Siwa Oasis

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Earth > Africa > Northern Africa > Egypt > Siwa Oasis
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<map lat='29.203' lng='25.519' zoom='11' view='2' float='right' country='Egypt'/> The Siwa Oasis is a collection of villages in the desert of western Egypt.

Hitchhiking out

North to Mersa Matrouh, Alexandria, Cairo

There's only one road going north, and you can reach the outskirts of the oasis by foot pretty easily. However, CRCulver waited three hours for a lift on one Thursday, without seeing any long-distance traffic besides buses, and he eventually gave up. His friends tried hitching out on a Saturday and made only 5 km in one day, eventually being shown to a bus by police. There may be more private car traffic at the end of the weekend, when Egyptian tourists are on their way home. A more sure option is taking the bus to Matrouh, which should cost no more than 15 Egyptian pounds.

To the Great Sand Sea

If you are hoping to go out to the Great Sand Sea much of the time you can look for a work truck driving in that direction and ask them for a ride. This is far less expensive than hiring a guide for the day if you only want to sandboard and aren't hoping to see some of the sights in the desert. Much of the time there are areas in which work trucks are gathering sand to use for various reasons around the city. If you are hoping for a ride back, stay relatively close to the construction areas or you may end up stuck in the desert.