Hurghada: Private Giza, Sakkara, Memphis & Khan el-Khalili

Overview

You came to Egypt for the Red Sea, but the Pyramids have been on your list for much longer than this holiday. Cairo is a long way from Hurghada, about six hours by road, so this day is built around the distance. Your own driver collects you from your hotel at one in the morning, you sleep through the desert crossing, and by first light you are on the edge of Cairo.

The car is yours and so is the pace, with an Egyptologist guide who answers every question. At Saqqara you stand before the Step Pyramid of King Djoser, six stone terraces rising out of the sand, with far fewer people around than at Giza. Nearby at Memphis, once the capital of Egypt, a colossal statue of Ramesses II lies on its back so you can study his face up close, beside a sphinx carved from a single block of alabaster. Then comes Giza: the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure, the desert viewpoint, and the Sphinx seen from Khafre's Valley Temple. You stay as long as you like at each stop, because no one else is waiting.

Somewhere between Saqqara and Giza the dates stop being numbers. Djoser's pyramid, the first in Egypt, was less than a hundred years old when work began on the Great Pyramid, and Cleopatra lived closer to our time than to the day it was finished. Standing among these stones puts your own life on a very long timeline, and it is a surprisingly calm place to be.

After lunch at a local restaurant, the afternoon belongs to Khan el-Khalili, the bazaar that has traded spices, brass and perfume since the 1380s, where your guide helps you find your way and keeps the bargaining friendly. Then the car turns back toward the sea and you doze for most of the drive. You reach Hurghada late in the evening, and the Great Pyramid is no longer a picture in a book but a place you have walked around, knowing how it came to be.

Highlights

• ✦Stand before the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, the first pyramid in Egypt, built around 2680 BC
• ✦See the fallen colossus of Ramesses II and the alabaster sphinx at Memphis, capital of the pyramid-building kings
• ✦Walk around the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the tallest building on Earth for more than 3,800 years
• ✦Meet the Great Sphinx beside Khafre's Valley Temple, with your guide explaining how it was carved
• ✦Lunch at a local restaurant, then wander the lanes of Khan el-Khalili, a Cairo bazaar since the 1380s
• ✦Travel in your own air-conditioned car with an Egyptologist guide, with no group to wait for

Included

• ✓Hotel pickup and drop-off in Hurghada
• ✓Private air-conditioned car or minivan with driver for the whole day
• ✓Your own Egyptologist guide
• ✓Entry tickets to the Giza Plateau, Saqqara and the Memphis open-air museum
• ✓Lunch of Egyptian dishes at a local restaurant
• ✓Bottled water in the car
• ✓Guided walk through Khan el-Khalili bazaar

Not included

• −Entry inside the Great Pyramid (can be added when you book)
• −Camel ride at the Pyramids (can be added when you book)
• −Drinks with lunch
• −Pickup outside Hurghada (Makadi Bay, Sahl Hasheesh, El Gouna, Safaga and Soma Bay have their own listing of this tour)
• −Shopping and personal expenses
• −Tips (optional)

Good to know

• iChild price: ages 2-11 · Infants under 2
• iPickup is at about 01:00 from your Hurghada hotel, and you are back at about 22:00 to 23:00. The drive to Cairo takes about six hours each way, with a rest stop.
• iBring your passport or a copy of it: there are police checkpoints on the road to Cairo.
• iBring a travel pillow or light blanket for the night drive, comfortable shoes, a hat and sunscreen.
• iExpect walking on sand and uneven ground at Giza and Saqqara.
• iBring some cash for Khan el-Khalili and for tips.
• iYour guide may change the order of the visits to avoid crowds and the midday heat.
• iThis is a private tour: only your own group travels in the car. The minimum is two travellers, and a child counts toward it.
• iThe price per adult depends on how many adults book together: two, three, or four to eight. Children aged 2 to 11 pay the child price and infants under 2 travel free. It is a long day for young children.