You’ve heard of the Great Pyramids of Giza. But did you know that Egypt is home to more than 118 pyramids? Today I want to tell you about two of them, and let me get right to the point: while you definitely should visit the Great Pyramids when traveling to Egypt for the first time, you absolutely must visit the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid of Dahshur sometime in your life. This is particularly true if – like me – you live in Egypt, but I also unapologetically insist that my guests from abroad make time to visit these beauties.
Built by King Sneferu in the same dynasty as the great pyramids, the Red and Bent Pyramids are certainly old and big enough to merit a visit, but here are three more reasons why you simply must put them on your travel itinerary.
First: Their unique appearance. The Red Pyramid is, well, red! Or reddish. While it may have been covered anciently with a pure white limestone, the current face of the pyramid – exposed since the original casing was “repurposed” during medieval times – is a rusty stone that gives it its famous red tint. The Bent Pyramid gets its name from the fact that the angle of the slope changes drastically from about the middle, giving the pyramid a “bent” look. If you ask me, the Red and Bent Pyramids make the Great Pyramids look downright ordinary.
Second: Free entrance to the pyramid chamber. Unlike the Giza pyramids, there is no extra fee to climb down into the chambers and tunnels located within both pyramids. For some people, this is a dream come true. The tunnels, chambers, and the possibility of an electrical outage mid-climb – all for free! – is a big draw for thrill-seekers. Others should keep in mind that the climb down the 200-foot ramp to the inner chamber of the Red Pyramid is hot, strenuous, and basically not for the unfit or faint of heart. The ramp leading down into the Bent Pyramid is even longer and steeper. And I should mention the bats. They won’t bother you, but they are there, deep within the burial chambers.
Third: The peace and quiet. Wait, you can visit a pyramid without being repeatedly offered a camel ride or an alabaster sphinx? Yes! In fact, the area surrounding the Red and Bent Pyramids is basically empty, void of hawkers, camel drivers, and even tourists. Pro tip: if you take the off-road path between the two pyramids, you will begin to feel like Lawrence of Arabia. There is simply nothing out there except sand and rocks. This is unquestionably my favorite aspect of visiting the pyramids of Dahshur.
Have I convinced you? I promise – you won’t regret it. And if you have kids, they will thank you for the wide open space in which to run, collect rocks, climb up a rickety wooden staircase to a pyramid entrance, and then immediately descend again into a somewhat smelly but oh-so-cool burial chamber. What more could a kid want?
So let’s get down to planning your trip. We’ll discuss transportation options in a moment, but first, a few notes about getting started off on the right foot.
Tickets and amenities: You will purchase your tickets at the ticket booth, directly inside the front gate. Currently, an adult foreigner ticket is 60LE and a child/student ticket is 30LE. Egyptian adults and children pay 10/5LE. I recommend you bring your own water and snacks, but there is one small kiosk onsite that sells overpriced water and 1-2 snack options. There is one bathroom, located in the same small building as the kiosk, but as always – bring your own toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Finally, you must definitely bring sun protection and wear sensible clothing and shoes.
Transportation:
Option 1 – The Tourist on a Deadline: If you are visiting Egypt and have limited time, you can visit the pyramids of Giza, Saqqara, and Dahshur (in that order) in one long day. This plan will require you to have a private car and to start early (be at the Great Pyramids by 8am). Be sure to budget enough time for travel from Giza to Saqqara (nearly one hour) and from Saqqara to Dahshur (another half hour). The Dahshur pyramids close at 4pm.
Option 2 – The Relaxed Tourist: Another option is to visit the three sets of pyramids over a two-day period, leaving an entire morning (8am-12pm) for Dahshur. This advice also applies to long-term visitors or residents in Egypt who have time to explore Dahshur at their leisure. This option also requires a personal vehicle.
Option 3 – The Risk Taker: If, however, you have some time (and calories!) to burn and want to feel like Lawrence of Arabia, take public transportation to the ticket booth or Uber to the base of the Red Pyramid, say ma’assalama to the driver, and walk between the Red and Bent Pyramids. Note that the sparsely posted guards in the area will likely tell you to keep to the paved road that connects the two pyramids – but I never do. Do not forget that you will also have to walk (or hitch a ride) back to the ticket booth from the Bent Pyramid (4-5km!) in order to order an Uber or hop in a tuk-tuk.
So, once again, the transportation options in a nutshell:
Option 1: Travel by private car from Giza to Saqqara to Dahshur (no less than 8 hours).
Option 2: Travel by private car to Dahshur (approximately 4 hours).
Option 3: Travel by any means to the Dahshur ticket office, walk or ride 2km from the ticket office to the base of the Red pyramid, walk or hitch a ride 2km between the Red and Bent Pyramids, walk or hitch a ride 4km back to the ticket office, and then find your own way home from there via Uber, tuk-tuk, a minibus, or the back of a pickup truck (no less than 6 hours).
It may not surprise you to learn that my children and I have done “Option 3” a number of times. Why, you may ask? Well, I do love adventure…but I also adore Dahshur and would probably be willing to walk the 24km there from my apartment in Cairo. You will love it too, and next thing you know you’ll be preaching Dahshur to all your friends visiting Egypt. See you there!
