Egypt has the famous pyramids. Sudan has more of them. The pyramids of Meroe rise out of the desert about 200 kilometres northeast of Khartoum, more than 200 steep-sided tombs built for the kings and queens of the Kingdom of Kush. Most travellers have never heard of them, and almost nobody goes.
Read this first: do not travel to Sudan now. A civil war has raged since April 2023. The US State Department rates Sudan Level 4, Do Not Travel, and the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the country. Khartoum airport is closed to civilian flights and the US Embassy in Khartoum has been suspended since the war began. This guide explains what Meroe is, why it belongs on any serious African itinerary, and how the trip worked before the war, so you are ready the day Sudan is safe again.
The Kingdom That Built More Pyramids Than Egypt
Meroe was the royal heart of Kush, a kingdom that traded with, fought, and eventually ruled Egypt. Kushite kings ruled Egypt as its 25th Dynasty, the era of the Black Pharaohs. The most famous of them, Taharqa, built on a scale that still shows in the stone. Later, Queen Amanirenas fought Rome to a standstill and kept Kush independent.
The pyramids at Meroe are the royal cemeteries of that kingdom, built roughly from the 3rd century BC to about AD 350. They are smaller and far steeper than the pyramids of Giza. There are three groups: the North Cemetery, with about 41 pyramids; the South Cemetery, with the earliest royal tombs; and the West Cemetery, the largest, with more than 80 pyramids. Across Sudan, more than 230 pyramids still stand, more than in Egypt itself. UNESCO listed the Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe as a World Heritage Site in 2011, together with the temple cities of Naqa and Musawwarat es-Sufra in the nearby Butana desert. What makes Meroe different is the silence: before the war, visitors walked among the tombs alone, with no queues and no crowds. Read our companion piece on why Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt for the full story of how Kush built them.
Getting There
When travel resumes, the route is simple. Meroe sits near the village of Begrawiya in River Nile State, about 200 to 230 kilometres from Khartoum. The drive takes three to four hours on the paved road toward Atbara. Buses ran from Khartoum to Shendi, the nearest town. Before the war, the practical choice was a licensed tour operator with a Sudanese guide, and most visitors hired a private car and driver in Khartoum. When the country reopens, that will still be the right call: the sites are spread across open desert, signage is thin, and a good guide turns a pile of stones into a story.
Entry and Hours
Before the war, Meroe was an open site with a small gate fee paid on arrival in Sudanese pounds, and no fixed closing time beyond daylight. Fees and hours were set locally and changed often even in peacetime, so treat any figure you find online as stale. Allow two to three hours for the North and South cemeteries, and half a day if you want to walk between the groups. Go early: the light is best at sunrise and the desert heat is kinder before midday.
Best Time to Visit
The cool dry months, roughly October to April, are the window, with November to February the most comfortable. Pack a layer: desert nights drop sharply after warm days. The hot months from May to September are punishing in the Butana desert and were never the time to go. Whenever you travel, check the latest travel advisory first and re-check it before booking.
Where to Stay and Eat
There was one place to stay at Meroe itself: the Meroe Camp, a permanent tented camp about two kilometres from the necropolis, with furnished tents and a veranda facing the pyramids. It put you on site for sunrise and sunset. Book it well ahead when travel resumes: it was small, with about 22 tents, and it filled fast in the cool season. The alternative was to base in Khartoum and do Meroe as a long day trip, or to stay in simpler guesthouses in Shendi. Eat ful medames, grilled fish from the Nile, and kisra bread.
Cultural Considerations
Sudan is a conservative, majority Muslim country, and respectful dress matters. Cover shoulders and knees, and carry a headscarf for villages and religious sites. Ask before photographing people, and never photograph military or government buildings. The pyramids themselves are tombs. Walk around them, not over them, and do not climb the structures or take stones. The chapels still carry carved reliefs nearly two thousand years old.
Pair It With
Meroe rewards a longer northern Sudan route. Naqa and Musawwarat es-Sufra, the other two sites in the same UNESCO listing, sit in the desert west of Meroe and hold temples and carvings from the same kingdom. Further north, Jebel Barkal and the pyramids of Nuri near Karima mark the earlier Kushite capital of Napata. That arc is also the story of how the Kingdom of Kush built more pyramids than Egypt.
How to See Meroe Right Now
You do not have to wait for peace to stand among the pyramids. Google Arts and Culture hosts a virtual tour of the Pyramids of Meroe, with 3D models of the site. The war has already damaged the heritage: UNESCO expressed deep concern in 2026 about the conflict's effect on the site, airstrikes hit Naqa and Musawwarat es-Sufra in January 2024, and conservation work has stalled. When the fighting ends, the pyramids will still be standing in the desert, waiting for the visitors they never had.
Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe; US State Department Travel Advisory for Sudan; UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice for Sudan.
