Siwa rewards slow exploration. The headline sights are the Temple of the Oracle and the crumbling ruins of Shali, but the real pleasure is wandering the palm groves on a bicycle, swimming in the springs at dawn, and watching the desert turn copper at sunset from the top of Dakrur Mountain. Most sights are easily reached by bike or a hired pickup, and a half-day 4WD trip into the Great Sand Sea is the one excursion no one should skip.