Cairo to Siwa Oasis: How to Get There

Siwa is about 750 km from Cairo. How long the trip takes by bus, private car or organised tour, where to stop on the way and when to go.

Siwa is one of the most remote places most travellers in Egypt will ever reach: about 750 km west of Cairo, closer to Libya than to the Nile. Getting there is part of the adventure, and you have three ways to do it.

Option	Travel time	Good to know
Public bus	About 10 to 12 hours	Cheapest, usually overnight, limited comfort
Private car with driver	About 8 to 9 hours	Leave when you want, stop where you want
Organised trip	Included	Transport, hotels, desert permits and guide arranged

The route

All three follow the same road: north-west to the Mediterranean coast, west along the coast to Marsa Matrouh, then about 300 km south across empty desert to Siwa. There are no regular passenger flights to Siwa.

Where to stop

Breaking the drive makes it far easier. El Alamein, with its Second World War cemeteries and museum, is right on the way, and the beaches of Marsa Matrouh make a good lunch stop.

How long to stay

Give Siwa at least three full days: one for the town, the Shali fortress, the Temple of the Oracle and Cleopatra’s Spring; one for the salt lakes; and one for a 4x4 trip into the Great Sand Sea, with sandboarding on the dunes and a hot spring at sunset.

Permits and season

You do not need a permit to visit Siwa town; desert trips beyond the oasis need one, and a licensed operator arranges it for you. Go between October and April: summer is very hot, and from December to February desert nights can drop close to freezing.