the sauce turns musky and sweet at once.
The oasis's own variety, off some 280,000 palms. Best fresh in autumn.
Cold pressed from the autumn crop and sold by the litre in the market.
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