Alternatives to the Great Pyramid of Giza
Is the Great Pyramid of Giza Worth Visiting?
The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the most visited tourist sights in all of Egypt. But is the Great Pyramid of Giza really worth visiting? I found during my visit that the Great Pyramid Complex was crowded and full of vendors, as well as “unofficial” guides offering to take me on the “grand tour.” While it was worth visiting the Great Pyramids, I felt some of the other Egyptian pyramids were much more enjoyable. In the sections below, I will highlight two alternatives to the Great Pyramid of Giza.
In the photo below, I was trying to photograph the Great Sphinx of Giza, which is part of the Great Pyramid Complex. The crowd made it difficult to get a good photograph.
Even on the outskirts of the Great Pyramid of Giza Complex, there were huge crowds. The photo below shows the panoramic viewing area, and once again, it was difficult to even get an unobstructed photo of the pyramids.
Alternatives to the Great Pyramid of Giza - Table of Contents
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Alternatives to the Great Pyramid of Giza
The best alternatives to the Great Pyramid of Giza are located in the Saqqara and Dahshur. I found that both of these sights were fairly uncrowded, especially Dahshur. Both Saqqara and Dahshur are within an hour of the city center of Cairo.
An Alternative to the Great Pyramid of Giza - The Saqqara Area
The first alternative to the Great Pyramid of Giza is the Saqqara Area. Saqqara served as the necropolis (cemetery) of the ancient Egyptian capital city of Memphis. The highlight of a trip to Saqqara is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which is the world’s oldest stone building still standing.
There are eleven pyramids in Saqqara, and they are in various states of preservation. In 1970, Saqqara became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In my opinion, Saqqara is a great alternative to the Great Pyramid of Giza. But if you choose to visit the Great Pyramid, be sure to visit Saqqara as well, as it is an entirely different experience than the Great Pyramid.
An Alternative to the Great Pyramid of Giza - The Step Pyramid of Djoser
The Step Pyramid of Djoser is the oldest stone building still standing and the very first pyramid that the ancient Egyptians built. Construction of the Step Pyramid of Djoser began in 2,670 BC and was completed in 2,650 BC. Built by the Egyptian Chancellor Imhotep, the Pyramid of Djoser was the tomb of the KIng Djoser.
Before entering the Complex that the Step Pyramid of Djoser is a part of, I had to walk through the walled entrance. The Complex’s walls were equally impressive. At one time, the wall was 600 yards long by 300 yards wide. According to my research, the wall was decorative and not a military wall to keep people out of the Djoser Complex.
Just inside the entrance to the wall is a colonnade of forty columns. Almost all of the columns have been reconstructed or re-erected. Once through the colonnade, I arrived in the Great Courtyard, which is a vast open area in front of the Step Pyramid of Djoser.
One of the questions I had before I visited Saqqara was, “Is it possible to go inside the Step Pyramid of Djoser?” I learned that it is possible, and during my visit to Saqqara, I did go inside the Step Pyramid of Djoser. As of December 2022, the cost to enter the Saqqara area is E£200. It costs an additional E£100 to go inside the Step Pyramid of Djoser.
Pictured below is the tunnel to get to the center of the Step Pyramid of Djoser. Believe it or not, the Step Pyramid’s tunnel is one of the widest and least steep tunnels of any of the pyramids I visited. It took about three minutes to walk from the entrance to the burial chamber in the center of the pyramid. I use the term walk loosely, as I am six foot five and basically had to crawl to avoid hitting my head.
The interior of the Step Pyramid of Djoser was supposed to serve as the burial chamber for the mummified body of King Djoser. When the burial chamber was discovered, there was no body found within the 32 fragments of the king’s sarcophagus. Archeologists did find 40,000 clay jars that belonged to King Djoser’s ancestors. Many of these jars were inscribed with the names of kings from the first and second dynasties.
I spent around 45 minutes visiting the Step Pyramid of Djoser. After retracing my steps through the tunnel, I exited the Step Pyramid and walked through the complex towards the Pyramid of Unas.
An Alternative to the Great Pyramid of Giza - The Pyramid of Unas
I had limited time during my visit to the Saqqara Complex and chose to only visit the two best-known Pyramids. Both of these pyramids were extremely interesting and serve as great alternatives to visiting the Great Pyramid of Giza. I did enjoy the walk from the Step Pyramid of Djoser to the Pyramid of Unas, as it passed by a bunch of other important structures that make up the Saqqara Complex.
One of the highlights on the way to the Pyramid of Unas is the Cobra Wall of Saqqara. In Ancient Egypt, cobras were seen as a symbol of protection. Cobras were thought to guard the Underworld, which was where the soul of the deceased would venture to for their Final Judgement.
It took around ten minutes to walk from the Step Pyramid of Djoser to the Pyramid of Unas. The Pyramid of Unas is the smallest pyramid from the Old Kingdom but is very important because it was the first pyramid to contain Egyptian Hieroglyphic Funeral Texts. Built in 2,360 BC, the Pyramid of Unas served as the tomb of King Unas.
There was no additional entry fee to enter the Pyramid of Unas as entry was included on my ticket to the Saqqara Complex. I did not enjoy navigating the passage to the burial chamber of the Pyramid of Unas. As shown below, the passage to the center of the Pyramid of Unas was only about four feet in height. I had to literally crawl through the tunnel to reach the burial chamber.
As stated earlier, the burial chamber of the Pyramid of Unas has the first known example of Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic Funeral Texts. These texts are known today as “Pyramid Texts” and helped guide the soul of the deceased to the Underworld.
As I photographed the burial chamber inside the Pyramid of Unas, it was amazing to think that the hieroglyphics on the walls were carved over 4,000 years ago.
I spent about thirty minutes inside the Pyramid of Unas. On my way out, I stopped and visited a few other buildings, including the Tomb of Iynefert. Located around the Pyramid of Unas are tombs of other important people from the Reign of King Unas.
I went to multiple tombs near the Pyramid of Unas. When I uploaded my photos of the interiors of the tombs, I had difficulty matching the reliefs pictured below with the correct tomb. While I am not one-hundred percent sure, I believe that the three reliefs all came from the Tomb of Iynefert.
In my post-trip research, I couldn’t match these exact reliefs with any interpretations online. Looking at the one below, it appears that they are preparing some sort of a feast.
The photos below show two additional examples of Ancient Egyptian reliefs. It is hard to imagine that these reliefs have survived for over 4,000 years.
I spent a few hours visiting the Saqqara Complex. In my opinion, Saqqara is a great alternative to the Great Pyramid of Giza. It was nice to be able to tour the complex slowly without having to deal with the huge crowds at the Pyramids of Giza.
An Alternative to the Great Pyramid of Giza - The Dahshur Area
After leaving Saqqara, I decided to visit the Dahshur Area. Dahshur is another great alternative to the Great Pyramid of Giza. During my visit to Dahshur, I would experience smaller crowds and unobstructed photo opportunities.
On the way to Dahshur, I stopped multiple times to photograph the magnificent Palm Tree forests. I’ve seen plenty of palm trees in my travels, but these palm forests were denser than anything I’ve ever seen.
The entrance fee to Dahshur was extremely reasonably priced, as of December 2022, at E£60.
An Alternative to the Great Pyramid of Giza - The Red Pyramid
The first pyramid I visited at Dahshur was the Red Pyramid. This pyramid is also sometimes known as the “Perfect Pyramid” and is the third largest Egyptian Pyramid after Khufu and Khafre at Giza. The Red Pyramid was built in 2,575 BC by King Sneferu and is believed to be the first successful attempt at building a smooth-sided pyramid.
Included with the admission ticket to Dahshur is entrance into the Red Pyramid of Dahshur. To enter the Red Pyramid, I had to climb quite a few steps to reach the pyramid’s entrance.
Even if you decide not to go inside the Red Pyramid, I highly recommend climbing to the entrance. The ledge near the entrance to the Red Pyramid is a great place to photograph not only the Red Pyramid itself but also the surrounding area.
The photo below was taken from the viewing platform just below the entrance to the Red Pyramid.
I decided to go inside the Red Pyramid despite the warning that the passage is narrow and typically makes even smaller people feel extremely claustrophobic. It took me around ten minutes to crawl through the passage of the Red Pyramid and reach the chamber located in the center.
The most difficult part was passing others that were returning to the entrance, and I also found it quite difficult to breathe the warm-stuffy air. The Red Pyramid would be the only pyramid that I would enter during my visit to Dahshur.
As difficult as the trip to the interior chamber of the Red Pyramid was, I found it almost impossible to climb back to the entrance. I believe it took me at least fifteen minutes to retrace my steps. When I exited the Red Pyramid, I’d never been so happy to breathe fresh air.
The photo below was taken near the bottom of the tunnel and looks up toward the entrance.
There are multiple chambers found inside the Red Pyramid. The most impressive is the pyramid-shaped ceiling that rises 40 feet toward the top of the pyramid. It is incredible to think that the Ancient Egyptians were able to construct this type of design over 4,500 years ago.
To get to the actual burial chamber, I had to crawl through a small opening between the massive stones. It was believed that King Sneferu was buried inside this burial chamber.
The photo below shows the Red Pyramid from one of the photography points. You can see the entrance to the Red Pyramid just to the left-center. Even if you do not go inside the Red Pyramid, it is worth the visit. There were no crowds, and I was happy to get an unobstructed photo of this magnificent structure.
An Alternative to the Great Pyramid of Giza - The Bent Pyramid of Sneferu
The second pyramid that I visited at Dahshur was the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu. This pyramid gets its name due to its unique shape. When constructed, the Ancient Egyptians were still trying to perfect their pyramid-building techniques. In the years prior, they had abandoned their “step-pyramid” technique for the true four-sided smooth pyramid technique. This new method was used as the pyramids were no longer being designed as staircases to the stars.
I did not go inside the Bent Pyramid as the tunnel to the center was much narrower than the Red Pyramid’s tunnel.
An Alternative to the Great Pyramid of Giza - The Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III
The final pyramid that I visited at Dahshur was the Black Pyramid of Amenemhat III. This pyramid is sometimes referred to as the Sunken Pyramid as King Amenemhat III made quite a few errors during the construction of this structure. Today, the pyramid is in poor shape having collapsed and sunken under its own weight.
Saqqara and Dahshur Tours and Packages
The easiest way to see these alternatives to the Great Pyramid of Giza is to take a tour. For your convenience, I have linked some tour options below. Please note that I am an affiliate of Viator. If you purchase a package using one of my links, I will receive a small commission. This commission is at no additional cost to you.
 Memphis, Saqqara & Dahshur - $61.54 A a stunning view of the countryside fields & palm trees along the road from Giza to Saqqara, Take the advantage of your proximity to the treasures of the Pharaohs by exploring the wonders of three marvelous ancient Egyptian historical sites. |
 Private Day Trip to Giza pyramids , Saqqara- Dahshur-Barbecue Lunch Camel Ride - $75.00 Private guide egyptlogist |
 2-Day Private Guided Tour to Giza, Saqqara, Dahshur and Cairo and 2 evenings - $130.00 Do it all in two days and two evenings. The target of this private tour is for you to visit all major pyramid sites in Saqqara (Step Pyramid complex), Dahshur (Red Pyramid and Bent Pyramid) and Giza (Cheops, Chephren, Mycerinus and Sphinx), Admire the treasures of the Egyptian museum that has the biggest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world and the spiritual atmosphere of mosques (Islamic art) and churches (Coptic art) in the Citadel of Saladin and in Old Cairo area. Enjoy the local experience of bargaining in the worldwide known Khan el Khalili Bazaar. Enjoy authentic Egyptian food, and enjoy entertainment during your evenings - one at the sound and light show in Giza, the other on a dinner cruise on the Nile with an exotic belly dance and exquisite Tannoura (whirling Dervish) show while sailing on the river Nile.. |
 From Cairo: Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Saqqara, Dahshur & Lunch - $50.00 Visit all of the wondrous famed Pyramids of Egypt |
 3-Day Private Cairo Tour with Saqqara and Dahshur - $1,495.70 We offer an Egypt itinerary for 3 days in Cairo . Visit the Pyramids of Giza and The Egyptian Museum, The Sphinx, Memphis and Sakkara and Dahsuour Citadel and also Old Cairo. |
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