Siwa Oasis

Why the Siwa Oasis is special
The extremely isolated Siwa Oasis has spectacular ruins and a unique traditional Berber culture that lure adventure travelers.

Top 3 Siwa Oasis attractions
Old settlement ruins (see photo)
This is Siwa's greatest attraction. Its many mud-brick buildings (now mostly unoccupied) dramatically sit above the new town like a Hollywood movie set.

Mountain of the Dead
This hill is pitted with rock-hewn Greco-Roman tombs. It offers good views of the new town below and the numerous date palm groves beyond.

Oracle of Amon
Though little is left structurally, Amon's history lives on as being the oracle Alexander the Great consulted to rubber stamp his god status.

Other leading attractions include Cleopatra's Bath and Fatnas Spring.

More Siwa Oasis tips & insights
Sizeable Oasis
It measures 80 kilometers (50 miles) in length and 20 kilometers (12 miles) at its widest point.

Not easy to get to
Trains to Siwa are nonexistent and the local airport is used mainly for charter and private jets. By road, it is about 750 kilometers (470 miles) from Cairo and approximately 300 kilometers (190 miles) from the Mediterranean coast.

Location in Egypt