SIWA
OASIS

Overview
Travel from Cairo into the vast quiet of Egypt’s Western Desert and arrive in Siwa, an oasis shaped by salt lakes, ancient fortresses, and natural springs. The day unfolds at a slower rhythm: entering the Old Town of Shali, floating effortlessly in crystalline salt pools, and ending in the warmth of a traditional hot spring. This first day offers a soft, immersive introduction to Siwa’s history, landscape, and distinctive atmosphere.

Itinerary

Morning Pickup – From Your Hotel in Cairo or Giza
Start the day with early morning pickup from your hotel by private air-conditioned vehicle. Depart westward toward the Western Desert, leaving the city behind as the landscape gradually opens into desert plains.

Drive to Siwa
Continue the long but steady journey across the Western Desert. Over the course of the ten-hour drive, the transition unfolds gradually: urban edges dissolve, open horizons replace density, and the palette softens into muted desert tones. Long stretches of quiet, soft dunes, and occasional settlements mark the approach to one of Egypt’s most remote oases. The route’s simplicity prepares you for the slower pace of Siwa.

Lodge Check-In
Upon reaching Siwa, settle into your eco-lodge, built with traditional kershef (salt–mud) architecture. The atmosphere shifts immediately — slower, softer, and distinctly Siwan. Enjoy a late breakfast and a moment to rest before beginning your first explorations.

Old Town of Shali
Enter the ruins of Shali, the ancient mud-brick citadel that once housed and protected the entire oasis community. Built from layers of salt and clay, the structure rises organically from the ground, forming a maze of narrow passages, collapsed towers, and quiet vantage points. Walking here gives a clear sense of how Siwans lived — enclosed, fortified, and deeply tied to their environment. The views over the palm groves and the modern town reveal how history and present life sit side by side.

Siwa Salt Lakes
Experience Siwa’s famous salt lakes, where the water is so mineral-rich that floating feels effortless. The clarity and density of the pools create a sensation between levitation and stillness. The contrast between the bright, crystalline water and the surrounding desert adds to the surreal atmosphere. The lakes are natural, silent, and restorative — one of Siwa’s signature experiences.

Hot Spring Experience
Relax in a natural hot spring, where warm, mineralized water flows steadily into stone pools. The springs are part of daily life in Siwa and offer a grounding counterpoint to the salt lakes. The setting — often among palms or open desert — creates a simple but memorable sense of comfort.

Dinner at Albabenshal Heritage Restaurant
Dine in one of Siwa’s most atmospheric heritage restaurants, built into restored mud-brick structures at the foot of Shali. The setting is warm and intimate, featuring candlelight, traditional Siwan dishes, and architecture that preserves the character of the old oasis. It is an ideal end to your first day in Siwa.

Meals: Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Siwa

Visits:
• Old Town of Shali
• Siwa Salt Lakes
• Hot Spring
• Albabenshal Heritage Restaurant

Overview
A day devoted to Siwa’s deeper layers — its ancient rituals, desert landscape, and living culture. You begin with sites tied to the oasis’ spiritual past, from painted tombs carved into limestone cliffs to the oracle shrine once visited by pharaohs. Midday slows at Cleopatra’s Spring, followed by a quiet sunset at Western Lake. The evening shifts into a different atmosphere altogether: an eco-village built in traditional Siwan style, where dinner is served by candlelight in a setting shaped by local craft, simplicity, and desert silence.

Itinerary

Mountain of the Dead
Walk among Siwa’s cliffside tombs carved into Gebel el-Mawta, where layers of painted plaster, funerary symbols, and traces of Greco-Roman influence reveal the oasis’ spiritual and artistic history. The hill offers clear views over palm groves and settlements, grounding the archaeological experience within the living landscape.

Oracle Temple of Amun
Enter the remains of the sanctuary once visited by pharaohs — including Alexander the Great — seeking divine confirmation and guidance. The setting is stark yet powerful: stone walls rising from the desert, with echoes of rituals that once positioned Siwa as a place of prophecy and spiritual authority.

Lunch at Cleopatra’s Water Spring
Rest beside one of Siwa’s best-known natural pools, a circular spring surrounded by palms and small local cafés. Guests may swim if they wish; the atmosphere is informal, shaded, and shaped by the simplicity of oasis life.

Western Lake Sunset
Move toward Siwa’s western edge, where the lake mirrors the sky and the desert light softens into gold and rose tones. The setting is quiet and expansive — a place where the scale of Siwa becomes more tangible. Siwan tea is typically served as the colors shift across the water.

Dinner at Taziry Eco-Village
End the evening inside a cultural eco-village built with traditional kershef (salt-mud) architecture. Candlelit courtyards, handmade décor, and mountain views create an atmosphere rooted in Siwan heritage. Dinner highlights local dishes prepared with regional ingredients, served in a setting that feels both authentic and refined.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Siwa

Visits:
• Mountain of the Dead
• Oracle Temple of Amun
• Cleopatra’s Water Spring
• Taziry Eco-Village

Overview
Spend the day deep inside the Great Sand Sea, one of Egypt’s most expansive dune systems. The experience unfolds through shifting landscapes — long wind-formed ridges, soft valleys, and silent basins that stretch beyond view. With a 4×4 journey, a quiet picnic in the dunes, and a private starlit dinner in the open desert, the day captures the scale, calm, and immersive solitude that define Siwa’s remote western horizon.

Itinerary

4×4 Expedition Into the Great Sand Sea
Travel by 4×4 into the heart of the dune system, where wind-sculpted ridges rise and fall in sweeping curves. The terrain changes constantly — firm sand giving way to powder-soft valleys — revealing the vastness and quiet that make the Great Sand Sea one of Egypt’s most otherworldly environments.

Private Picnic Lunch
A simple, quiet lunch served in a sheltered hollow of the dunes. The stillness, open sky, and uninterrupted horizon give the meal a sense of calm and immersion that is unique to desert travel.

Optional Experience: Sandboarding
For guests who wish to try it, sandboarding offers a light and enjoyable way to engage with the dunes. The smooth, angled slopes of the Great Sand Sea make it easy to glide, pause, and repeat at your own pace, adding a touch of playfulness to the day without disrupting its calm rhythm.

Desert Dinner Under the Stars
As evening settles, enjoy a private dinner prepared in the open desert. With no nearby lights, the sky becomes exceptionally clear — stars appearing in layers, the silence deepening, and the dunes cooling around you.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Overnight: Siwa

Visits:
• Great Sand Sea

Overview
Return to Cairo after the long days in Siwa’s quiet basin and deep desert surroundings. This day shifts the journey into a softer, more reflective rhythm. The drive east offers a natural transition — leaving palm groves and salt lakes behind and moving gradually through vast open landscapes before re-entering the scale and rhythm of the capital. The evening in Cairo is intentionally light, giving space to rest, reset, and absorb the experiences of Siwa before departure.

Itinerary

Morning at Leisure
Begin the day slowly at your Siwa lodge. Enjoy a quiet breakfast, a final walk around the garden or palm groves, or simply take in the stillness that defines the oasis. This unhurried morning offers a gentle closing moment before returning to the city.

Drive from Siwa to Cairo
Start the eastward return from Siwa, leaving its green basin for the wide, muted expanse of the Western Desert. The road moves past salt lakes, small villages, and patches of cultivated land before opening into long stretches of dunes, limestone ridges, and quiet horizons. As you continue, signs of transition appear — scattered farms, roadside cafés, and increasing movement near the Nile Valley. Approaching Cairo, the desert gives way to the city’s outer districts and the structured density of the capital.

Arrival in Cairo
Upon reaching Cairo, settle into your hotel for a calm evening. The time is yours — whether to rest, enjoy dinner, or simply let the impressions of Siwa, the desert, and the slow rhythm of the oasis settle in before your onward journey.

Meals: Breakfast
Overnight: Cairo

Visits: —