3-Day Siwa Oasis Tour from Cairo: Desert Safari & Salt Lakes

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

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Duration3d

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · AR

PickupAt your hotel

Siwa's salt lakes float you; its hot springs warm you; its sand dunes roll under a 4x4 at sunset.

A 3-day private tour from Cairo to Siwa Oasis with a local guide, covering desert safari by 4x4, salt lake swimming, the Oracle temple where Alexander the Great once traveled, and the Mountain of the Dead. Pickup from Cairo, Giza, Alexandria or Marsa Matrouh is included; the guide speaks English and Arabic. Hotel accommodation, meals, water and snacks at the salt lakes are part of the package.

Step-by-step itinerary

Day 1 — Travel and Desert Safari

Drive 5 hours from Cairo to Marsa Matrouh
Enjoy breakfast at Marsa Matrouh
Relax at the coast in Marsa Matrouh
Continue driving to Siwa
Have lunch and rest at hotel
4x4 desert safari tour
Climb sand dunes by 4x4
Swim in cold desert lake
Swim in hot spring
Visit fossils area
Sandboarding and drink local tea
Watch sunset in desert
Dinner in camp and stargazing
Return to hotel

Day 2 — Siwa Salt Lakes and Visits

Visit old town of Siwa
Visit Cleopatra spring
Swim and float on salt lakes
Visit Oracle temple
Visit Mountain of the Dead
Visit ancient cemetery
Visit local museum
Watch sunset at scenic spot

Day 3 — Siwa City Tour and Return

Breakfast at hotel
Free tour in downtown Siwa
Drive back to Cairo

The Experience

The drive from Cairo takes five hours, ending in Marsa Matrouh on the coast before the final push into Siwa. After lunch and a rest at your hotel, you head out by 4x4 into the great sand sea. The safari covers sand dune climbing, a cold desert lake for swimming, a hot spring also for swimming, a fossils area, sandboarding with local tea, and the sunset. Dinner happens in a camp under the night sky, then back to the hotel for stargazing.

Day two stays in Siwa itself. You walk the old town—a maze of salt and mud buildings with photo angles across it—then swim in Cleopatra Spring, a natural spring under palm trees fed from underground. The salt lakes come next; floating there is said to draw positive energy and leave skin healthier. The Oracle temple explains why Alexander the Great made the journey here. The Mountain of the Dead, ringed by hot springs, hosts a three-day Siwan festival every year and holds an ancient cemetery with over two thousand tombs, some still colored, with scenes carved to tell the story of the afterlife. A local museum rounds out the afternoon, and a sunset viewpoint closes it.

The final morning is a free 45-minute walk through downtown Siwa before the drive back to Cairo. Your guide is a local, which means the tour opens access to details and traditions a visitor finds nowhere else—the customs of Siwan people, the real local food, the hidden corners residents know.

What’s included

Private AC car pickup from Cairo, Giza, Alexandria or Marsa Matrouh and return transport.
three nights accommodation in Siwa.
all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner).
bottled water and snacks at the salt lakes.
4x4 desert safari with sand dune climbing, cold lake and hot spring swimming, fossils area visit, sandboarding and sunset viewing.
camp dinner with stargazing.
visits to Cleopatra Spring, salt lakes, Oracle temple, Mountain of the Dead, local museum and downtown Siwa.
English or Arabic-speaking local guide.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Windows of Siwa

Is this one for you?Pickup from Cairo, Giza, Alexandria or Marsa Matrouh means you don't need a car or a separate driver arrangement—the private transport is settled before you arrive, and the same car collects you from wherever you're staying and brings you back at the end.