Visitors to Siwa Oasis no longer require
military permission , unless they wish to travel to the remoter oases of Girba, Qara, Areg or Sitra. This can be obtained from Military Intelligence in Mersa Matrouh or Cairo and in Siwa itself. You do not require permission to drive from Siwa to Bahariya. Aside from lacking a
bank (bring enough cash for your stay), Siwa has all the basic facilities - though
petrol might be unavailable until the delivery truck shows up.
The best time to come is during spring or autumn, when the Siwans hold festivals and the days are pleasantly warm. During winter, windless days can also be nice, but nights - and gales - are chilling. From May onwards, rising temperatures keep people indoors between 11am and 7pm, and the nights are sultry and mosquito-ridden. Even when the climate is mild you'll probably feel like taking a midday siesta or a swim.
Siwa is well known for its conservatism in matters of dress and behaviour . Notices request visitors to refrain from public displays of affection or drinking alcohol (which is not sold here), and women to keep their arms and legs covered - especially when bathing in pools. Women should also avoid wandering alone in places with few people around. Local people are generally more reserved than the Egyptians, and invitations home are less common. Siwan households are segregated, with the women's quarters on the ground floor; foreign women who get invited upstairs have reason to be suspicious.
Besides the official ban on photographing military installations (including the airport, and sandbagged dugouts in unexpected locations), visitors should respect Siwan feelings on the issue. As a rule, local women are taboo subjects, whereas Siwan males - particularly the younger ones - don't mind being snapped (but always ask them first). Discreet long shots are easier than close-ups. For streetlife and visual clarity, take your pictures before 9am, or during the hour or so before sunset; people stay indoors when the sun is high, and its glare bleaches colours and textures from photographs.
Getting there: The routes
Unless you sign up with a desert safari - which might reach Siwa via the Qattara Depression - there are only two possible
approaches . One is via the dire road from Bahariya Oasis; the other is from Alexandria or Mersa Matrouh - the route favoured by most visitors.
There is one A/C bus daily from Sidi el Gaber in Alexandria to Siwa (11am; 9hr; ĢE27), which calls briefly at Moharrem Bey. It takes on extra passengers at Mersa Matrouh, three to four hours later. Matrouh is also the starting point for a further three buses a day to Siwa (4-5hr; ĢE12), leaving at 7.30am, 1.30pm and 4pm. You may also be able to catch a service taxi or minivan from Matrouh to Siwa; the fare is ĢE10 per person.
The 300km journey from Matrouh to Siwa takes four hours by car or bus. If you're driving, the Siwa road turns off the highway 20km west of Matrouh, at a checkpoint. There are minefields to the left for 50km into the desert, marked by triangular signs. About 100km further there are two tiny resthouses , 300m apart on opposite sides of the road, one of which is called Bir Nous (Halfway Well), selling tea, soup and soft drinks. Its toilets are the nearest one gets to the horrors of this route before the road was built. Until last century there was only a camel trail (eight days from Matrouh) across this flat desert and the few landmarks might be obscured by dust clouds or sandstorms. The sharp limestone ridges and hollows beneath the powdery surface of this shabak (net) desert also made the route hazardous for early motorists, who followed the line of telegraph poles. Nowadays the monotonous vistas - interspersed with army camps - keep going until the last 40km, when rock outcrops presage the appearance of the oasis.
