Siwa

Overview

The Siwa Protected Area covers 7,800 km2 of the Western Desert. Encompassing key natural and cultural heritage sites, and important ecological corridors, the area extends from the Libyan border in the west to the Qattara Depression in the east, and from the Diffa Plateau in the north to the Great Sand Sea in the south. Although rain is rare, local groundwater gives origin to springs, small lakes and wetlands, nourishing some vegetation, making this one of the remaining strongholds in the Western Desert for several rare, endangered and endemic species such as the slender-horned gazelle, dorcas gazelle and fennec fox.

Attractions

Great Sand Sea

covers the Eocene plateau with dunes and sand sheets extending almost 700 km south. Enter the Siwa depression from the south and concealing its southern edge, the dunes of the Sand Sea are mostly of the longitudinal Seif type, with extensive inter-dunes, where the underlying plateau is frequently exposed.

Western Oasis

Shyata, Um El Ghuzlan and Hatiyet El Kheiba are a cluster of small, uninhabited oases located west of the Siwa Depression. Located approximately 45 km from Siwa town Shayata has a small brackish lake, and when military authorities allow access,
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