MyWorldReviews.com

Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx

Giza, Giza, Egypt

The sphinx and pyramids of giza

The Giza Pyramids are getting a 10/10, because they're spectacular - everything that you've probably dreamed of seeing. They're big, and made out of a lot of rock!

Visitors are permitted to walk around the pyramids, but are forbidden from climbing most sides of the pyramids. There is one section of the Great Pyramid that visitors can still climb a little bit, but the rocks are quite large - it's difficult to climb very high!

In addition to walking around the outside of the pyramids, visitors can also choose to go inside either the Great Pyramid or Khafre's Pyramid.

Looking back on it, we should have gone inside the Great Pyramid, too. It was more expensive, but still cheap compared to our trip. ...and then we would have been able to say that we've been inside the Great Pyramid!

Walking around the pyramids there were a lot of aggressive sales people. One member of our group had an ear piece knocked out. They try to sell you everything from postcards to camel rides. Be careful! They like to tell you a camel ride is free, but then they won't let you down until you've paid a nice tip. They'll even bother you for money just for taking a picture with them, so watch where you snap your pictures.

Admission to the Giza Pyramid Complex also includes admission to the Sphinx. There were lots of kids trying to sell tourist items around the sphinx. Compared to the pyramids, the sphinx wasn't that large (but it was still pretty big). Visitors could walk around most of the perimeter of the sphinx, but you couldn't get right up to it.

Inside the Pyramids

The Great Pyramid of Giza and the visitor parking lot

No cameras are permitted inside the pyramid, so we don't have any pictures unfortunately.

We chose to go inside Khafre's pyramid (since it was only 25 LE instead of 100 LE). It was a fantastic experience! Tickets are purchased across from the entrance to the pyramid in a little booth. We then approached the pyramid, and went inside. There was a steep descent into the ground in a very narrow tunnel. The ceiling was very low, and the air was very poor. At this point, most people turned around. After descending for a bit, there was a small horizontal tunnel, and then the tunnel turned into a steep ascent upwards. I found it was easier to go up than down, but the air was terrible, and it certainly wasn't comfortable. After a bit more climbing, we finally arrived in the burial chamber! Since it was a bit of an arduous journey, nobody else was there. It was an incredible experience being alone in the inside of a pyramids burial chamber.

Cost

The three pyramids of Giza from a nearby lookout plateau

Admission to the area costs 50 LE per foreign tourist. Going inside the great pyramid is an extra 100 LE per person, and going inside the pyramid of Khafre costs an extra 25 LE per person.

Estimated Visiting Time

The Great Pyramid of Giza - look how small the people are!

Expect to spend approximately 45-60 minutes walking around the outside of the pyramids and taking pictures. If you want to go inside any of the pyramids, allow an extra 30 minutes per pyramid.