Where is Siwa Oasis?

Siwa Oasis is probably the least visited of the well known tourist destinations in Egypt. The main reason for this is the sheer distance from the typical tourist path, where most spend their time in country with not much in between. It is situated quite literally in the middle of the Sahara desert roughly 60 kilometers from the border with Lybia and more than 3 hours from the next major town, Marsa Matruh.

This apparent isolation is the main reason, why many tourists do not take the time to visit. It is far away, not connected by air and if you are in Egypt on a tight schedule, it is not worth spending two entire days in a bus or minivan, when you can reach other destinations much faster.

Yet, as the place is becoming more popular in the last years and the accomodation scene is growing, many travellers are now looking to visit the Oasis, but very few guides actually explain in detail how to travel there. Here I will show you everything you need to know in order to plan your trip to the Oasis.

When is the best time to visit?

The best time to visit is between October and April. Day temperatures range from 17°C in January to 29°C in April and October, while nights can get quite cool, allowing for you to enjoy Siwa’s famous hot springs at night and explore during the day without completely exhausting yourself from the heat. I personally visited in early April of 2026 and experienced the most pleasent temperatures of my entire trip to Egypt here. Not as hot as Assuan and still warmer than the North Coast, which rarely reached more than 20°C during this time of year.

October to November and March to April are generally the high season in Siwa, as the weather in the country overall is quite good for sightseeing. Still, we did not experience mass tourism like in Giza or Luxor. We actually rarely saw any other tourist outside of our accomodation. Many hotels are currently being built, but it still seems to be a quite secret spot on the tourism map.

Avoid travelling to the Oasis from May to September. The sun and the intense heat during day and night will make any kind of sightseeing unpleasant. As most activities, like for example the Salt pools, are outside, you cannot really escape indoors apart from your accomodation.

What options do you have to get to Siwa?

Bus

Getting to Siwa by bus is pretty straightforward. The only company operating regular bus service to the oasis is West Bus. They offer daily and nightly services to Alexandria and Kairo, always with an extended stop in Marsa Matruh. We took this bus service both times during the day. It is quite comfortable with outlets and several breaks. The schedule is always the same.

There is a night bus each from Alexandria and Kairo, which takes 9 and 11 hours respectively to reach Siwa. This option can be the right fit for you, if your travel budget is really tight or you are really short on time and cannot waste a day each on travelling to and from the Oasis from the Nile Delta.

The other option is to take the day bus from Alexandria. It takes the same route as the night bus and costs the same. There is no day bus from Cairo, but you can take one of the many busses from Cairo to Alexandria the evening before, spend the night in the city and then catch the day bus. It is pretty useful, as you will be dropped off in the evening in Alexandria’s bus terminal, where you can buy the ticket for the next morning right away saving you an additional trip to the ticket counter. A more detailed table of busses can be found below.

From Siwa Bus station

From Alexandria Bus Station

From Cairo bus station

An alternative to West Bus, that costs slightly more, but is bookable online without being charged a premium is Siwa Bus. They are running minibusses between Siwa and Alexandria/Cairo overnight. The price of these is slightly higher at a fixed 740 EGP both online and offline as of April 2026, but it is considerably cheaper than the online ticket for the bus, which can exceed 20€ depending on the website. The only problem is that the website is in Arabic but with a translator it should be manageble to book a ticket.

Shared Taxis

The local way of travelling between places in Egypt is to take a shared taxi. The way it works is that you just arrive at the local taxi station at the right time and get a seat. Be aware, that tourist are often charged higher prices then locals and you will most likely pay a bit more than with the bus. In addition to that, on the route from Siwa to Alexandria/Cairo or vice versa you will have to change once in Marsa Matruh, which makes the journey not only more expensive and uncomfortable, but riskier aswell as there may be no taxi left to change onto.

If you, for example, take a shared taxi from Alexandria to Marsa Matruh, there is a chance, that there is no taxi left that day to continue to Siwa. In that case, you will have to take the bus that is running either way for the remainder of the journey, not saving any time.

Should you still want choose this option make sure to arrive at the minibus terminals no later than 7am, as seats will fill up fast. Siwa minibus station looked absolutely empty by 11am, when we walked past. All taxis had left that day already, as we were told by a local.

Private transfers

The most comfortable, yet also most expensive option to reach Siwa is with a private transfer. These range in price from 40€ to 100€ per person depending on the tour agency and they will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel directly, circumventing the need for additional taxis. The drive takes roughly 7 hours all in all and can be booked on various platforms online or at local tour agencies in Cairo or Alexandria.

When you choose this option the main advantage is the ease of travel. No long breaks, no taxis to and from the bus station and stops when you want them. For any budget traveller though, this option is probably outside the realm of possibilities.

How to book tickets?

Booking tickets for West Bus and Siwa Bus is quite easy, yet there are a couple of things you need to know. For the best overview of departures for your specific date, you can consult Bookaway. This booking plattform is a third-party, but includes both services, so it is perfect for researching the bus schedules. But be aware, that buying with them more than doubles the price as they take a huge share as the commissioner.

For example: Buying the ticket from Alexandria to Siwa usually costs around 6,90€ at the station compared to 20$ online. If you want to have the safety of a pre-booked seat, I would recommend you go to the website of Siwa Bus and book with them instead. It is still a bit more expensive than West Bus, but the difference is not that big and you will have a seat secured ahead of time.

For the cheapest tickets, go directly to the ticket counter the day before, as the bus may sell out fast on the day of travel. The bus station in Alexandria has a counter called „West & Middle Delta Bus“, that is open all-day. In Cairo, there is the same office, but it is just one of many shops along the road, so do not expect a big bus terminal. In Siwa, as there are only a few busses in the early morning and in the evening, the ticket counter closes during the day!!! Be there before 7am or after 5pm to get your ticket.

Onwards transportation

Siwa

In Siwa there exists no public transportation. You can either walk, which is a good option, if your accomodation is in Siwa Town itself, or you can take taxi. Local taxis are basically small trycicles, with a cargo hold in the back, where passengers are sitting. There will be a swarm of drivers waiting when you leave the bus, but they quote quite high prices. The normal taxi stand is here. As tourists, the driver will try to charge you a high price first. Haggle a bit. We usually paid around 100 EGP or 1,7€ for the ride to our accomodation, which was roughly 7km out of town.

Alexandria

The bus terminal in Alexandria is roughly 5 kilometers away from the city center. You can easily book an Uber to take you there, which costs between 1€ and 2,5€ depending on the time.

Cairo

The Cairo station is quite far away from Downtown and even further away from Giza, where you will most likely have your next accomodation. The next cheap transport to get you there is the metro, which you can reach on foot, as it is only around 1,4km away. Your other option would be Uber aswell, but for longer distances in Cairo, I don’t recommend it. The traffic is crazy, so your journey will probably take longer than the Metro and be more expensive at the same time.