The next morning, our driver and our guide, Mahmoud, escorted us to several sites for the day. First was Memphis, where we saw this amazing statue of Ramesses II. It’s absolutely massive. So large in fact, they built the museum around the statue after it was found in a nearby body of water.
After that, we went to Saqqara and saw the first pyramid in Egypt! The Step Pyramid, built in the 27th century B.C., was for the King Djoser. The architect was Imhotep and he is likely the genius behind the pyramid structure.
I’ve been watching Egyptian documentaries my entire life, so seeing this in person was definitely a highlight. I can neither confirm nor deny any fangirling that may have happened…
The entrance fees to all the sites were included with our tour package, but there were a few extras that we could add on if we wanted. We chose to pay the extra fee to go inside the Step Pyramid. Was it worth it? I think that’s subjective. For me it was definitely worth it to be able to say I was inside the Step Pyramid. But it was just an empty shaft with no hieroglyphics or anything to look at, so that is a personal decision.
Admission Cost:
That said, it was E￡100 or just under $4 USD to go inside the Step Pyramid. Admission into the Saqqara Archaeological site was E￡180 or just under $7 USD (however, this admission cost was included in our tour.) One thing of note about admission costs is that it does cost more for tourists to visit archeological sites than it does for citizens.
The Pyramid complex is open daily from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Stick around to see where we go after lunch! And don’t forget to read about our adventures the day before!
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