Fly to the Mystical Lands of Siwa with Nomads' Luxury Adventure

Egypt’s Siwa Oasis encompasses much more than its eponymous spring. This refuge in the Western Desert is seeped in mysticism, where salt lakes are said to possess magical healing energies, where ancient conquerors once sought the counsel of the Oracle of Amun, and where to this day local guides are able to effortlessly and fearlessly navigate the shifting dunes as though they have it all memorised by heart (and who is to say that they haven’t?). It is also a burgeoning destination for luxury experiences, with eco-lodges and retreats that have been able to turn Siwa’s mystique, history, and sense of isolation - an increasingly rare blessing in this interconnected world - into valued commodities.

Local adventure community Nomads is offering a week-long luxury trip to the Siwa Oasis that makes this pocket of Egyptian desert life more accessible than ever. While travellers typically need to endure 12-hour bus rides from Cairo to the Siwa Oasis, taking them on a 750 km road trip that jackknifes from the north coast down through the Marsa Matrouh-Siwa Road, Nomads invites their guests to come on board their private plane for an incomparably smoother ride to Siwa Oasis Airport.

With week-long accommodation at Taziry Ecolodge, a sustainable village built with local materials and techniques overlooking a gorgeous palm tree grove, Nomads’ ‘Siwa Discovery’ trip comes with an extensive itinerary that will take visitors through Siwa’s most essential sights. The tour will include stops at Shali Fortress, a towering structure built with bricks made from salt and mud, and the nearby Fatnas Island. They will also be able to visit Alexander Castle, a stronghold built by Alexander the Great himself, before following in his footsteps through Cleopatra Spring, where he was given a prophecy at the Temple of the Oracle. Visitors will then be able to see Jebel Mawta, a hill that is filled with Greek and Roman tombs, as well as the quintessentially Siwan salt lakes. If you want to step out of your comfort zone, they’re also offering a dune bashing excursion and a natural soap making workshop.

‘Siwa Discovery’ will run from December 8th to December 11th, and is available to Egyptians and foreigners. Prices begin at USD 780 per person for a four person chalet with half-board accommodation, although triple, double, and single room options are also available. The price includes the round trip on Nomads’ private plane, transfers to and from Siwa Oasis Airport, and all tours on the itenerary excluding sandboarding and desert offroading (EGP 550), and the natural soap workshop (EGP 300). A PCR test is not required to join this trip.

Travellers to Egypt must present a negative PCR test that is no older than 72 hours prior to departure.