1–2 hours at the lakes, within a Siwa daySalt Lakes Swimming & Floating Experience in Siwa Oasis
Turquoise pools rimmed in white crystal, out in the desert west of Siwa town. The water is salt-saturated: you get in, lie back and float, and there is nothing you can do about it. Ninety minutes here is one of the strangest and best hours in Egypt.
What You’ll Do
- 1
Out to the lakes
A short drive from Siwa town to the salt pools — old salt workings, flooded and gone an improbable colour.
- 2
In the water
The salt does the work. You float without swimming, and staying upright is harder than lying back. Most people spend an hour or two between the water and the crystal shore.
- 3
Rinse off
The salt dries white on your skin within minutes, so a freshwater rinse is part of the stop, not an afterthought.
- 4
On to Cleopatra's Spring
A freshwater pool to swim off the last of the salt, in the palm groves outside town.
- 5
The rest of the Siwa day
Shali Fortress's mud-brick ruin, the Temple of the Oracle that Alexander came to consult, and sunset from Fatnas Island over Lake Siwa.
Included
- ✓Private transport within Siwa
- ✓Local guide
- ✓A freshwater rinse stop and towels
- ✓Entrance fees for the sites in your Siwa day
- ✓Bottled water
Good to Know
The practical truth about this one — timings, conditions, and what we can’t promise.
- The water is salt-saturated — you float without effort and you cannot really sink.
- The crusted edges are sharp underfoot. Water shoes are genuinely worth packing.
- Don't put your face in and don't swallow it. If you splash your eyes, rinse them with fresh water straight away.
- Don't shave the day you swim. Any small cut will make itself known.
- One to two hours is right, and pairing it with Cleopatra's Spring gives you the freshwater rinse.
- Siwa is a long way west of everything — most people come on a two- or three-night trip rather than a day trip.