Ever been asked to attend the funeral of a Pharaoh? Manhattan is currently playing host to "Horizon of Khufu: A Journey in Ancient Egypt." This 45-minute Excurio VR experience puts you in goggles, wandering around a large room for the duration, led by a CGI-generated tour guide. But as soon as that visor goes on, you are transported to 4th Dynasty Egypt (roughly 4,500 years ago), and allowed to roam through passages never before seen by most people alive.
The entire trek is riveting—and so convincingly real that when you're elevated from the sands before the Great Pyramid to its entryway, you may have to lift up your headgear for a blink just to ensure your brain that you're not actually stepping out into thin air.
You'll squeeze through tiny passageways (if you really want the complete effect), see how mummies were actually created, and find yourself greeted by the first rays of the Egyptian sun high atop the Great Pyramid overlooking ancient dwellings.
You'll get a skybound funeral boat ride, and, if your vertigo kicks in again, you'll be astonished how often you feel dizzyingly high. There's no hyperbole whatsoever in describing this tour of Ancient Egypt's wonders as gobsmacking, and I'd go again in a heartbeat—and maybe even look down next time.
ECLIPSO VENUE INFORMATION
● ADDRESS: 555 W. 57th St., between 10th and 11th Aves., New York, NY 10019
● OPERATING HOURS: Tuesday-Friday 11am–8pm, Saturday 10am–9pm, Sunday 10am–8pm
● DURATION: 1 hour, including 15-minute onboarding/offboarding and 45 minutes of VR
● TICKET PRICE: Starts at $44 (reduced pricing available for four+ ticket bundles)
● MORE INFORMATION: horizonkheopsexperience.com/nyc
All images © Excurio MNHN.
