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Giza & Saqqara: Step Pyramid & Ramses II with Egyptologist Guide

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Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/49

Duration6h–8h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · AR +4

PickupAt your hotel

Two Ancient Capitals in One Morning: Saqqara's First Stone Pyramid & Memphis

You get hotel pickup, a private Egyptologist guide, and entry to Saqqara's Step Pyramid of Djoser—the world's first stone pyramid—plus Memphis's Colossal Statue of Ramses II and Alabaster Sphinx. The itinerary flexes around your pace and interests. Optional lunch and Dahshur pyramids can be added. Five hours total, return to your hotel by early afternoon.

6h–8h

Step-by-step itinerary

Pick up from hotel in Cairo or Giza
Visit Saqqara necropolis and Step Pyramid
Learn about King Djoser and architect Imhotep
Explore the Step Pyramid complex and tombs
Visit Memphis ancient capital site
See Colossal Statue of Ramses II
View Alabaster Sphinx of Memphis
Return to hotel

The Experience

You're staying in Cairo or Giza and have a free afternoon—or maybe you've only got one day to see beyond the main pyramids. That's the moment this tour makes sense. A private vehicle picks you up from your hotel and heads south to Saqqara, where the Step Pyramid of Djoser sits waiting. Built in 2670 BC, it's the oldest stone structure on earth, and standing in front of it feels different than the photos suggest. Your Egyptologist guide walks you through the complex—the colonnaded entrance, the Sed Festival court, the enclosure wall—and explains how this pyramid became the blueprint for everything that came after. The structure is massive but also somehow fragile, which is part of what makes it real.

From Saqqara, you drive to Memphis, the ancient capital, where a museum houses the Colossal Statue of Ramses II. The limestone is in remarkable condition for something carved around 1279 BC, and the scale of it—a pharaoh who ruled for 67 years, frozen in stone—hits harder when you're standing next to it than when you're reading about it. The Alabaster Sphinx is there too, possibly representing Queen Hatshepsut, though the guide will tell you what's known and what's still debated. The whole day moves at a pace you control; if you want to linger at one site or move faster through another, the itinerary bends to that. Five hours total, which means you're back at your hotel by early afternoon.

Dahshur is also on the route—40 kilometers south of Cairo, where the Bent Pyramid and Red Pyramid show the transition from step pyramids to smooth-sided ones. If you want to include it, the guide can work it in, though that extends the day. The optional lunch at a local restaurant happens after the tour if you book the all-inclusive option, which also covers entry fees to Saqqara and Memphis. If you skip lunch and just want transport and the guide, that's available too. Either way, you're not negotiating with drivers or hunting for tickets—the guide handles the logistics, and you handle the looking.

What’s included

Your day includes hotel pickup and drop-off from Cairo or Giza, a private Egyptologist guide, and an air-conditioned vehicle for the entire journey.
Entry to Saqqara and Memphis is included only in the all-inclusive option; if you choose the car-and-guide option, you pay entry fees separately.
Bottled water is provided.
Lunch at a local restaurant is optional and included only in the all-inclusive package.
The guide can arrange separate tickets for entry into the Step Pyramid or southern tomb if you want to go inside.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportInfant seats availableNot for heart conditionsNot for back problems

Operated by Egypt Gold

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see Saqqara's Step Pyramid and Memphis in one morning without arranging transport, tickets, or timing yourself—the private guide and fixed pickup handle all three, leaving you free to focus on the sites.