Leaves you standing in awe

The Step Pyramid, Saqqara Cairo - Arabstoday The Red Pyramid, one of several pyramids to be found at the ancient royal burial site of Dahshur. Although smaller than the famous pyramids of Giza, it is perfectly symmetrical and just as inspiring and historic - perhaps more so for the hard-won journey to get here. No one else is around.  For the last hour the pyramid has been just another landmark on the horizon but now, up close, you can understand what Howard Carter must have felt when he stumbled across the tomb of Tutankhamen. It really is something at which to just stand and stare. Egypt's pyramids have been attracting visitors from Herodotus in the fifth century BC right up to modern-day Hollywood, for which they have been the scene for murder, intrigue and - courtesy of The Mummy film franchise - historical silliness. But to modern visitors the experience can be a disappointment. Being one of the seven wonders of the ancient world and a Unesco World Heritage Site has also inevitably endowed it with tourist trap status. With the coach parties, the hawkers and the tawdry tat for sale, it's not like the postcard. However there is a way to escape. Giza is home to just six pyramids and there are 138 in all. The pyramid field stretches from the outskirts of Cairo, about 65km south to the royal burial ground or necropolis of Dahshur. This area is home to dozens of lesser-known pyramids that few explore because of its relative inaccessibility. That's where the horse comes in. It's the ideal mode of transport and it's also a lot of fun. At least, that's what Maryanne Stroud promises. The doughty 62-year-old is supposed to keep the best horses in town at her farm, Recoub Al Sorat, on the western outskirts of Cairo. (The name translates as "riding the righteous path".) The Canadian expat moved here with her Egyptian husband in 1988 and has been keeping horses for 20 years. But she only began taking clients out riding a couple of years after her husband, a grain import entrepreneur, died in a light plane crash in 2000. She's now based at her farm where she keeps 23 horses, 25 goats, three donkeys, a mule and a collection of chickens and ducks. "I lose count," she says in exasperation. The latest addition to the fold includes a couple of goats she named Twitter and Google in honour of their tech companies' role in the revolution. "You hungry?" she asks. "Starving," I reply. We jump in her dilapidated Jeep and head along dusty roads that run alongside the area's many canals to a local restaurant, the Farm. Over dinner, Maryanne tells me why the area is so great for riding. "It's Egypt as the Egyptians see it," she says. "I've experienced life here as a tourist and as someone living here and I know the difference. My goal is try and show visitors the beauty of life here that you wouldn't normally see." But the real attraction, she says, are her horses. The Arab crosses love to gallop and the desert gives them the perfect opportunity to really open up in a way that even experienced riders have never experienced. "You're going to ride Wadi," she says. "He's one fiery Arab. His mother was a racehorse. And he's stupid, too. He likes to be out in front. You'll like him." I don't know whether to be excited or alarmed. As we finish up, the noise from what sounds like a wedding party at the back becomes increasingly raucous and we can't resist sneaking a peek. One of the male guests is standing on a table. He's belly dancing, to wild applause, and he's surprisingly good.