Egypt is most famous for its pyramids from the old time. It is part of the world’s wonders and everyone knows about them. It was time visiting the pyramids of Giza.
While I did my first solo trip, Egypt was the place for me to go. In May 2017 I went there. I was nervous to travel by myself, but Egypt should be safe. It’s so touristy right?
Where are the pyramids located?
The pyramids I talk about are located outside of the capital Cairo, in the city of Giza. Besides the three pyramids, there is also the Sphinx. Pyramids are all over Egypt and even more are located in Sudan. Getting to the pyramids is quite easy, basically just getting to Cairo or taking a bus or a taxi, or when you are close you can also walk. The location of them is quite central, from many places they are able to see and everyone knows where they are.
I came from Hurghada, so from the red sea coast by bus. I was in Cairo and Giza just for a daily trip, to visit the pyramids and also the national museum. In the national museum, were things from the old time of Egypt which was interesting, but more for another story.
What is so special about the pyramids?
The pyramids was being built around 2550 to 2490 B.C.. For over 3800 years it was also the biggest building made by humans. It is fascinating due to the fact that back then the technology was not even close to being this advanced as today.
The Great Pyramid, the biggest of the three, was built with probably around 2,3 million blocks. Each being more than 2 tons heavy. Building that in the desert as well, is just insane.
The pyramids and also the sphinx are in really good shape. They are part of many movies and also the history books are full with it. There are always new things getting discovered about this topic. For me and many others, this is really interesting.
The information about the years and the amount of blocks is from Wikipedia.
What to expect?
The metropolitan area of Cairo is huge! It is one of the biggest cities in the world, so it will be loud. The region is sadly a really dirty city and you are going to see trash everywhere. At the pyramids it is compared to the city, actually quite clean.
It is super busy, which is normal in such a big city.
The entry for the pyramids are around $10 and when you are in the city you should go there, it doesn’t matter what kind of touristic place it is. It is impressive!
Problematic is also another thing. The people who want to sell you stuff. They can be quite forward with their sales, which may affect your experience in a negative way. With the start, being super friendly to you, but changing into a person, you would not want to have in your life. In the experience section, you will be able to read about an example.
What not to do?
There are few things, which you should not do, which is the same in all big cities, but especially when it comes to the pyramids of Giza.
- Entering the pyramids is not as fascinating as you think, it is basically a dark room. When you want to do it, go ahead, but don’t be disappointed.
- Answering the sellers, when you are not planning to buy anything.
- You need to pay attention to your things!
- Don’t leave your group.
- Say yes, before knowing the price.
My experience before the pyramids
I was really excited before going there, when being in Egypt, the pyramids are a must. That was in my mind, so I booked a bus there. It was my first solo trip and for that reason I was a bit nervous. While driving to the bus the reality kicked in. A loud scream on the street. The throat of a camel was getting cut through.
This is normal in arabic countries, I was just not expecting seeing this on the main road, with little kids watching. It was a cultural shock at that moment, for the whole bus.
Seeing all the trash on the street, and also having the pyramids right in the city was also a little bit disappointing.
The experience at the pyramids
But nevertheless when making it to the pyramids and standing in front of them, everything was okay. It was such an amazing feeling. They are huge, way bigger than I was expecting. You just wonder, how did they build all of these a few thousands years ago?
Many tourists are of course there, but it is not something which is super annoying, when compared to other places. There is a lot of space where people can go.
My negative moment was when an older woman was leaving her group. She was surrounded by the selling guys. She was not able to get away from them. Not able to get back to her group. It was super sad to see and nobody was seeing it. I went to them and asked them about a product. They were more likely to sell me something, then the old scared woman.
After seeing that she got back to her group, I wanted to leave as well. I was saying that I am not interested. They didn’t accept that. Swearing to me and following slowly, I felt uncomfortable. A friend of his joined him as well. It was not a good feeling. My speed went faster to get away, their speed as well. So the situation ended in me running to the bus and the bus driver closing the doors.
They were standing outside and wanting to get in, luckily my group also came back, for us to leave.
I was scared and disappointed, such an incredible place ruined by people like these. In both cities I visited, many bad people crossed my path. It is sad, because all Egyptians, who I got to know outside of Egypt, were amazing people.
Summary
The pyramids of Giza are amazing. It would have been a perfect experience, if the surroundings would not be like the way it is. Egypt is probably not a dangerous country, but you need to be careful, because bad things are able to happen to you. Bad things can also happen to you in every other country, I don’t want to talk about the country down here.
When in Egypt, you should visit the pyramids, it doesn’t need to be the most famous ones, if you don’t have a lot of time. Seeing pyramids just should be part of a trip to Egypt. Usually I am not a person who is saying that about touristic places, but it is fascinating. It is not for no reason part of the 7 world wonders.
I would love to hear your experiences about this place, share it with me in the comments.
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