Desert, Oasis, Cairo
Alexandria, the Mediterranean coast and Siwa Oasis.
Cairo, a night in Alexandria, the coast road west, then three nights in Siwa: salt lakes, palm gardens, an ancient oracle and the edge of the Great Sand Sea.
How the days
usually unfold.
Long drives, rewarded. The road from the coast to Siwa crosses open desert, and the oasis is far enough from Cairo to feel like another country.
Arrive in Cairo
Meet-and-assist and transfer to your hotel.
Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum
The pyramids in the morning, the museum in the afternoon.
Drive to Alexandria
About three hours. The Qaitbay Citadel, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina and a fish lunch on the Corniche.
Alexandria to Marsa Matruh
The Catacombs of Kom el-Shoqafa and Pompey's Pillar, then west along the coast road to Marsa Matruh. In summer, time for a swim at Agiba beach.
Into the desert, to Siwa
About four hours south across the desert to Siwa. Sunset over the salt lake from Fatnas island.
Siwa Oasis
The mud-brick ruins of Shali, the Temple of the Oracle where Alexander the Great came for answers, the tombs of the Mountain of the Dead and a swim in Cleopatra's Spring.
The Great Sand Sea
A 4x4 trip into the dunes south of the oasis, with a dip in a desert hot spring and dinner under the stars.
Back towards Cairo
A long road day back to Cairo, around ten hours with breaks, or an overnight in Alexandria to split it.
Departure
Transfer to Cairo International Airport.
A different
Egypt entirely.
Siwa is one of the most remote towns in Egypt and one of the most beautiful. It sits in the Western Desert near the Libyan border, surrounded by salt lakes and hundreds of thousands of date palms. The people speak their own Amazigh language, Siwi, as well as Arabic, and the old town is built of mud and salt.
Getting there is part of the trip. We go via Alexandria, which deserves more than the day trip most visitors give it, and along the Mediterranean coast before turning south into the desert. Coming back, we drive straight to Cairo, or break the journey in Alexandria if you prefer.
This route suits people who have already seen the pyramids and the Nile, or who are happy to swap the temples of the south for something quieter. If you want both, combine the first three days here with a Nile cruise; it becomes a two-week trip.
Where you stay in Siwa
Siwa has a few small eco-lodges built from local materials, some with no electricity in the rooms and lit by candles at night. They are comfortable and memorable but simple. There are also conventional hotels. Tell us which you prefer.
What is included,
and what is not.
Every journey is private and priced for your dates. This is what a quote from us normally covers, and what we price or leave separately.
A few clear
answers first.
How far is Siwa from Cairo?
Around 800 km by road via the coast. Most people break the journey at Alexandria or Marsa Matruh on the way there, then drive back in a single long day.
Do we need a permit for Siwa?
Not for Siwa town and the main sites. Some desert areas outside the oasis need permits, which we arrange with the safari operator.
When is the best time to go?
October to April. Summer in Siwa is extremely hot, and winter nights in the desert can be cold.
Are there flights to Siwa?
There are no regular scheduled flights for visitors, so this journey is by private car.
Compare it with
a different pace.
Not sure this is the right shape? These routes start from similar places but give the days a different balance.
Cairo, Alexandria & the Nile
Cairo, an overnight in Alexandria and a three-night Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor: Egypt's ancient and classical sides in nine days.
See this journey →
Egypt, In Depth
Three full days in Cairo, Aswan and Abu Simbel, a four-night Nile cruise to Luxor, then two days on the Red Sea.
See this journey →
Egypt Essentials
Six days for a first visit: Giza and the Grand Egyptian Museum, old Cairo, then two full days in Luxor on both banks of the Nile.
See this journey →Change the order,
keep what matters.
Tell us your dates and who is travelling. We will send a day-by-day plan with hotels and a full price, then adjust it with you on WhatsApp until it fits.