16 INCREDIBLE THINGS TO DO IN THE SIWA OASIS With its breathtaking landscapes and unique Amazigh culture, the Siwa Oasis is a stunning destination – and Egypt’s best kept secret. The Siwa Oasis is about a 10-hour drive from Cairo down a bumpy desert road full of potholes and cracks. The trip takes all night through endless stretches of foggy desert spotted with gas stations. Former president Hosni Mubarak once built a road to Siwa, but the larger forces of wind and sand overtook the thin stretch of tarmac. The oasis has always been either inaccessible or, despite the inventions of modern transport, inconvenient for travel. But Siwa’s inaccessibility is part of its appeal. Its remoteness means Siwa has preserved a distinct culture and unique traditions. Land of palms: inside the Siwa Oasis When you arrive in Siwa, eyes blurred by the all-night drive, its profusion of palm trees seem miraculous after hours of pale Western Desert. Siwa boasts some 300,000 palm trees and they g...