The Great Pyramid Adventure

Reserve your place on The Great Pyramid Adventure

Back by popular demand this fabulous tour is a thorough exploration of pyramids, especially on the Giza Plateau, Dahshur and at Saqqara

We have special permits from the Ministry of Antiquities allowing access to some spectacular sites

DEPARTING 15th MARCH 2027

Private entry to all three chambers of the Great Pyramid

Private entry to the Sphinx Enclosure to stand up close to the Dream Stela

Private entry to the Step Pyramid via the original 3^rd Dynasty entrance tunnel

Further afield we visit more remote pyramids at Lahun, Hawara and Meidum where Colin will share his theories on the building of these massive buildings and the reasons for the locations used.

Not forgetting a full day at the Grand Egyptian Museum

We can study the latest displays in this vast complex at Giza overlooking the Pyramids and the Plateau.

Day 1 - Monday 15th March 2027

We take our direct flight from Heathrow to Cairo, where we check in to the Sheraton Hotel. We are based at this hotel for seven nights on room and breakfast basis.

Day 2 - Tuesday 16th March – The Grand Egyptian Museum

A fitting start to this exciting tour is a full day at the Grand Egyptian Museum. Now fully open we have plenty of time to wander through the amazing Tutankhamun Galleries and explore the new Khufu Boat Museum. Lunch will be own arrangements at one of the many food outlets on the ground floor of this vast building. (B)

Day 3 - Wednesday 17th March – Dahshur, The Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid

Today we explore Dahshur with time to enter the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid two of the earliest ‘true’ pyramids dating from the Fourth Dynasty. Colin will explain his theories on the building of these remarkable structures. We will have a late lunch at the Saqqara Palm Club and then we will return our comfortable hotel. (BL)

Day 4 - Thursday 18th March – The Giza Plateau

Today we make the short journey to the pyramids and thoroughly explore the site including the causeways, mastaba tombs, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple. Our first special permit will be our time within the Great Sphinx Enclosure where Colin will be able to explain some of the geology of the site. Time to purchase any other tickets available on the day for those who wish. We will walk the site with Colin before taking a break and enjoying lunch in a restaurant with the most spectacular view of the Giza Pyramids. After a rest we walk down the causeway to enter the Valley Temple of Khafre. We investigate some of the little explored areas of this ancient site. We return to our hotel late afternoon. (BL)

Day 5 - Friday 19th March – Lahun and Hawara

This morning a bit further afield we head to Hawara and the Middle Kingdom mudbrick pyramid of Amenemhat III. Time to walk this amazing site that is also home of the legendry Labyrinth. On to Lahun and another mudbrick pyramid this time of Senusret II. Both pyramids are heavily eroded due to the loss of limestone casing. We travel with lunch boxes from our hotel today. (BL)

Day 6 - Saturday 20th March – Meidum and the Great Pyramid Special Entry

This morning we drive south to the massive pyramid of Meidum with a chance to enter and descend to the impressive burial chamber. Colin has written extensively on the building of this remarkable pyramid, and we will walk the site looking for clues and evidence to support his ideas. There will be time for the adventurous to enter the mastaba known as ‘Mastaba 17’ as numbered by Flinders Petrie in 1910. The sarcophagus with robber’s wooden mallet is still in situ and well worth the effort to view. We return to the hotel for a lunch break before our late afternoon return to the Giza Plateau. As the pyramid site closes for the day and the sun goes down, we have an AWT private permit to thoroughly explore the Great Pyramid with entry to all three chambers. A rare and exciting chance to descend to the subterranean ‘unfinished’ chamber cut in to the bedrock and then take the ascending corridors to the Queen’s Chamber and the King’s Chamber. We return to our hotel after our expedition. (B)

Day 7 - Sunday 21st March – The Step Pyramid – Private Entry

We have planned a whole day at Saqqara where we have a very special private permit to enter the Step Pyramid of Djoser via the original 3rd Dynasty entrance tunnel. A chance to walk through the many tunnels leading to the final resting place of Djoser in his granite vault. We will also have time to enter the Pyramid of Unas, the pyramid of Teti and the Late Period entrance of the Step Pyramid. We visit some beautiful Old Kingdom mastaba tombs and Colin will also point out lesser-known features of this vast site such as the dry moat and early dynastic tombs that have never been fully explored. Colin will guide us through some of the more confusing aspects of this well-known site that still has many questions that still need answering. During the day we will have lunch at the Sakkara Palm Club. (BL)

Day 8 - Monday 22nd March 2027 – Home

After breakfast we take our private transfer to Cairo Airport for our direct flight to London Heathrow arriving early afternoon. (B)

Colin Reader is a chartered geologist whose studies have focused on issues as diverse as the age of the Great Sphinx, the geological evolution of the Egyptian landmass, pyramid building and ancient quarrying techniques. However, Colin stresses that Giza is the site where his interest in Ancient Egypt began. His book A gift of Geology: Ancient Egyptian Landscapes and Monuments, published by AUC Press, is highly recommended. His latest book Rewriting the History of the Great Sphinx, published by Archaeopress is now available

B = Breakfast BL = Breakfast and Lunch BD = Breakfast and Dinner BLD = Breakfast Lunch and Dinner

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