Travel to Ancient Egypt in DC w/ ‘Horizon of Khufu’

Horizon of Khufu: An Immersive Expedition to the Great Pyramid of Giza has opened its virtual doors, inviting DC to step — headset first — into the sands of ancient Egypt.

Now open at Fever’s experiential HQ at 926 F Street NW, Horizon of Khufu is less museum exhibit and more time-traveling tour, a 45-minute, fully immersive VR experience that drops participants into the heart of the Giza Plateau some 4,500 years ago. Created by French immersive studio Excurio, this is edutainment elevated, and exciting for almost all ages (recommended for 10+).

Now, this is not the Egypt of souvenir shops and sunburned snapshots. This is a meticulous reconstruction, built in partnership with Harvard Egyptologist Peter Der Manuelian and his team at the Giza Project, whose academic rigor undergirds every stone, shaft, and symbol. The result is a rare marriage of scholarship and spectacle.

From the moment the headset settles in place, DC dissolves. In its stead: a sweeping sunrise over the Nile, the limestone pyramids rising with geometric grace, and the Great Sphinx standing sentry. You walk (yes, actually walk, don’t worry, safeguards keep you from running into others in the room!) across the Giza Plateau as it appeared millennia ago, past temples and solar boats, guided by a virtual Egyptologist whose quirks make the experience that much cuter.

The experience unfolds in chapters, each one layering context onto awe. Inside the Great Pyramid, visitors enter chambers and corridors that few have ever seen in real life. The King’s Chamber looms with solemn symmetry; the Queen’s Chamber whispers with unanswered questions. Hidden passageways, recreated with remarkable detail, reveal the architectural ingenuity and spiritual symbolism embedded in every inch of Khufu’s colossal tomb. This is history you don’t just hear or see; you inhabit it.

One of the most arresting sequences of the experience places you in the midst of a pharaoh’s funeral procession. Rituals unfold. You are there, amongst the priests, workers, and mourners. It’s a reminder that these monuments were not abstractions but anchors of belief, built by a civilization obsessed with legacy, order, and the afterlife.

Then comes the flight. In a cinematic VR crescendo, you soar above the pyramids, floating high enough to grasp their scale and alignment, low enough to feel their gravity. This moment of perspective — in panorama — has an effect that’s quietly staggering.

There’s also something deliciously ironic about stepping into a pyramid just blocks from the corridors of contemporary power. In DC, influence is negotiated in real time; in Giza, it was carved in stone for eternity.

Horizon of Khufu is ideal for history buffs, culture seekers, visiting relatives, or anyone looking to swap the usual happy hour for something a little more hieroglyphic.