Duration: 5 days · 4 nights
Starts from: Cairo
Group size: Up to 10 guests
Difficulty: Easy

Overview

From Cairo along the Mediterranean to Siwa: the Oracle of Amun, Shali fortress, floating in salt lakes, a 4x4 day in the Great Sand Sea and a night camping in the dunes.

Siwa lies close to the Libyan border, a green island of palms and olive groves in a sea of sand. Its people are Siwi Amazigh, with their own language, crafts and customs, and the oasis has a calm, unhurried rhythm you feel the moment you arrive. It's a long way from Cairo, so we take the scenic route: along the Mediterranean coast to Marsa Matruh, then south across the desert.

Over the following days you wander through the melted-looking ruins of Shali, the old fortress town built of kershef — a mix of salt, mud and rock — and stand in the Temple of the Oracle of Amun, where Alexander the Great was proclaimed son of the god. You'll see painted tombs in the Mountain of the Dead, swim in Cleopatra's Spring, float effortlessly in the turquoise salt lakes and watch the sun set from Fatnas island.

One full day is spent in the Great Sand Sea by 4x4, with sandboarding, a hot spring among the dunes and a night camping under the stars. The other nights are in a simple, comfortable eco-lodge built in the traditional style, where the evenings are lit by candles and lanterns.

Highlights

The scenic drive along the Mediterranean coast
Shali fortress and the Temple of the Oracle of Amun
Painted tombs in the Mountain of the Dead
Floating in Siwa's turquoise salt lakes
4x4 and sandboarding in the Great Sand Sea
A night camping in the dunes
Sunset at Fatnas island

Itinerary

1
Day 1
Cairo → Mediterranean coast → Marsa Matruh → Siwa
A long but varied day on the road: north-west to the Mediterranean, lunch by the sea in Marsa Matruh, then south across the desert to Siwa. Arrive in the evening, dinner and the night at the eco-lodge.
2
Day 2
Shali → Oracle of Amun → Mountain of the Dead → Fatnas sunset
Explore the mud-brick lanes of Shali, visit the Temple of the Oracle of Amun and the painted tombs of the Mountain of the Dead, and swim in Cleopatra's Spring. Sunset with tea at Fatnas island and dinner at the lodge.
3
Day 3
Salt lakes → Great Sand Sea → dune camp
Float in the salt lakes in the morning, then head into the Great Sand Sea by 4x4. Sandboarding, a dip in a desert hot spring and sunset from the top of a dune, followed by dinner and a night at camp.
4
Day 4
Sunrise in the dunes → Siwa at leisure
Wake up for sunrise among the dunes, breakfast at camp and the drive back to Siwa. Free afternoon to cycle through the palm groves, browse for Siwi crafts or rest at the lodge.
5
Day 5
Siwa → Cairo
An early breakfast and the long drive back via Marsa Matruh, arriving at your hotel in Cairo in the evening.