Siwa Oasis

Siwa is Egypt's most remote and dreamlike oasis, tucked near the Libyan border in the Western Desert — a world of palm groves, freshwater springs and glittering salt lakes with a Berber culture all its own.

Float effortlessly in the mineral salt pools, climb the crumbling mud-brick fortress of Shali at sunset, visit the Oracle Temple of Amun that Alexander the Great is said to have consulted, and ride out into the Great Sand Sea for dune-boarding and a night under staggering stars. The pace is slow, the food and crafts distinctive, and the sense of remoteness total.

The long desert journey is part of the reward — Siwa feels like nowhere else in Egypt.