Ask people what country has the most pyramids in the world, mistakenly many people will say Egypt.
Fair enough, Egypt is very famous for its massive pyramids. But the honor of the country with the most pyramids is in fact Sudan!
Over 220 of these ancient structures were built there, nearly twice the amount in Egypt. Arguably, the most famous of them all are – The Meroe Pyramids.
Unfortunately, tourism in Sudan is pretty much non-existent. That makes it quite hard to get to certain Sudan attractions.
The Meroe Pyramids (pronounced Merowee) are located in the middle of nowhere. There are many different stories online about how to get to the Meroe Pyramids from Khartoum, and all had different versions and experiences. In this article, we will give all the information about how we visited the Meroe Pyramids in Sudan.
What Was Meroe Pyramids Known For?
Now we know that Sudan has the most pyramids in the world, let’s talk about their most famous pyramids, and how to get to The Meroe Pyramids.
The Meroë Pyramids are a complex of nearly 200 small pyramids built between 2,700 and 2,300 years ago.
Once upon a time, this ground was host to the capital of The Kingdom of Kush in the ancient lands of Nubia. Today the lands of Nubia are Northern Sudan and the southern part of Egypt. In Luxor, the Nubian influence and people can still be found.
The Kingdom of Kush hosted one of the earliest civilizations known to mankind, building large cities and trading luxury items such as gold, gemstones, and ivory. And like their Egyptian neighbors, they built tombs for their dead kings and queens.
The city of Meroe no longer exists, with depleted soil and invasions by foreign armies it was abandoned and slowly Meroe crumbled away. The last bit of remaining evidence of this ancient kingdom is the Meroe Pyramids.
Basically, the Pyramids are a massive graveyard of tombs for ancient kings and queens!
How To Get to The Meroe Pyramids
There are many different versions of how to get to the Meroe Pyramids, this is how we did it.
We decided to make our way from Khartoum to Shendi, the closest town near the pyramids.
Getting to Shendi from Khartoum will take 4 hours by bus from North Khartoum Bus Station. Just make sure you are in the correct bus station as Google Maps still shows the old location.
If you type in Moore Road North Khartoum you will see Central Market, where the new bus station is located.
Uber is not Available in Sudan but an alternative is Tirhal, the only difference being you pay the driver in cash.
Shendi is a town that is only 40 kilometers from these unique Sudan Pyramids. You would imagine there will be lots of choices of accommodation here……and you would be very wrong.
Would you believe there is only one place to stay in the Shendi? A shite hotel that could be a real-life version of “The Shining” called Kawthar Hotel.
Just to make the establishment even more likable, it overcharges big time at 50 USD per night. Thanks to our negotiating skills we got that price down to 20.000 SDG (32 USD) which is still way too much for what the hotel offers.
Once you arrive in Shendi from Khartoum, a tuk-tuk will charge you around 1000 SDG to get to the hotel. Shendi itself does not have much to offer except for a walk to explore the area and get a feel of the local life.
There is a glamping site near the Meroe Pyramids run by an Italian company that also provides tours around Sudan for 200 USD a night. However, we simply couldn’t justify spending that amount of money.
Finally, Let’s Explore the Meroe Pyramids
The time has come to visit the Meroe Pyramids!
The next morning we got up at 5 AM to catch an early bus to Atbara, this is a town north of Shendi that passes by the Meroe Pyramids. You will be getting off the bus before the halfway mark but you will still have to pay the full price for a ticket which is 4000 SDG/ $6.
Just because you are now on the early bus doesn’t mean the bus will leave. The bus will only depart once it is filled up, so be prepared to wait a while, even a few hours.
Finally, the bus is full and you are on your way to the Meroe Pyramids from Shendi. There are two main sites to visit, the smaller, yet still interesting western area, and the more famous eastern complex.
Your trip to the Meroe Pyramids from Shendi will only take around 40 minutes. You will arrive at the western complex, so put a marker on Google Maps to know when to get off the bus.
Once you are nearby get ready to ask your driver to stop in the middle of nowhere. Get off the bus and walk for around a kilometer and a half in a western direction.
On your way, you will be able to see the structures of the ancient Sudan Pyramids in the distance. Once you are finished exploring, travel back to the road and make your way to the main complex of the Meroe Pyramids which will also be visible in the skyline.
You Have a Good Chance of Having The Entire Meroe Pyramids to Yourself
Walking to the main complex of the Meroe Pyramids you may encounter a local offering a camel ride, this will probably be the only human you will come across.
We read many stories about nobody else being at the main complex and the ticket office locked up. And on this occasion, that was exactly the case when we were there.
In the case that there is somebody selling tickets on the day know that the official entrance fee is 20 USD per person but this can be haggled down to 10 USD.
Luckily for us, we had these historic buildings all to ourselves, with not a soul in sight.
This gave us plenty of time to explore the area at a leisurely pace. After about 2 hours we had seen it all and made our way back to the main road for the next challenge.
Getting Home After You Visit The Meroe Pyramids
Seeing as you are stuck in the middle of nowhere you may think it is going to be impossible to get back to Shendi from the Meroe Pyramids. There is a simple answer for this – Hitchhiking.
I know this sounds very dodgy and dangerous but it is a very safe thing to do in Sudan. You can either try and flag down a bus and hope for a seat or flag down a car. Some buses may charge you a fee.
The first car that drove past us stopped and immediately offered us a ride to Shendi. Once back in town we said our goodbyes and offered money that was refused by the driver.
Depending on the time you get back you may have to stay another night in “The Shining” or else catch a bus back from Shendi to Khartoum. We choose the latter for obvious reasons.
Tickets back to Khartoum from Shendiare a bit more expensive at 4500 SDG/ $7 per person and will stop at the same bus station in North Khartoum where you originally departed from. For the last step back to your accommodation you can take a Tirhal taxi.
Alternative Options for Getting to the Meroe Pyramids
As previously mentioned, we read many stories about how fellow travelers visited the Meroe pyramids.
Some of the stories we read stated about getting a bus to the Meroe Pyramids from Khartoum and traveling back on the same day. Personally, this sounds very difficult and risky due to the uncertainty around getting back from the Meroe pyramids to Khartoum.
The easiest option we read was a private driver from Khartoum to the Meroe Pyramids who will drive you there. If money isn’t an issue then this choice would make the most sense.
Perhaps you can even consider staying at the nearby glamping site. However, at 200 USD per night, this was never going to happen for us budget travelers.
When is the Best Time to Visit The Meroe Pyramids?
Sudan experiences extremely high temperatures. Because of the extreme temperatures, we highly recommend visiting the Meroe Pyramids in the morning time, and in the winter months.
On the day we were there it was over 40 degrees Celsius in April. In fact, it was so hot that both our phones shut down due to the heat.
At least we had taken some photos at that stage!
Be prepared for some intense heat. Make sure you have plenty of water, a hat, a scarf, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and sunscreen.
The Reality of Visiting the Meroe Pyramids
Many travel blogs also say the best time to visit the Meroe Pyramids is for sunset and sunrise. Easy said if you have a private driver or are staying in a nearby expensive luxury camp.
Otherwise, this can be an unrealistic task and make the challenge of getting there and getting back even more difficult.
Is It Worth Visiting the Meroe Pyramids?
Traveling in Sudan is definitely a challenge and a country that is not recommended for everyone.
It is a tough place to get to the next destination and visiting the Meroe Pyramids certainly put our patience to the test.
Seeing the pyramids in the skyline surrounded by dunes certainly created excitement. But to be honest the actual sight was a lot smaller than what we had expected.
As well as that, it seemed that many pyramids had been reconstructed.
Of course, we were delighted to see this ancient site with our own eyes, especially exploring the entire place all to ourselves.
We have ticked off Meroë Pyramids from our bucket list and had a really fun, yet hard day. But unless you are a fanatic about pyramids and are willing to spend a lot of money traveling to Sudan we would not recommend traveling there just for the pyramids.
Have you visited these historic wonders? If so, please let us know how you got there so we can make the trip for the next travelers that small bit easier!
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