Saqqara by quad and dirt bike
Two to three hours on the open desert beside the Step Pyramid, on a machine chosen for your confidence, with the route checked first.
- Where
- The desert edge at Saqqara, south of Giza
- Length
- About 5 hours with hotel transfers
- Needs
- None; a briefing and practice come first
The story
Egypt's tourism authority names the desert between Giza and Saqqara as the place for quad riding (Experience Egypt). Saqqara is where monumental building in stone began, with the Step Pyramid of Djoser, so the skyline you ride beside is the first pyramid of all.
We settle tipping before the day, so the ride is simply the ride. It is a desert ride with the pyramids on the horizon; to go inside the sites, pair it with the Saqqara tour.
What happens
Collection from your hotel in Cairo or Giza, then a briefing at the desert base: controls, signals and the route.
Practice on flat sand until the leader is happy, then choose a quad, a dirt bike or a buggy for the level you want.
Ride out behind the leader across open desert, with the Step Pyramid of Djoser on the skyline.
Stop to look rather than ride into a monument enclosure, then return to wash off the dust.
A proposed shape, not a fixed programme. The final arrangements and order are agreed before booking.
Who it suits
Dust, heat, vibration and the balance to control a machine. Closed shoes, long trousers and eye protection matter. Not suitable where a medical condition, age or confidence makes control uncertain.
- Previous experience
- None; a briefing and practice come first
- Minimum age
- Set by the operator; younger children ride as passengers where allowed
- Best season
- Year-round; ride early or late in summer
- What you see
- Open desert with the Step Pyramid of Djoser on the skyline
Time and travel
- Starting location
- Saqqara, from Cairo or Giza
- Total time
- About 5 hours with hotel transfers
- Active time
- About two to three hours of riding
Times are planning estimates. Confirm pickup, travel from your accommodation and the time you need to be back. Our effort judgement: active.
Our recommendation
Quads are sold on every corner of Giza. We choose the ride by its route, its machines and its leader, and we tell you what you will and will not see.
What we confirm before you go
- The exact riding area and its permissions, outside the archaeological enclosures
- A correctly fitting helmet, goggles, a briefing and practice time before the ride
- Actual riding minutes, the leader-to-rider ratio and what happens if someone wants to stop
- That tips are settled in advance, so nobody asks for one halfway through the desert
Every item is settled in writing before anything is arranged.
Where it fits
Trip ideaCairo, Luxor and Aswan: Egypt in a sequence that makes senseA first visit in the order that makes sense: the pyramids, the temples, then the river.- c. 2600 BCSaqqaraIf Giza is a single statement, Saqqara is a conversation that lasts nearly four thousand years.
c. 2600 BCStep Pyramid Complex of DjoserThe first building in Egypt of truly monumental scale built throughout of stone.
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Questions?
Ask about “Saqqara by quad and dirt bike”
Tell us your dates, where you will be and who is coming. We confirm the host, the timing, the price for your party and the terms before anything is booked.
Sources and review
Reviewed on by Deluxe Trips Egypt. Facts are attributed to their sources; where we give a judgement, we say so. Arranged on request; we confirm every detail before anything is booked.
Photography credits (6)
Berthold Werner, CC BY 3.0; Norhan Elmaghrabi, CC BY-SA 4.0; Egy2030, CC BY-SA 4.0; Sara Nabih, CC BY-SA 4.0; KennyOMG, CC BY-SA 4.0; Dr. Ondřej Havelka (cestovatel), CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and cropped for display.
