Two desert trips
Siwa or the White Desert?
Choose the White Desert if you have two days and want the strangest landscape in Egypt and a night camping under the stars; it is about four hours from Cairo to Bahariya. Choose Siwa if you have four days or more and want a living oasis culture: mud-brick Shali, the Oracle temple where Alexander the Great came, salt lakes you can float in and the dunes of the Great Sand Sea. Siwa is eight to nine hours from Cairo by the coast road. With a week, do both, but as two separate trips from Cairo.
Compared
The two trips side by side
| White Desert | Siwa | |
|---|---|---|
| From Cairo | About 4 hours to Bahariya, then 4x4 | 8 to 9 hours via the coast and Marsa Matruh, or fly when flights run |
| Time needed | 2 days, 1 night (3 days is better) | 3 nights minimum, 4 to 5 better |
| What you see | Chalk formations, Black Desert, Crystal Mountain, dunes | Oasis town, ruins, salt lakes, springs, Great Sand Sea |
| Where you sleep | A camp in the open desert | Eco-lodges and hotels, with an optional desert camp |
| Feel | Wild, empty, one unforgettable night | Slow, cultural, a distinct Amazigh community |
The other oasis
What Siwa offers
- 1Shali. The melted-looking mud-brick fortress town at the heart of Siwa.
- 2The Oracle of Amun. The hilltop temple Alexander the Great visited in 331 BC.
- 3Salt lakes and springs. Float in the salt pools and swim in Cleopatra's spring.
- 4The Great Sand Sea. Huge dunes, sandboarding and a desert camp with hot springs.
- 5The Mountain of the Dead. A hill of rock-cut tombs, some painted.
With a week
Can you combine them?
Yes, but not by the direct desert road between Bahariya and Siwa: government travel advice such as the UK's advises against that road, and it is generally closed to tourists. The practical way is two trips from Cairo, the White Desert first (two or three days) and then Siwa via the coast (four or five days). See safety and permits.
When
Best time for each
Both are best from October to April. The White Desert camp is cold in December and January; Siwa's lodges are more comfortable then. Both lie in the path of the 2 August 2027 total eclipse: about 6 minutes 17 seconds at Bahariya and about 5 minutes 30 seconds at Siwa. See the best time to visit.
Asked often
Siwa or the White Desert, answered
- Which is better, Siwa or the White Desert?
- The White Desert for a short, dramatic trip with a night camping; Siwa for a longer, cultural oasis stay. With a week, do both.
- Can I go from the White Desert to Siwa directly?
- Not as a tourist: the Bahariya to Siwa road is advised against by government travel advice and generally closed. Go back to Cairo and take the coast road.
- How many days do I need for Siwa?
- Three nights at least, four or five to enjoy it, because the drive from Cairo is eight to nine hours each way.
- Is Siwa or the White Desert closer to Cairo?
- The White Desert: about four hours to Bahariya. Siwa is eight to nine hours by road.
- Are both in the 2027 eclipse path?
- Yes. Bahariya gets about 6 minutes 17 seconds of totality and Siwa about 5 minutes 30 seconds.
