Giza Pyramids, Sakkara, Memphis & Dahshur Day Tour

Most Cairo tours stop at Giza. This one keeps going south, and that is the point: taken together, these four sites let you watch the pyramid evolve from an idea into the Great Pyramid, in the correct order, in a single day.

Sakkara

You start with the Step Pyramid of Djoser - the oldest large stone building on earth, designed by Imhotep around 2650 BC. It is six mastabas stacked on top of each other, and it is the moment someone first decided a tomb could be a mountain.

Dahshur

Then the two pyramids of Sneferu. The Bent Pyramid changes angle halfway up, because the builders realized mid-construction that the original slope would not hold. The Red Pyramid beside it is the corrected version - the first successful true pyramid, and you can go inside it. Dahshur is usually quiet, which makes it a startling contrast to what comes next.

Memphis

The capital of Egypt for more than eight centuries, now an open-air museum of what survived - including a colossal limestone statue of Ramesses II, lying on its back because there is no way to stand it up.

Giza

Finally the Great Pyramid, Khafre, Menkaure and the Sphinx. After Sakkara and Dahshur you arrive understanding exactly how much had to be worked out before this became possible, which is a very different experience from seeing it cold.

Good to know before you book

• The day runs around 10 hours with a licensed guide, and you may request your preferred language.
• Entry to the inside of the Great Pyramid and to some tombs is ticketed separately at the gate. Your guide will tell you which are worth it on the day.
• Lunch and drinks are not included.
• Transfers are included within Cairo; pickup from outside Cairo carries a $5 per person supplement.
• Camel and horse handlers at Giza approach visitors persistently. A polite, firm no is enough, and agree any price before you get on anything.
• Bring a hat, sunglasses, water and shoes you can walk in on sand. There is almost no shade at any of the four sites.

$30 per person (regular price $35), including guide and transfers within Cairo.