Siwa Oasis Travel Recommendations for 2024 (Updated in May)

In the Egyptian desert oasis, fall into the scene of Assassin's Creed in a second!

In Siwa, this Egyptian oasis city, there is an ancient castle that is surprisingly open for free. Walking here is just like coming to the scene of Assassin's Creed, making one feel as if they have entered a maze. You can watch a sunset here, which is breathtakingly beautiful.

The aftereffects of leaving Siwa Oasis on the second day are even stronger than a heartbreak

Siwa Oasis in Egypt, a small town rooted in the desert, where the economy is underdeveloped, transportation is inconvenient🚙, and tourists are scarce. Yet, because of its simple customs✨, touching prices, and unique scenery, it has become my favorite place in this trip to Egypt❤. Nurtured by the desert are temples, salt lakes🌊, hot springs, and other wonders, Sandboarding, diving, watching the sunset, unlocking various life experiences, The aroma of roasted Kebab is overwhelming🍖, with dates sweeter than honey, For just 50 per person, you can rent a tuk-tuk for a whole day✌, it's really worth it! 📅Recommended visiting time: at least 2 days Siwa Oasis is suitable for relaxation and worth exploring, so it's advised to stay longer. If you're on a tight schedule, this quick tour itinerary is for you: 👉Day 1: Arrive at Siwa by bus at 10:00, start a car tour at 11:00 (many people at the station are looking for passengers). 🗺Oracle Temple (overlooking Siwa)→Temple of Amun→Salt Lakes→Camp Hot Spring→Sunset at Shali Fortress 👉Day 2: Start a car tour at 9:00, and take the bus back to Cairo at 19:30. 🗺Mountain of the Dead→Enter the Sahara Desert→Mummy Sites→Beside the Bedouin River→2 million-year-old human footprint sites→Cleopatra Spring 🌟Oracle Temple (Oracle Temple) The architecture is relatively well-preserved, and you can overlook Siwa from the hillside, capturing the coconut groves and salt lakes in one frame, which is really amazing. Next to it is the Temple of Amun, with beautiful patterns on the stele, worth a short stay. 🌟Salt Lakes (Salt Lakes) Salt lakes of various sizes and colors, formed by mining. With a salinity of over 90%, even non-swimmers can enjoy the fun of floating, which is thrilling for me, a non-swimmer. Remember to bring swim trunks, a towel, and fresh water for rinsing. The edges of the salt lakes are sharp, so be careful not to get cut. 🌟Camp Hot Spring (hot spring) Taking a warm natural hot spring bath after coming out of the salt lake is simply delightful. The pool bottom has algae, and the water quality is average, with an entrance fee of 100 Egyptian pounds per person, and you can play for about 1 hour. 🌟Shali Fortress (Shali Fortress) This is a filming location for 'Assassin's Creed' and also resembles a maze. Watching the sunset from a high point and the rise of the evening glow is very romantic. It's recommended to check the sunset time in advance and plan the day's itinerary accordingly. 🌟Mountain of the Dead (Gabal al-Mawta) A Pharaoh's temple from 1600 years ago, with no tourists when I arrived at 9:30 in the morning, perfect for photography. 🌟Sahara Desert (Sahara Desert) Due to limited time, I couldn't watch the desert sunset and stars this time. The car tour guide took us to see some off-the-beaten-path places. In a crevice of a small mountain near the Libyan border, you can see scattered mummies, some of which have been damaged. Near the site of early human footprints, we also saw a wild hare. I was so excited that I shouted out loud and didn't manage to take a photo. 🌟Cleopatra Spring (Cleopatra Spring) For diving in China, you watch Tianjin, but for diving in Egypt, you watch Siwa. Many people come here every day to dive in various styles, with a depth of about 4 meters, so non-swimmers should not try. The juice shop next door is famous, and you can go up to the second floor to quietly watch the free performance.

【Egypt·Siwa】Lonely and forgotten by the world

Egypt·Siwa Transportation: The transportation is extremely inconvenient, without planes or trains. The only options are buses and chartered cars. It is about 10 hours drive from Cairo, and you can usually stay overnight in Matruh (about half the journey). Food: Traditional Egyptian meals, roast chicken meals are the most appetizing. Most restaurants in Siwa serve very slowly, it's best to confirm before ordering, otherwise it might take an hour or more. The few restaurants in the center are quite distinctive, but the prices are really not cheap. Accommodation: There are not many hotels, basically they are all homestays. The price is okay, after all, the conditions are really average. Travel: The attractions in Siwa are not far away. Except for Sahara sand sliding, other tutu cars are enough, the price is affordable and you can also experience the local customs. Play: Cleopatra Spring. It is said that Cleopatra VII of Egypt bathed in the desert hot spring, and you can go into the water. There are very distinctive coffee shops around, you can try. Siwa Amun Temple Oracle temple. It is said that after Alexander the Great conquered ancient Egypt, he specifically came here to receive the oracle of Amun and was crowned king. Although it is now in ruins, the mysterious historical mark still exists. Mountain of death. The cemetery of some nobles in the ancient Egyptian dynasty, there are many large and small holes, it is said that it was discovered during World War II to avoid pursuers. Climbing up the mountain can overlook the whole Siwa. Shali fortress. The 13th-century castle, this mud brick and salt block high-rise building was damaged in a rainstorm in 1926, and the remaining ruins are like a lost city. Sunrise or sunset, absolutely beautiful. Siwa Salt Lake. Siwa Salt Lake is in large areas, with countless salt mountains. It's a bit different from what I imagined, the lake is too big and too many. The salt content is as high as 90%, it is not too much to call it a small Dead Sea. Pay attention to fresh water rinsing and sun protection. Sahara Jeep safari. The shape of the Sahara here is very suitable for sand sliding, exciting and fun. The natural hot spring in the middle is a rest point, I personally think it's not very interesting. The sunset in the desert is always desolate and magnificent, have a cup of Berber tea, enjoy the tranquility under the sunset. You can also choose a desert dinner, blending into the starry sky of the Sahara. Fatnas Island Sunset. A special lakeside sunset viewing spot, there are several coffee shops, there are seats on the high platform and by the lake. Enjoy the tranquility of the lake when the sunset falls quietly. Walking through the date palm forest of Siwa oasis, here is like a small town forgotten by the world, lonely and quiet. Or this is the place flowing with milk and honey in the desert, the promised land.

The centre of Siwa is dominated by the spectacular organic shape of the 13th century mud brick fortress. Built of salt blocks, the maze-like hybrid building was originally four or five stories high with hundreds of people living. A small road passes through the collapsed remnants, passes through the old mosque with chimney-shaped minaret, reaches the top, and looks down, you can clearly see the edge of the city and the desert, the scale of the palm trees and the life in the city. state. Few people have been here for centuries, but the three-day rain in 1926 eroded the castle, and the residents had to move to the new town, leaving Shali Castle. The whole mountain bag is earthy and covered with ancient tomb holes. It is one of the main tourist attractions of Siwa. Archaeologists have discovered that there are human footprints dating back 3 million years and are the earliest known human footprints in the world. The flints found here prove that they lived in the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods, which made Siwa's early history enveloped in mystery.

In the southern part of the 20 km near Siwa is a white salt lake. The Siwa Salt Lake is composed of large and small salt lakes. The crystal clear salt lake water turns into an emerald color against the white salt. Summer is pink. It is not easy to get to the salt lake from the town. Without public transportation, we have to call a local tug to take us. The driver is an Egyptian version of Justin Bieber. It was very fierce, bypassing the complete path, brushing through the dense palm trees and taking us to this white emerald salt lake. Salt Lake is a little far from the town. Except for the nearby residents, there are few people going there. The salt lake has become a green ribbon on the wilderness, no one bothers. In the slightly cool autumn and winter, my brother wanted to try the buoyancy of the salt lake. When the clothes broke off, he jumped into the water, and the water was crystal clear. He was like a strange candy, melting in the green Siwa Salt Lake.

The Sakhali hinterland, 700 km from Cairo, is home to a legendary desert oasis, Siwa. Here is the birthplace of the Assassin's Creed story, where Cleopatra was bathed, and the glorious myth of the dilapidated ancient city, all staying here. Just arrived in Siwa, we did not book accommodation in advance, but as the locals came to the foot of the ancient city of Shali, they found a century-old earth house, the Adrre Amellal, which was converted from the ancient city site. This is an ecological hotel in the Sahara Desert. Relying on the buildings left by the ancients, the beds and eaves made of palm trees exude a chic scent; the walls made of mud and salt crystals from time to time There will be a little bit of soil ash falling. There is no roof in the living room, and the night is a little starlight in the ancient city. The second floor restaurant does not have a glass window. It is a natural frame made of mud and trunk. No matter which angle you look at, you can see the street side. Lush palm trees. I asked the boss: Is there a house with no roof and glass windows, are you not afraid of rain? The boss smiled and said: Siwa will only rain a few times a year, every few minutes, but it has stopped before the rain has closed. We also hope that God can have more rain.

private pool on the desert

Take a bus “Delta Bus” from Cairo to Siwa Beautiful village and salt lake you can floating on it Many hotels in Siwa with village view and friendly people You can get many traditional craft by Siwa villagers #backpacker #skiadventure