At 12,000 years and counting, the lush oasis of Siwa is ancient on a scale that makes the Pyramids seem like teenagers. To a first-time visitor, the town can seem from another world — a place where people really do still live in mud-brick dwellings under the shade of palm trees, in sight of bubbling mineral springs. Siwa represents a beautiful, peaceful slice of how life once was — both for its residents and a growing number of tourists.

Love it or hate it, Siwa is slowly but surely becoming more tourist-oriented, with a growing number of hotels, guided tours and even a rumored airport mushrooming around its springs. Still, at less than 75 kilometers from the Libyan border — translating into an estimated 10 hour car or bus ride from Cairo — Siwa will always remain a shangri la and safe haven of remote simplicity from the sheer insanity of Cairo.

The main attraction of Siwa is the desert safaris, which are quite easy to organize since most hotels and travel agencies offer a variety of packages. The safaris differ according to your taste and inclination; from an afternoon of bumpy rides up and down monstrous dunes to several nights in a sleeping bag under the stars.

Most people opt for staying in a hotel though — and there are plenty to choose from in this remote little village. Budget options abound in Siwa proper — you can find a basic room starting from around LE 15. Bigger rooms in three to five-star hotels lie a bit further off-center of ‘downtown’ Siwa, the Shali Lodge Hotel (Tel: +2 (046) 460-1395, LE 260 for a double) offers more luxurious honeymoon style rooms. The Kenooz restaurant right next to the hotel is a must visit even if you don’t stay there.

About three kilometers from town, the Desert Rose (Tel: +2 (012) 440-8164) offers a romantic haven with a pillow-lined inner courtyard and rooftop patio. A double room with breakfast and a communal bathroom is LE 90 or LE 120 with a private bathroom.

At the top of the lodging list is Adrere Amellal (Cairo office Tel: +2 (02) 736-7879, info@eqi.com.eg), Mounir Neamatalla’s luxury ecolodge, located 17 kilometers outside the oasis. The lodge’s walls are made of blocks of semi-transparent salt from the nearby lakes and stone from the surrounding mountains. Its roof is made from palm tree trunks and its sparse yet elegant furnishings from olive wood. Its swimming pool (fantastic for a late-night dip) is actually a natural hot spring.

Neamatalla, chairman of Environmental Quality International, doesn’t market or advertise his $291 double rooms ($448 for foreigners), in the 34-room lodge. This is a fixed rate for a two-night minimum stay, although you can stay for up to one week, and includes a trip to the desert.

Don’t commit yourself to a guide straight away when you arrive — talk to your fellow guests and people in the hotel first. Siwa is laid back and relaxed, and talking to other tourists is thoroughly recommended for advice on where to go. If you want do organize a guide in advance, Fathi (Tel: +2 (012) 490-7806, fathisiwa@yahoo.com) is a friendly and reliable local guide who has been in the Siwa tourist business longer than most. If you decide to camp, make sure to take lots of bug spray, especially if going in spring. Before setting off from Cairo, note that camping equipment can be found rather cheaply at Alfa Market in both Giza and Zamalek.

There are of course a few things that should not be missed, such as the Pharoanic antiquities in Gabal Al-Mawta, where you’ll find early Graeco-Roman sites, four of which are open to tourists. Others are the Temple of Amun — worth a visit despite reconstruction — and the Temple of the Oracle. Situated up on a hill amid the ruins of a salt-mud village, it has withstood the test of time much better.

The Temple of the Oracle had a powerful patron in Alexander the Great, who came seeking the oracle’s confirmation that he was the son of Zeus — a key endorsement in the conqueror’s ambitions to rule Egypt (and eventually, all of Asia). A little deeper into the palm grove is Cleopatra’s Bath, a hot spring that historians believe owes its name more to clever marketing than documented history. Right on the tourist circuit though, Cleopatra’s Bath gets a lot of local traffic.

Fatnas Island, six kilometers from the town center, has an identical spring that rarely sees visitors in the morning and early afternoon. Once a charming raised patch of trees emerging from a shallow mirror-like lake, Fatnas lost its island status when the government built a causeway that effectively turned the Fatnas side of the lake into a mud flat.

The most memorable experience in Siwa is a midnight swim at the hot springs behind Gabal Dakrur. Although not the most aesthetic due to the concrete pool surrounding the spring, the warm embrace of the water under a canopy of stars is breathtaking. et