It looks like I'm not going to have time to do both, much to my sadness. The white desert looks incredible, but I hear Siwa is a soon-to-be-gone paradise and also looks phenomenal.
Does anyone know if it's possible to do a Cairo-Alexandria-Siwa-Bahariyya-Luxor loop using public transport? Or to get from Bahariyya to Luxor I'd have to go through all the other oases?
It just seems a shame to go to and from Siwa the same way (train/bus) as it's such a large distance and there's so much more to do in Egypt!
Also, what would people say is the minimum amount of time to see Siwa? I haven't checked out what time the buses would arrive there yet.
I'm not particularly interested in having a fully guided tour (though I'd probably take a tour to spend a night in the desert from Bahariyya) and would prefer to do the trip myself - it seems that there are fairly frequent buses between the various oases.
Thanks guys!
There is no public transport between Siwa and Bahariya and you need a permit to travel that way.
There is no public transport (that I know of) between Kharga and Luxor except via Asyut.
There is no road from Bahariya to Luxor except via Farafra/Dakhla/Kharga or back to Cairo.
Three days is minimum in Siwa in my opinion.
It is possible to organise a private vehicle from Siwa to Bahariya at a cost.
It is possible to organise a private vehicle from Kharga to Luxor at a cost.
It is cheaper of there are more of you.
Tell me why you think you can get from Bahariya to Luxor without going through the other oases.
I've been researching the same thing - just remember that this is based on info from others & I haven't done it yet!
1. Siwa to Bahariyya. It seems to be getting easier to arrange a 4x4 in Siwa to do this. I'm not sure of cost, and a lot of the trips involve an overnight in the desert. If you're solo it seems to be a matter of lucking out and finding a group, or paying some dough.
2. Bahariyya to other Oases. Covered a lot on here. Public transport between is easy.
3. Kharga to Luxor. There's a new tarmac that goes from Luxor direct to to Baris & Kharga. It's much shorter than going through Asyut. No public transport. I've seen a few operators who can arrange the trip out from Luxor on the new road, so it is possible!
Shoots, though ... when I mapped this all out for myself I was looking at two weeks, and that was rushing it a bit.
Aladdin at Nefertititi. Has anyone used him? I like his website ...
Thanks guys,
I didn't think I could get from Bahariyya to Luxor without going through the other oases, but I had my hopes.
In the Egypt LP it says there are a couple of buses a week between al Kharga and Luxor, is this not the case?
Would 3 days in Siwa include the 10-odd hours getting there and back from Cairo? Or 3 days just in Siwa itself?
I would spend 4 nights in Siwa if you can. 3 would suffice, but the drive is so long and Siwa is so amazing, 4 nights will give you enough time to soak it all in and then feel ready to hit the road again.
I didn't have time to do the White Desert either. It looks totally cool, but I'm really glad I chose Siwa.
Sorry for the late reply, I've been away again.
I mean three days in Siwa, 4 nights/3days purely in Siwa.
My first trip along the Kharga/Dakhla/Frarafra/Bahreya loop was way back in 1988. Travelled by bus from Cairo. A totally amazing trip.
Then I went from Cairo to Bahreya and on to Siwa, returning through Mersa Matruh, el Alamein and Alexandria to Cairo. This one was in Land Cruisers and followed a journey around the delta and across Sinai - which means that I can claim to have virtually traversed Egypt from al Arish to Siwa....
Right now I'm setting up a trip to Egypt in the first two weeks of January, and I'm working with Aladdin at the Nefertiti Hotel. Things are going painfully slowly, but we're getting there! Don't expect replies by return :) However, he seems to know his stuff.
We'll be going from Luxor to Kharga then on to Dakhla and on to the white desert before returning to Luxor. Then a few days later we're transferring to a Lake Nasser cruise boat and going up to Abu Simbel, where we'll be collected and driven back to Luxor. The total cost looks like it will work out to about 60% of the regular offers for flying to Luxor and the Nasser Cruise... (without the desert trip.)
I'll let you all know how it went when I get back in mid January :)
Bob
Hi. I am almost afraid to write it here but contrary to all guidebooks and majority of other travellers I have found Siwa highly overrated and about the least interesting of all oasis (not counting Kharga which I have skipped) - my favorite oasis has been Dakhla. Siwa is the best regarding tourist infrastructure (hotels for all budgets, variety of restaurants ready for tourists, safari companies ready to take you anywhere) but in my opinion it lacks the atmosphere (you can sit around doing nothing in other oases too, so it is no attraction for me). The old adobe town is in unrecognizable ruins, palmerias are rather unkept.
My recommendation would be to skip Siwa and save yourself troubles. Spend a day or two in Bawiti, Bahariyya, a day in Farafra, go see the Black and White deserts, and then spend some three days in Dakhla (preferably at Al Qasr) and visit many interesting villages there, some of them featuring still inhabited adobe houses quarters - this way you will get full idea of life in the oases - there is nothing in Siwa you would not see in other oases (well, inhabitants in Siwa are mainly Berbers, so it should be different culturally but for me the difference was unrecognizable).
Have a good trip.
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