March 18, 2007
The Pyramids at Giza are a must see when traveling to Egypt.. I would assume this is obvious for most travelers, but it can really be an amazing sight.. To get into the Giza Pyramids & Sphinx it costs about 25 EGP/$5.00 USD if you are a student... and about 50 EGP/$10.00 USD if you are an adult.. Reminder to pick up an ISIC Student Identification card before you go if you are a student.. Most everything you do in Egypt can be discounted if you have one of these cards..
Upon arrival at the Pyramids, you will be bombarded with camel riders asking you to ride the camels, take pictures of them with the camels, etc... No matter how innocuous their pleas are to you, you must remember that they will expect "baksheesh" or payment for anything you do with them... If you would like to ride the camels, which if you have the time for is actually fun for novelty you will have to negotiate a good price for their services.. I rode a camel for about 5-10 min.. and got my picture taken on it etc.. and after some serious haggling i only payed 20 EGP/$4.00 USD... That is all i would ever consider paying for the short little hike you take around the pyramids, etc..
Just outside the Pyramid of Khufu, there is a large white building that houses the Funerary boat of the Pharaoh Khufu... this is quite the amazing sight as the boat was constructed without instructions by an archaeologist named Ahmed Youssef.. The boat was housed in a stone box just outside the pyramid on which this building is set.. It costs about 20 EGP/$4.00 USD for students and twice that amount for adults..
As far as going into the pyramids is concerned.. a good thing to know is that if you would like to do this, you must do it either in the morning or in the afternoon after 1pm, because from 11 am - 1pm or so they close the entrances for lunch break etc.. Also the large Pyramid of Cheops with the cap stone is the most expensive to go in.. it costs roughly 100 EGP/ $20 USD for students and about 150 EGP/ $30 USD for adults the rest of the pyramids are about the same price as the Funerary boat complex.. and to be totally honest the 3 pyramids are carbon copies of each other on the inside... so the extra money for the big one may not be worth it unless you want the novelty..
The Pyramids and Sphinx complex all close down around 4pm and you will need to exit as soon as possible when it is 4.. As for the Pyramids that is about all the advice i can give, except bring water!.. enjoy!
Upon arrival at the Pyramids, you will be bombarded with camel riders asking you to ride the camels, take pictures of them with the camels, etc... No matter how innocuous their pleas are to you, you must remember that they will expect "baksheesh" or payment for anything you do with them... If you would like to ride the camels, which if you have the time for is actually fun for novelty you will have to negotiate a good price for their services.. I rode a camel for about 5-10 min.. and got my picture taken on it etc.. and after some serious haggling i only payed 20 EGP/$4.00 USD... That is all i would ever consider paying for the short little hike you take around the pyramids, etc..
Just outside the Pyramid of Khufu, there is a large white building that houses the Funerary boat of the Pharaoh Khufu... this is quite the amazing sight as the boat was constructed without instructions by an archaeologist named Ahmed Youssef.. The boat was housed in a stone box just outside the pyramid on which this building is set.. It costs about 20 EGP/$4.00 USD for students and twice that amount for adults..
As far as going into the pyramids is concerned.. a good thing to know is that if you would like to do this, you must do it either in the morning or in the afternoon after 1pm, because from 11 am - 1pm or so they close the entrances for lunch break etc.. Also the large Pyramid of Cheops with the cap stone is the most expensive to go in.. it costs roughly 100 EGP/ $20 USD for students and about 150 EGP/ $30 USD for adults the rest of the pyramids are about the same price as the Funerary boat complex.. and to be totally honest the 3 pyramids are carbon copies of each other on the inside... so the extra money for the big one may not be worth it unless you want the novelty..
The Pyramids and Sphinx complex all close down around 4pm and you will need to exit as soon as possible when it is 4.. As for the Pyramids that is about all the advice i can give, except bring water!.. enjoy!
