How much do hotels in Siwa cost?

Budget guesthouses in the town centre run EGP 800-2,000 per night. Mid-range eco-lodges cost EGP 3,000-6,000. Adrere Amellal, the flagship luxury eco-lodge, runs EGP 18,000-28,000 per night all-inclusive. The Siwa Shali Resort is the most conventional hotel, at EGP 4,000-8,000 per night.

What is Adrere Amellal?

Adrere Amellal is an eco-lodge built from kershef (salt rock and mud brick) into a white mountain escarpment on the shore of Birket Siwa lake. It operates without electricity -- no generators, candles and firelight only. Developed by Environmental Quality International and open since the late 1990s. One of the most distinctive and genuinely remarkable places to stay in Egypt. Expensive and needs advance booking.

How do I get to Siwa Oasis?

Bus from Alexandria takes approximately 9 hours (West Delta Bus Company, EGP 100-200). From Cairo, the journey is around 11-12 hours by bus via Marsa Matrouh. No direct train or flight service exists to Siwa. Most travellers come from Alexandria or Marsa Matrouh. A private car from Cairo takes 8-9 hours on the Alexandria Desert Road.

Is Siwa suitable for families with children?

Yes, for the right kind of family. The salt lake swimming, the Great Sand Sea dunes, and the spring pools at Ain Qurayshat are excellent for children. Accommodation is simple rather than resort-style. There are no swimming pools at most properties (the natural springs are the equivalent). The atmosphere is safe and very quiet.

When is the best time to visit Siwa?

October to April. Daytime temperatures are comfortable (18-28C) and evenings are cool. Summer (June-August) is extremely hot (40-45C in the oasis interior). The date harvest in October and the olive harvest in November are particularly atmospheric times to visit.

Siwa Hotels | The Egypt Guides

Siwa Oasis sits 50km from the Libyan border in Egypt’s Western Desert, accessible only by desert road from Marsa Matrouh or Alexandria. It has been an inhabited oasis for millennia — the Oracle of Amun whose temple Alexander the Great visited stood here, and the indigenous Berber Siwi community has maintained a distinct culture and language separate from mainstreet Egyptian Arabic.

Accommodation in Siwa is entirely small-scale. The total number of hotel beds in the oasis is modest. There are no chain hotels, no airport, no beach clubs. What exists instead are mud-brick guesthouses, traditional eco-lodges, and one genuinely extraordinary property that makes the 9-hour bus journey from Alexandria worthwhile for the right traveller.

This page covers named accommodation with EGP pricing.

Getting to Siwa

By bus from Alexandria: West Delta Bus Company runs services from Alexandria Moharam Bek terminal. Journey approximately 9 hours. EGP 100-200 per person. Departures usually at 08:00 and 22:00 — confirm current schedule at the station or online.

By bus from Cairo: Travel via Marsa Matrouh, changing at the terminal there. Total journey around 11-12 hours. EGP 180-300. An overnight bus from Cairo to Marsa Matrouh, then a morning minibus to Siwa, is the most manageable split.

By private car: From Cairo via the Alexandria Desert Road, then west along the coast road to Marsa Matrouh and south to Siwa. Approximately 8-9 hours. The road through the desert is paved and in good condition. Fuel up at Marsa Matrouh — there is limited availability further on.

There is no train or flight service to Siwa. The nearest airport is Marsa Matrouh (about 2.5 hours north by road), with limited domestic flights from Cairo.

Budget Accommodation (EGP 500-2,000 per night)

Yousef Hotel — the most popular backpacker option in Siwa. Clean, basic rooms at the lowest end of the price range. The owner and staff speak good English and can arrange jeep safaris, sand dune sunset trips, and guide connections. EGP 500-1,000 per night.

Cleopatra Hotel (near the main square) — a simple budget guesthouse in the central area, well-placed for the market, the Shali Fortress, and the main restaurants. EGP 600-1,200 per night. A solid, honest budget option.

Smaller guesthouses around the old town offer rooms from EGP 400-800 per night. At this level, rooms are clean and simple, some with shared bathrooms. Fine for travellers prioritising the experience of the oasis over accommodation quality.

Mid-Range Eco-Lodges (EGP 2,500-7,000 per night)

Taziry Ecolodge (in the palm gardens, outside the town centre) — a well-regarded eco-lodge built in the traditional kershef style from salt clay and palm timber. Quieter than the town-centre options, with bicycles provided for getting around. The architecture integrates well with the palm grove setting. EGP 3,000-6,000 per night.

Siwa Shali Resort (in palm gardens) — the most conventional hotel option in Siwa: larger than a guesthouse, more facilities than the smaller eco-lodges. A garden pool. EGP 4,000-8,000 per night. The best choice for travellers who want standard hotel amenities in Siwa.

Siwa Safari Paradise (garden setting) — a mid-range property with a garden setting and more space than town-centre guesthouses. Good for travellers who want something between a basic guesthouse and a full eco-lodge. EGP 2,500-5,000 per night.

Palm Trees Hotel (central oasis, near market) — reliable mid-range option close to the main market and the Shali Fortress. More facilities than a simple guesthouse, less character than the eco-lodges. EGP 2,000-4,000 per night.

Siwa Bedouin Camp (desert dunes) — a desert camp option for travellers who want to sleep under the Great Sand Sea stars rather than in a permanent building. Nights in the desert with campfire, Bedouin food, and dune activities. EGP 1,500-3,000 per person including dinner and breakfast.

Luxury: Adrere Amellal (EGP 18,000-28,000 per night, all-inclusive)

Adrere Amellal (shore of Birket Siwa, White Mountain) — the most remarkable hotel in Western Egypt and one of the most distinctive in the country. Built from kershef (salt rock) and palm timber into the side of a white mountain escarpment on the shores of Birket Siwa lake, with unobstructed views over the salt lake and the Great Sand Sea. The lodge operates without electricity: no generators, no Wi-Fi, no electric light. Rooms are lit by candles and oil lamps; the temperature in the thick-walled kershef rooms is naturally cooled.

The property was developed by Mounir Neamatalla through Environmental Quality International and has been operating since the late 1990s. Rates are all-inclusive (meals, activities, transfers) and run from approximately EGP 18,000-28,000 per night depending on room category and season. Advance booking is essential — the lodge has limited rooms and fills well ahead during October to March.

This is not for every traveller. The experience is about silence, landscape, and the oasis environment — not hotel amenities. For the right person, it is one of the best places to stay in all of Egypt.

Afternoon tea at Adrere Amellal can sometimes be arranged for non-guests as a day visit; enquire directly.

What to Expect from Siwa Accommodation

Siwa is not a luxury resort destination. Most accommodation is simple by international standards: clean rooms, basic furniture, limited air conditioning at the budget end. The eco-lodges offer a different kind of quality — architectural character, silence, and the oasis setting rather than hotel amenities.

Advance booking during October to March is strongly advised. The total room supply in Siwa is small, and the oasis can feel full during the peak period.

Seasonal Pricing Notes

October to April: Prime time. Comfortable temperatures (18-28C), good conditions for jeep safaris and the Great Sand Sea. October date harvest and November olive harvest are particularly atmospheric. Book the Taziry Ecolodge and Adrere Amellal 4-6 weeks ahead minimum.

June to August: Very hot (40-45C). Most international visitors avoid Siwa in summer. Prices are at their lowest, and the oasis is quiet. The spring pools remain cool and refreshing year-round.

Neighbourhood Guide

Siwa’s accommodation reflects the oasis itself: small-scale, unhurried, and without the infrastructure of Egypt’s main tourist routes. The total number of beds in the oasis is modest - this is not a resort destination, and accommodation options need to be understood on those terms.

Town Centre Guesthouses: The most affordable accommodation clusters near Siwa’s central market area, in and around the base of Shali Fortress. These are simple guesthouses, often built in the traditional Kershef (salt clay) style. Expect clean but basic rooms, shared bathrooms in the cheaper options, and limited English. Nightly rates run EGP 300–700 - making Siwa one of the most affordable destinations in Egypt. The Siwa Shali Lodge is the best-known property in the budget-to-mid bracket, embedded in the old town with more character than a standard guesthouse. Cleopatra Hotel (near the main square) is a reliable central option at EGP 600–1,200 per night.

Mid-Range Palm Grove Lodges: Several properties sit in or adjacent to the palm groves outside the town centre, offering a quieter base with more space and better views than the urban guesthouses. Bicycles are typically provided. The trade-off is distance from the town centre - a 10–15 minute bicycle ride to the market and restaurants. Taziry Ecolodge (built in traditional Kershef style from salt clay and palm timber) and Siwa Safari Paradise are the main options in this band.

Desert Camping: Some Siwa-based 4WD operators offer camping in the Great Sand Sea as part of day or overnight tours - mattress-and-campfire arrangements booked as part of a tour package rather than standalone accommodation. Worth including as one night within a longer Siwa stay; the silence of the sand sea after dark is a genuine experience.

Connectivity: Most accommodation in Siwa offers minimal or unreliable Wi-Fi. Mobile data via a local Egyptian SIM (Vodafone or Orange) is more consistent than property Wi-Fi, though signal is not strong throughout the oasis. Plan for reduced connectivity as part of the experience.

Booking: For most of the year Siwa is uncrowded and accommodation is easy to find on arrival. Two exceptions: October during the Siwa Date Festival and December–January when European visitors arrive in volume. During these periods, book at least 2–3 weeks ahead. Adrère Amellal books out months ahead in peak season regardless.

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Hotels in Siwa Oasis: From Adrere Amellal to Budget Guesthouses