Cairo #3 (Egypt): Visiting the Pyramids of Giza

After dropping off our luggage at Mena House, we grab our smartphones, cameras, and water bottles and walk to the pyramids. The taxis in front of the hotel offer to take us to the entrance for $10, but that’s way too much for just a 7-minute walk. We bought our entry tickets in advance on the official website, which saves us from waiting in line at the ticket office. In addition to the Giza Plateau entry, we also opt for the entry inside the two pyramids of Khufu and Menkaure (a surcharge that must be decided when buying tickets, not in front of the pyramid).

Last time, we went inside the Pyramid of Khufu and skipped the other two because I was too cheap. Now that I want to do all three, unfortunately we can only enter two of them 🙁 That’ll teach me not to put off a task until later.

Part 1: Travel Journal
Part 2: Practical Tips

Part 1: Travel Journal

Day 3 (continued)

Dress code

So even though the city has reached the pyramids, don’t forget that on the other side, it’s the desert. So bring something to cover your head, whether it’s a scarf or a hat… Also bring sunscreen. And a light jacket because when the wind picks up, you do get cold, and you can use it to protect yourself from the dust. I find that light colors look great in photos and match well with the pyramid stones. Personally, I brought a white parka from Uniqlo; it’s lightweight and UV-protective.

I’m including lots of photos of JB because he’ll serve as our scale. JB is 6’1″ and will be our human ruler to measure the height of the stones, statues, camels, corridors, etc.

Pyramid of Khufu

We made a good call choosing lunchtime to visit because, as you’ll see later, there were two moments when we were alone in the world inside the pyramids.

It’s 12:30 PM, we scan the QR codes on our tickets and enter the area. Two minutes later, someone demands, “show me your ticket.” If there’s one thing you should never do, it’s talk to me with authority. He repeats the question, “show me your ticket, do you have the ticket to enter the pyramid?” I reply, annoyed, “who are you?” He says he works here and shows a badge, and two other people with badges (of a different color) also claim he works here. In Egypt, you should never give your tickets to anyone because they might keep them and force you to follow them. Especially since tickets are now QR codes, you need a machine to read them. I tell him I do have the ticket to enter the pyramid, but I don’t show it to him. A minute later, we quickly realize he’s someone trying to seem “helpful” so he can ask for a tip afterward. We manage to shake him off pretty quickly, but he did say something important: we can’t enter the pyramid right now; it opens at 1 PM (I think it’s closed for lunch break).

No big deal, we’ll wait in front of the entrance, and that’s how we end up among the first people to enter. From the pyramid, we can see the crowd below and observe that every minute, a tourist gets scammed. Some buy scarves and immediately 3-4 people help tie them on their heads, help them take photos, etc. No kind gesture is without ulterior motives. It’s sad to have to be wary of everyone.

There are two entrances: the main entrance designed to be a real entrance (you can see the inverted V from afar) and an entrance dug by Caliph Al-Ma’mun’s workers in 820 AD. We now enter through the second. Useful information about the pyramids is very, very well explained on this site, and I highly recommend you read it. They scan our entry ticket, and we’re in a first corridor that’s not very tall but still bearable.

Then comes the first staircase, and several people turn back at this point, trembling with claustrophobia. Indeed, it’s a bit tight and a bit steep; you walk completely hunched over, but for shorties like me, it’s no problem. JB even keeps his hat on to avoid scraping his head. I think being short only serves one purpose: visiting the bowels of the Great Pyramid haha. Unlike last time when we were alone inside the pyramid, this time there’s a small crowd with us, and it’s actually nice too because we see each other’s reactions, and for me, who gets a bit dizzy, it’s reassuring to have people in front and behind me.

At the end of the first staircase, you reach a space twice as wide where you have to climb to the top, but you can stand up straight. It’s just a bit steep.

You’ll see along the way there are “holes” here and there; we don’t know exactly where they lead or what they’re for.

We then pass under two massive stone blocks before arriving in a small chamber where it’s very hot and you feel like you’re suffocating a bit. Clearly, there’s a lack of oxygen despite a fan at full blast.

Everyone takes photos of the holes, convinced they’re secret entrances. Speaking of which, in the so-called “King’s Chamber,” there’s a rectangular hole about 20 cm wide. I ask the guard what it’s for, and he replies “food.” I don’t think that’s it haha, I think it’s more for ventilation.

At the back of the king’s chamber sits the granite sarcophagus, one side of which has been severely smashed in. Granite is normally a stone full of energy, but this one has nothing special about it. The whole pyramid doesn’t radiate any special energy; it feels like something switched off, non-functional. You feel the weight of tons of stone above your heads, but that’s it. I don’t know how long photos have been allowed, but people are snapping pictures of every corner—only video seems to be forbidden.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, we saw gallery 2, 6, 9, and room 10. We saw the entrance to corridor 8, but it was closed.

At one point, everyone disappears (probably because it’s suffocating and hot) and we’re alone with the guard, who is super nice, by the way. People struggle to get out of corridor 9 to reach corridor 6 because there are people trying to come up at the same time, and others panicking on their way down. Heading to point 3, we see a long queue of tourists waiting to go up. As usual, the French tourists are grumbling and wondering if it’s worth continuing when they’re so close to the goal. 2-3 people give up because “they’re not here to suffer.” I think corridor 6 is indeed not for the claustrophobic, but I promise, corridor 9 is much more spacious with a nice ceiling height 😉

Muscle soreness kicks in immediately. For the next two days, I’ll have trouble going down the stairs—it really pulls on the legs.

You’ll see big stones everywhere. Because there are stones that have fallen from the pyramids, but there are also stones from old walls around the pyramids, plus paving stones from the ground around them. In short, stones absolutely everywhere. Some Egyptians even bring food to have a picnic in front of them. It’s Friday, it’s the weekend, and hundreds of schoolchildren from all over Egypt are visiting the pyramids on a school trip. Some have probably never seen white or Asian people in their lives; they constantly ask us for selfies with them, it’s really too cute.

I find the guards much less strict than last time. People are climbing all over the pyramids (without going to the top though), whereas before, you could only climb up to enter the pyramids.

Pyramid of Khafre

You can easily spot the Pyramid of Khafre because it’s the only one that still keeps part of its outer casing at the top. Before, you could visit the inside, but not today.

Pyramid of Menkaure

If you visit the pyramids without a guide, in the excitement, you might completely skip the Pyramid of Menkaure because from the other two pyramids, you can’t see it at all. We even have to open Google Maps to find it.

We have to walk a long way from the Pyramid of Khafre to reach this one. It’s easy to identify too—it’s the smallest of the three great pyramids and it looks like it’s been “gutted” due to several attempts to find the entrance.

Its entrance is much lower than Khufu’s, because it has no ascending corridor, only a descending one. You have to bend over too, but it’s not as long as the Great Pyramid.

I really like the interior of this pyramid; I find it much more spacious and brighter too. I think you’ll like it because you don’t suffocate there. There are two levels, and the room at the very bottom has an arched ceiling. This room is underground.

At one point, we find ourselves alone inside the pyramid—it feels like we’ve got it privatized, ahaha. And it’s only when we come out that we see tons of tourists waiting. So come very early in the morning, or wait until lunchtime to do the visits!! Also avoid Fridays and Saturdays (the weekend days in Egypt).

Coming out of the pyramid, we see camels in the distance, they’re heading to a viewpoint where you can see 6 pyramids (out of the 9), it’s very pretty, but it’s too far to walk. At the top of the hill, there are 2-3 cafés that look really nice too.

We settle for a bit of elevation and end up on a helipad. The view is nice, but much less pretty than the official viewpoint. No regrets—we’ve already had that beautiful view last time.

There’s a restaurant called “9 pyramids” with an even nicer view, but you need to go by car and book in advance. All passengers must have an entry ticket (it’s complicated to call an Uber in that case). I think it’s worth mentioning to your agency when you book a private driver & guide like we did last time. The driver can enter and drive you from one pyramid to another, then to the different viewpoints, saving you from camel/horse rides.

I think for a first visit, you should still come with a guide because there’s so much to see on this site, including the small pyramids that everyone skips (I think you can even go inside them, I don’t remember anymore!). Yes, there are 9 pyramids in total and lots of temples and your guide will be able to show them to you and explain them. There are also the solar boats which I didn’t see this time because they’re behind some pyramid or other, and unless you know they exist, you’d have to go around all the pyramids, which is very very long!!

Normally, you should continue your visit with the annex small pyramids, the temples… to finish with the Sphinx and another temple, but we’re too tired. We have to head back to Mena House, and the Sphinx is on the other side. We’ll visit the Sphinx another day.

When you see signs like this, I think you can pat yourself on the back for living your best life 😀

We pick up our suitcases at Mena House. Now that we’ve checked out, the service has gone downhill. No one wants to help us anymore. We can’t seem to call an Uber from Mena House at all. Probably because the ride is too short and access is a bit tricky due to security (we’re heading to another hotel in Giza, 8 minutes by car). We have to drag our suitcases to the exit, then hail one of those taxis waiting in front of the hotel. A ride quoted at $15 is finally negotiated down to $3 (the real Egyptian price is $0.5), and the driver drops us off at the wrong spot to boot.

The rest of our adventures, is right here

Part 2: Practical Tips

• Buy entry tickets on the official website (https://egymonuments.com/locations/tickets/Pyramids)
• 2024 prices:
  • Access to the Giza Plateau (pyramids, Sphinx, solar boats…): 700 EGP
  • Access inside the Pyramid of Khufu: 900 EGP
  • Access inside the Pyramid of Menkaure: 280 EGP
  • Camel: 500 EGP / hour

• The entrance on the pyramids side is next to Mena House. Have yourself dropped off there if you want to visit the pyramids first. The second entrance is on the Sphinx side.
• I think visiting in the morning is better. You won’t have backlighting, whether for the Sphinx or the Great Pyramid, there aren’t many people, but the problem is the morning fog; photos will appear less sharp because there’s a pollution haze enveloping the entire Giza site.