A day of discoveries and Indiana Jones type adventures.
We had a fascinating day out this morning with the help of our knowledgable tour guide Fatima. Picked up bang on time from our hotel, the drive from Giza to Sahara was a little over half an hour.
Saqqara is considered one of Egypt’s most remarkable archaeological sites. Most famous is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, built around 2650 BCE, which is considered the world’s first large-scale stone monument. Designed by the architect Imhotep, it represents the transition from traditional mastaba tombs to true pyramids.
The Pyramid of Unas, the last king of the Fifth Dynasty, archaeologists discovered the Pyramid Texts — the oldest known religious writings in the world, carved directly into the walls. These hieroglyphs consist of spells, hymns, and prayers intended to guide the pharaoh’s soul safely to the afterlife and unite him with the gods.
From there it was on to The pyramids at Dahshur, south of Saqqara. These are among Egypt’s earliest true pyramids and mark a crucial stage in pyramid evolution. The most famous are the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, both built during the reign of Pharaoh Sneferu (c. 2600 BCE). The Bent Pyramid is unique, with its angle changing midway, possibly due to structural issues, giving it a distinctive shape. The Red Pyramid, named for the reddish limestone used, is considered Egypt’s first successful smooth-sided pyramid and a direct predecessor to the Great Pyramid at Giza.
Fatima, today’s guide, asked if we wanted to descend into the centre of the tomb. 85 metres down a three foot square tunnel which sloped down into the Bent Pyramid. Then climb up 20 metres hoping like hell the flimsy lighting doesn’t fail. A fascinating experience but not for the faint hearted or unfit. Currently I’m lying in bed nursing muscles I didn’t know existed in my body.
Having survived our Indiana Jones descent into the Bent Pyramid (no snakes, rolling rocks, or poison darts), it’s off to Memphis. Not the Elvis associated one, the Memphis in Egypt founded around 3100 BCE by King Menes, and the first capital of unified Egypt. Located at the apex of the Nile Delta, it served as a political, administrative, and religious hub. Dedicated to the god Ptah, Memphis housed great temples and was associated with craftsmanship and creation. Its strategic location made it a center for trade and culture, linking Upper and Lower Egypt. The museum has the second largest Sphinx and the second largest statue of King Ramses II. To close off another great tour we were then treated to a delicious lunch of buffet and bbq meat.
In summary, Fatima and our driver helped to make this a memorable day, one we will treasure for a long time. It can be a pretty exhausting day, so come prepared.
David_L · sep 2025 · via Viator
Lovely and interesting tour to Dashur, Memphis and Saqqara
We had a wonderful day with our guide Ehab, who was both very pleasant and knowledgeable. By the end of the day, our knowledge about ancient Egypt had tripled, if not more.
Would recommend this tour any day!
Overgaard789 · sep 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Great experience
The driver was a very nice person we had a nice experience. Basically we got to go to all the places that were mentioned on the description.
Also, we were in 4 people and we got to go on a private vehicle, which it was very nice and a very clean vehicle.
Gabriel_F · sep 2025 · via Viator
¡Fantástica excursión!
La excursión fue maravillosa. Nuestro guía Ache fue muy amable, atento y simpático con nosotras. Merece mucho la pena conocer esta parte de la historia.
260aroas · sep 2025 · via Tripadvisor
My guide, Logdy (sp?) was...
My guide, Logdy (sp?) was informative and helpful. The tour itself was good, and took me to where I wanted to go.
The only part that bothered me were the stops at shops or stalls at the bazaar where it felt like I was being coerced into making a purchase. Which, after 8 days in Egypt already dealing with the near constant selling, was a bit too much.
That said, the tour was good, driver got us around safely, and I did get to see what I signed up for.
Jennifer_K · sep 2025 · via Viator
Totally worth it!
Highly recommended! My wife and I had the best time with Fouly, great person and driver. We visited Sakkara, Dahshur and Memphis.
Highly recommended and thank you Fouly for your kindness, best regards.
Alberto M · sep 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Don't miss it!
Great value for money, so much to see in a 5-6 hours time. Even tough I was the only customer, the program was fully respected. Cood car, aircon was the blessing ...
bobojovanovicyahooco · aug 2025 · via Viator
Descubriendo Egipto con H un guía 10
La excursión ha sido excelente, me han hecho sentir como en casa en todo momento. H ha sido un guía de 10, tanto por sus explicaciones claras y completas como por el cuidado con el que organizó cada detalle de nuestro día, siempre pensando en nuestros intereses y preocupándose por nosotros. Gracias a él hemos visto y entendido todo muy bien. Los trayectos en coche fueron muy cómodos, con aire acondicionado y buena música, lo que hizo el viaje aún más agradable. La comida, auténtica egipcia y de gran calidad, ha sido otro punto fuerte de la experiencia. Recomiendo esta excursión al 100%.
mariagU4517QD · aug 2025 · via Tripadvisor
Verschrikkelijke ervaring
Ik ben niet blij met deze tour. Dit is de 4e tour die ik sindsdien in Egypte heb gedaan en ze waren allemaal fantastisch, behalve deze.
Eerst sms’te je chauffeur en belde me gisteravond midden in de nacht (middernacht) of ik de tour naar Gizeh had geboekt alsof hij geen toegang had tot de details. Er is geen reden waarom hij me midden in de nacht zou moeten bellen om dit te verduidelijken.
Ten tweede, ik werd vanmorgen 20 minuten te laat opgehaald. Niemand belde of sms'te. Ik moest contact opnemen. Alle andere chauffeurs op de andere tour waren snel en communiceerden de avond ervoor. Stuurde foto van de auto te zoeken en sms'en toen ze aankwamen.
Ten derde - ik werd gehaast door de hele tour! Ik kon nauwelijks foto's maken omdat de gids door de tour reed! Ik verliet elke piramide en begreep er niets van. Ik moest haar vragen om het rustiger aan te doen zodat ik het moment kan vastleggen en de kunst kan waarderen!
Ten vierde - de gids had nauwelijks interactie met mij! Ze spraken de hele tijd met elkaar! Ik voelde me zo ongemakkelijk op de achterbank terwijl ze lachten en praatten.
Vijftig - Ik vertelde de gids dat ik me niet lekker voelde en vroeg of we de lunch mee konden nemen naar mijn hotel in plaats van in het restaurant te gaan zitten. Ze bracht me net terug naar mijn hotel. Stopte niet voor de lunch en zei dat ik kon contact opnemen met de tour bedrijf om mijn geld terug te krijgen voor de lunch! Ik ben letterlijk sprakeloos! Ze zei dat ze in haar land geen eten afhalen bij restaurant en verklaarde dat we het restaurant al gepasseerd zijn en dat ze niet terug zal gaan. Compleet onprofessioneel!
VRESELIJKE ERVARING!! Niet aanbevelen !
Mikayla_S · aug 2025 · via Viator · Vertaald
Be prepared to hike!
Tonsi our guide and Ali our driver picked us up at 9a.m. We headed to Sakkara first. The drive gave us the opportunity to see the green side of Giza as we passed through farmland. The location is very expansive, and does require walking. We had an opportunity to enter one of the tombs where you need to squat while walking downward to enter. Your guide is not allowed in the tombs, so you will encounter a tomb 'guard' who will give you a quick unofficial tour inside if you like. He will want a tip at the end. If you are looking for a spot for great pictures, this is it as there is a large courtyard in front of the step pyramid as well as the main building create a great backdrop. There are a lot of stairs, rocks, and uneven surfaces.
Next we headed to Memphis which features the fallen Ramses II statue. The site itself is equivalent to walking in your backyard garden, or community park, but it still has a lot to see including more of Ramses II! We then headed to Dahsur for the red pyramid. If you have any mobility issues, I would recommend staying in the car. The pyramid is amazing in size and you are able to go inside of it. It does require you to climb a winding staircase up to the pyramid and once at the door, you will have to squat and walk backwards down into the pyramid. Once in, there are two main rooms to explore. There is a staircase going up the wall that takes you into another compartment. You will have to exit the exact same way you came so take this into account. As mentioned before your tour guide is not allowed into the pyramid. I definitely recommend paying the tip for the tomb guard to take you into the tunnel as you will need a flashlight if you do not have one. If you are claustrophobic, SKIP this one.
If you have any energy left, there are other structures a distance walk away.
After the three sites, we headed to a restaurant for lunch. There was ample seating, and variety of food items.
-If you are someone who gets hot easily or sweats a lot, I recommend you bring a fan! Wear your walking/hiking shoes. Even with starting at 9 a.m., it was still extremely hot with the high heat index and my clothing was soaked.
Monika_W · aug 2025 · via Viator
