Siwa Oasis: Alexander's oracle, salt lakes and the edge of the Great Sand Sea

• The Temple of the Oracle: where Alexander came after founding Alexandria, and was pronounced a god.
• Shali: the old salt-and-clay town at the heart of the oasis.
• Gebel al-Mawta: the hill of rock-cut tombs, where Siwans took refuge during the fighting of 1916–17.
• Cleopatra's Spring: on the day around the oasis, with Shali and the Temple of the Oracle.
• Fantasy Island: sunset over the salt lake.
• The Great Sand Sea: a 4×4 into the dunes to Bir Wahed, for sunset and a hot spring.

Each October, around the full moon, Siwans gather at Gebel Dakrour for the three-day Siyaha festival of shared meals and songs, expected about 25–27 October 2026; the dates follow the moon and are announced locally (Scoop Empire). See the best time to visit Egypt for the desert's seasons.

Siwa is reached by road: west along the Mediterranean to Marsa Matruh, then south across the desert, the oasis's lifeline since antiquity. Our five-day tour begins with a day in Alexandria, follows that road, and gives Siwa two full days.

The UK, Canadian and Australian advice name Siwa by the Marsa Matruh road among their exceptions in the Western Desert, and the US advises travelling there with a professionally licensed tour company. Read your own government's page: United Kingdom, United States, Canada or Australia.