Saqqara predates Giza by approximately 70 years. The Step Pyramid of Djoser, built around 2650 BC, is the oldest large-scale stone structure in human history — the moment when ancient Egyptian builders moved from mudbrick mastabas to something entirely new.

It is also one of the least crowded major sites in Egypt. Tour buses go to Giza. Saqqara draws a fraction of those visitors, which means you can stand at the base of the world's first pyramid in relative quiet, with a guide explaining what you are looking at, without anyone pushing past you for a photograph.

For travelers with genuine curiosity about ancient Egypt, a visit to Saqqara is often the most memorable day of the entire trip.

Who This Tour Is For

• Travelers who want depth at a single site rather than speed across multiple locations
• Those with a specific interest in Egyptian archaeology and the origins of pyramid building
• Visitors who have already seen Giza and want to go back to the beginning of the story
• Anyone who prefers uncrowded, considered exploration

What You Will See at Saqqara

The Step Pyramid of Djoser

Six mastabas stacked on top of each other, rising to 62 meters. Designed by the architect Imhotep, one of the few ancient Egyptian commoners whose name history preserved. It is the prototype for every pyramid that followed.

The Surrounding Necropolis

The Old Kingdom mastabas surrounding the pyramid contain some of the finest reliefs in Egypt — daily life scenes, agricultural sequences, and offering processions painted and carved when Giza had not yet been imagined. Several are open to visitors.

The Pyramid of Unas

A smaller pyramid whose interior walls carry the Pyramid Texts — the oldest known religious texts in the world, painted in hieroglyphs that cover every surface of the burial chamber. Small, dark, extraordinary.

The Serapeum

Underground galleries cut deep into the bedrock, housing the enormous granite sarcophagi of the Apis bulls — each weighing 60 to 80 tonnes, placed here over a period of 1,400 years—one of Egypt's strangest and most striking sites.

✦ The Serapeum galleries are unlit beyond your guide's torch. When the light falls on one of those granite sarcophagi — a single block of stone weighing more than 70 tonnes, transported here and lowered through a vertical shaft cut in the desert plateau — the engineering question arrives before the historical one. Your guide will answer both.

Common First-Time Questions

Can I combine Saqqara with Giza in one day? 

Yes — they are 30 minutes apart. See our Giza and Saqqara full-day tour for a combined itinerary. If Saqqara is your priority and you want genuine depth, keeping it as a standalone half- or full-day site produces a better experience.

Are the decorated mastabas open to the public? 

Several are open on a rotating basis. Your guide will know which are accessible on your visit date and will prioritize the ones with the best-preserved reliefs.

Will I be pressured to buy anything? 

No. This is a private tour. We do not include commission-based stops, and your guide will not redirect the itinerary for shopping.

Can the pacing or order be adjusted? 

Yes. This is private — the schedule adapts to you. If you want to spend longer at one site or skip something, tell your guide.

Is this suitable for travelers arriving from a long flight? 

We recommend scheduling your first full tour after at least one night of sleep in Egypt. If you are booking for the arrival day, we can discuss a gentler start time.