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 · sept. 2025 · prin 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 · sept. 2025 · prin 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 · sept. 2025 · prin Viator
Fantastic excursion!
The tour was wonderful. Our guide Ache was very friendly, attentive and friendly with us. It is very worth knowing this part of the story.
260aroas · sept. 2025 · prin Tripadvisor · Tradusă
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 · sept. 2025 · prin 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 · sept. 2025 · prin 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 · prin Viator
Discovering Egypt with H a guide 10
The excursion has been excellent, they have made me feel at home at all times. H has been a guide of 10, both for his clear and complete explanations and for the care with which he organized every detail of our day, always thinking about our interests and caring about us. Thanks to him we have seen and understood everything very well. The drives were very comfortable, with air conditioning and good music, which made the trip even more enjoyable. Authentic Egyptian and high quality food has been another highlight of the experience. I recommend this excursion 100%.
mariagU4517QD · aug. 2025 · prin Tripadvisor · Tradusă
Horrible experience
I am not happy with this tour. This is the 4th tour I have been on since in Egypt and all of them were fantastic except this one.
First, your driver texted and called me last night in the middle of the night (midnight) ask if I booked the tour to Giza as if he didn’t have access to the details. There is no reason he should be calling me at midnight in the middle of the night to clarify this.
Second- I was picked up 20 mins late this morning. No one called or text. I had to reach out. All of the other drivers on all the other tour were prompt and communicated the night before. Sent photo of the car to look for and text when they were arriving.
Third- I was rushed through the entire tour! I could barely take photo because the guide was speeding through the tour! I left each pyramid not understanding anything! I had to ask her to slow down so I can capture the moment and appreciate the art!
Fourth- the guide barely interacted with me! They spoke amongst themselves the entire time! I was so uncomfortable just sitting in the backseat as they laughed and talked.
Fifty- I told the guide I was not feeling well and ask if we could take the lunch to go/take away back to my hotel instead of sitting down at restaurant. She legit just brought me back to my hotel! Did not stop for lunch and said I can reach out to the tour company to get my money back for the lunch! I am literally speechless! She said in her country they do not take away food at restaurant and stated we already passed the restaurant are she will not go back. Completely unprofessional!!
HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE!! Do not recommend !
Mikayla_S · aug. 2025 · prin Viator
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 · prin Viator
