Siwa and the Western Desert Holidays

Siwa sits in the west of Egypt, near one of those cursory colonial lines in the sand that marks the border with Libya. In antiquity, this magical desert oasis town was the location of the Oracle of Amon, a magnet for pilgrims, including none other than Alexander the Great, who consulted the oracle here before his invasion of Persia and modern-day Pakistan. The town itself still feels distinctly medieval in parts, with a population descended from ancient Berber tribespeople. While a Siwa holiday alone would be a very original take on Egypt, there’s more to appreciate here because between Siwa and the fertile floodplains of the Nile lies the extraordinary Western Desert, itself technically split into sub-deserts. The White Desert is home to a bizarre landscape of gigantic wind-eroded and bright white rock formations. Seen at sunset, the rocks reflect the changing colours in one of nature’s most spectacular light shows. Meanwhile, Baharyia, on the outskirts of the White Desert, is an archaeologist’s treasure trove. Next stop on any Siwa & the Western Desert holiday should be the Black Desert, another extraordinary natural spectacle where the desert is punctuated by soot-scoured volcanoes, and the desert floor glistens basalt black. Farafra, on the far side of the Black Desert, is an old oasis town where the local Bedouin still live in mud brick houses surrounded by oasis-fed olive groves and plantations of dates, figs and apricots. Read more