Arriving in Siwa in the late fall, one finds a gleaming pane of salt, curiously resembling an ice sheet, stretching over Siwa’s lakes. Siwa has several magnificent salt lakes, the largest being the famous lake of Al Zaytun, which extends for more than 25 km from the mountain of Dakrur. Sheyata is another spectacularly tranquil salt lake inthe desert, 35 km southwest of Siwa. Gentle sand banks lightly shaded by palm trees make an ideal spot to unwind for an hour or while away an afternoon.