Sudan
An endless desert with majestic, conical structures rising from a sea of sand. Thinking of Egypt? Think again. The Nubian Meroe pyramids in Sudan offer the awe of their larger Egyptian cousins without the surrounding tourist infrastructure and the people that follow suit.
Sudan’s pyramids offer a truly off the beaten path experience. Comprising more than 50 pyramids and tombs, the Nubian Meroe pyramids are a lengthy drive from Khartoum (where you’ll need to obtain a visitors permit from the Antiquities Office), and their relative inaccessibility has kept them away from prying eyes. However, a course of looting and tomb raiding over subsequent decades has left their interiors sparse, with the relics of the Ancient Kingdom of Kush seemingly absent from the structures that housed them for more than a millennium.
The cultural significance of Sudan has yet to be uncovered by many a travel enthusiast; its splendor overshadowed by conflicts which can be hundreds of miles away, both in practicality and in the sentiment of those on the ground.
