Can anyone tell me the best way to travel from Cairo
to siwa Oasis. Also how many days (minimum) one can spend
there. Will December be a nice time to be there. It looks
like there is one bus daily from siwa, is it still so.
thanks
ac
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My best experiences in egypt, especially on less travelled stretches, was using the shared taxis. I presume you will find one or two leaving to siwa from Mersa Matruh. December is a good month, but expect nights to be pretty cool. Note: the old village (and with it much of the old ways and traditions) has been now abandoned and is crumbling, and the new towns and lifestyle are unfortunately much the same as nile valley villages, and the same is happening in the other oases. It is still an interesting place with a number of ancient monuments, but don't expect the kind of middle of nowhere feeling earlier travellers have described.
Siwa Oasis is one of the most beautiful, most tranquil
places in Egypt. I took the train from Cairo, passed the
incredibly beautiful green fields and small villages and
made it to Alexandria (if student, get the discount). I
spent of few days at this interesting Greek-Roman, coastal
Mediterraen city, and then took the bus from Alexandria,
left in the morning and got in after dark...it took
something like 10 hours.
Siwa is surprisingly hassle-free, and prices are
reasonable. I stayed for 2 days, only because I was on a
tight schedule, but I could've easily have stayed for 4 or 5
(like many others were). When you get in, take what you can
get, and the next day you can look around and barter for a
room for 4-5 EP. There are several springs that you can go
to bathe, check out Farafa's to relax under the palm trees
at the edge of a salty lake. Rent a bike and cruise around
for one day, you can even go to nearby villages... and make
sure to go out into the desert... total beauty, and peace.
Stay for a while, and watch how many things live there.
Totally incredible. You'll have an amazing time, especially
if you aren't in a hurry...
-=Michel=-
i was in siwa last december, and second Andras comments. it
gets cold at night. my highlight was a day trip out
into the desert: unbelievable! (only wish the tour didn't
waste so much time at lunch and spent more time just in the
middle of the desert; a 4 wheel drive is a must.) there is
a morning and afternoon bus out of matruh. matruh can be
reach from cairo once or twice a day, and several times a
day from alex. either way, allow for 1 full day there, and
1 full day back. enjoy!