Starting from Cairo, book seats a day beforehand at the new Turgoman bus terminal. Buses to Bahariya (6hr; £E12) leave every day at 7am, 8am, 3pm and 6pm. The 7am and 6pm services continue on to Farafra (8hr; £E22) and Dakhla (12hr; £E32). Direct buses from Cairo to Dakhla or Kharga oasis are routed via the Nile Valley and Assyut-Kharga road; some enter Assyut, while others bypass the city. There are daily services to Kharga (8hr; £E28-35) at 9am, 7pm, 8pm and 9pm; the 7pm service continues to Dakhla (11hr; £E37.50). The journey times given here are only estimates; it can take longer if the bus has a wheezy engine or bursts a tyre. All Upper Egypt and Superjet buses running these routes are A/C - whether it works is another matter.

 

As many people from the oases moved to Cairo in the 1940s and 50s, Bahariya is also accessible by service taxi from the Al-Wahia café on the corner of Sharia Qadry (a few blocks south of Sharia Bur Said) in Cairo's Saiyida Zeinab quarter, where the immigrants congregated. Taxis leave in the early morning or mid-afternoon; seats are first-come, first-served, the fare £E15 apiece if the vehicle is full.

EgyptAir has two flights a week to the oases. A Wednesday morning flight leaves Cairo for Kharga (1hr; US$132) and continues to Dakhla (US$160) before returning to Cairo. The Sunday morning flight is routed via Assyut to Kharga and then back to Cairo. The view of the desert from the air is awesome.

Kharga - and, to a lesser extent, Dakhla - is also accessible by daily buses and service taxis from Assyut ; the bus to Kharga takes four to five hours (£E6-10), and a few continue on to Dakhla (8hr; £E10-12). Service taxis run between Assyut and Kharga (£E8-9), from where you can pick up another service to Dakhla.