Siwa & the Western Desert

Who are Siwa & the Western Desert holidays best for?

Lovers of Egypt who want to experience a ‘deeper cut’ of this fascinating destination. Amateur (and professional) Egyptologist with a thirst for greater understanding of ancient Egypt. Adventurers looking to get way, way off the beaten path. Dedicated followers of Alexander the Great, who visited the oracle here the year after he was crowned pharaoh.

What can you only experience on Siwa & the Western Desert holidays?

Sitting pretty beyond the chessboard latticework of deserts and just 30 miles from the Libyan border, the desert jewel of Siwa is fed with fresh water from springs bubbling up from the Nubian aquifer. Siwa has been off limits of late, but is now back in play, and well worth a visit. So remote is Siwa that the population have managed to maintain their ancient language – Siwi – completely distinct from Arabic. Meanwhile, the Western Desert is an arid region that occupies the entire western half of Egypt. We strongly recommend waking up at dawn to explore to see the whole sunset light show again in reverse, before exploring for fossils and bizarre rock formations. Just don’t forget your sunglasses. The white rock formations in the White Desert are incredibly bright when the sun shines, which it does pretty much every day. Baharyia, the major town on the outskirts of the desert, is home to The Valley of the Golden Mummies, where some 250 Mummies from a cemetery that contained an astonishing 10,000 are on display. Also worth a wander around is the Temple of Bahariya with its beautifully decorated walls.