Day 01
Giza Pyramids, Great Sphinx, and Saqqara Exploration
- Our tour representative will pick you up from your hotel in Cairo to begin one of our Cairo and Giza tours.
- Transfer to discover one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops).
- You will continue to explore the rest of the Giza Plateau, including the sight of Khafre's (Kaphren) Pyramid, the second-largest pyramid on the Giza site, the remains of the funerary temple, the Pyramid of Mankawra (Mykerinus), and three small pyramids.
- Then proceed to visit the Great Sphinx, the head of a pharaoh with a lion's body, which dates from the time of Chephren, and visit the Valley Temple, which belongs to the pyramids of Chephren.
- This temple served two functions. First, it was used to purify the mummy of the king before burial. Second, it was used for the mummification process of the king. After visiting the pyramids, you will continue across the plateau for a photo opportunity of the three pyramids rising from the sands.
- Move on to visit the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the world's oldest major stone structure. It was built in the 3rd Dynasty, around 2630 BC, for King Djoser. The famous Step Pyramid of Saqqara is considered the first large-scale carved stone structure in the world. As its name suggests, it is a series of six levels of stone that decrease in size until they reach a height of 62 meters (200 feet). This structure predates later pyramids and is vital to archaeologists' understanding of the development of pyramid construction.
- See the Imhotep Museum, the tomb of a high official, the Pyramid of King Titi, the Pyramid of King Unas, and the Nobles' Tombs.
- Return to Cairo.
