Traveller's notes

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- Tap water is clean but salty, coming right out of wells. You'd better depend on bottled water. There are a number of mini- markets in Siwa.

- Siwa's climate is astounding, especially winter mornings. The sun never fails to shine. However, it gets colder at night. So make sure you pack heavy and light clothes. At this time of the year, temperature reaches 20 degrees Celsius in the morning and drops to 4 degrees Celsius at night.

- The road to Siwa can be taken by bus or car. If you're leaving from Cairo, take the Cairo-Alexandria Road then turn left to the 135km Al-Alamein Road and continue on the North Coast till you reach Marsa Matrouh. From there a 307km road to the southwest will take you to Siwa. The entire distance from Cairo to Siwa is about 800km, but it's worth it. If you pass by Alexandria before Marsa Matrouh, you'll cover an extra 95km.

- There are many stops on the road to Siwa, so don't worry if you need to rest your car or yourself. The Rest House and Master before the entrance to Al-Alamein Road is one. Forty kilometres after Al-Alamein Road is Al-Dabaa -- three humble coffee shops. You can always stop in Marsa Matrouh for a meal or to spend the night. Finally, 140km before Siwa is Bir Al-Noss with a wooden hut and a water-cistern.

- Bear in mind that desert safaris have special requirements so be sure to get a suitable vehicle and guide. You might want to consider taking a magnifying glass for examining fossils, a swimsuit and towel, and a constellation map for stargazing.

- Safaris in the Great Sand Sea require permits. If you're travelling with a tour agency, it will take 14 days to get you the permit for $100. However, if you're travelling individually, guides can get you the permit. For Egyptians, permits are issued from Siwa for LE5.

Facts and figures

- Siwa Oasis is located in the Western Desert 18 metres below sea level. Its highest part is a little over 240 metres above sea level.

- 10,000 feddans of Siwa's area is cultivated dates and olives.

- There are about 70,000 olive trees and 300,000 date trees in Siwa.

- The number of springs in the oasis is around 1,000.

- The depression of Siwa is some 82 square kilometres. Its breadth averages between nine kilometres to 28 kilometres.

- Siwa's population is around 23,000.

- The Siwan language is one of the Berber dialects. Siwan men speak Arabic as a second language, while some of their womenfolk are not very familiar with Arabic.

- Siwa is administered by the government of Marsa Matrouh, lying 307km to the southwest, and 420km west of Bahariya Oasis.