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Happily for today's adventurous travelers, the trip now takes only about 11 hours by bus from Alexandria – a trek long by today's standards, but relatively reasonable when the modern tourist considers that, according to ancient legend, 50,000 Persian soldiers were swallowed by sandstorms on their way to the same oasis, never to be seen or heard from again.

Alexander's enemy, the Persian king, had ordered them to destroy the oracle because it had predicted the failure of his invasion, but the fate of his lost army instead cemented the oracle's mythical reputation throughout the ancient world.

Many tourists who come to Egypt spend much of their time in the Nile Valley cities of Aswan, Luxor and Cairo, where they can explore the familiar ruins and monuments of ancient Egypt, including the Great Pyramids and the temples of Karnak, Luxor and Abu Simbel.

But for those with a love of the desert and an urge to explore off the beaten path, Siwa Oasis' tumbledown ruins, palm groves, salt lakes and expanding variety of eco-friendly hotels offer a refreshing addition to any Egyptian itinerary.

Arriving in Siwa, the first sight is Shali, or the mud-brick remains of the old city fortress, which rises in a ghostly labyrinth of alleyways to an outcrop at the top of a hill that overlooks the town square. From there, the entire oasis is spread beneath you: lush greenery, miragelike springs and lakes, craggy mountains of red rock and, beyond, the Great Sand Sea of the Sahara Desert, stretching west into Libya and deep into North Africa.

To explore the oasis, hire a bicycle for the day from one of the hotels or make friends with one of the Siwan boys who own colorful donkey carts. For a few Egyptian pounds, boys ferry tourists to nearby sites, including neighboring Bedouin villages, Roman ruins, a swimming hole called Cleopatra's Bath and the "Hill of the Dead," where the caretaker likes to show off a mummified head, gleefully pointing out the well-preserved hair and ears.

The ancient Egyptian and Roman-era tombs at the Hill of the Dead were mostly looted in past centuries, but some colorful tomb paintings remain, including one of a crocodile.

Visitors can also make their own pilgrimages to the Temple of Amun. Though the oracle has long since fallen silent and the temple gone to ruin, the views from the top of the acropolis are beautiful. The dusty, crumbling walls are a sad – but poetic – fate for a place that was once feared and worshipped throughout the Mediterranean. The locals now live and sell colorful Siwan baskets and weavings in the temple's shadow.

For trips farther afield, tourists can sign up for a jeep safari at one of the hotels or the local tourist office. One of the most popular trips takes visitors into the Great Sand Sea to spend the night at an oasis campsite called Bir Wahid. Here you can relax in a natural hot spring or hike into the surrounding dunes. In a nearby depression, the desert floor is scattered with petrified seashell fossils.

The Siwans are proud of their heritage and friendly to visitors. So don't be surprised by invitations to share a glass of strong, sweet Siwan tea with a new friend. Siwans also speak their own language of Siwi, a variation of Berber, and are happy to teach you a few phrases.

All your interactions are likely to be with men; Siwan women rarely appear, and when they do they are covered from head to toe in embroidered cloth and accompanied by a male relative.

Despite the influx of tourism in recent years, it is essential to remember that Siwa is still a traditional society and it is important to respect the culture and pack accordingly. So leave shorts, tank tops and bikinis at home in favor of loose-fitting cotton, khaki or linen pants and shirts that cover at least the upper arms. Women should bring one-piece bathing suits and should cover up with a long shirt if they take a dip in a public place.

Thanks to its distance from Cairo and Alexandria, the quiet, refreshing beauty of Siwa has yet to be disturbed by floods of tourists. It is a place where time seems to stand still. Wander far enough into the desert and your ears will ring from the silence.

But with the occasional tour bus arriving and plans for new roads and runways in the works, the secret is out. It may not be long before the place changes forever. For now, however, there is still time to relax in a bubbling hot spring, snacking on fresh Siwan dates while watching the desert sun sink into the salt lakes.