Fatnas Island

Fatnas Island, sometimes called Fantasy Island, is a slip of palm-covered land reaching into Siwa's Birket Siwa salt lake, connected by a narrow causeway through the reeds. It exists for one thing above all: the sunset.

As evening falls, the low sun sets the still salt water ablaze in pinks and golds, silhouetting the date palms and mirroring the sky, easily one of Egypt's loveliest sundowns. A rustic cafe on the island serves mint tea while you wait, and some visitors take a cooling dip in the mineral-rich lake shallows nearby.

It's simple and unpolished, part of its charm, and a fitting end to a day in the oasis. Time everything around golden hour and let Siwa's remoteness do the rest.