How to: Egypt, Giza, the Pyramids - How to Avoid the Tour Trap?

Sep 14, 2010 Jose Da Silveira

The Giza Pyramids, Egypt. -Jose Da Silveira

When you see the Giza Great pyramids for the first time your first thought should be that one has not lived until he or she has awakened in front of the pyramids, but then your very close second thought must be how to go and visit the Giza plateau the best way. Should you book a tour or should you take your chances and go on by yourself? Asking the right questions allow a first time traveler to Egypt to visit the Giza plateau the right way and to make it a memorable experience. The truth is that no one should ever book a tour to visit the great pyramids.

How to visit the great pyramids of Giza?

Do not book a tour! Due to recent changes, tour operators are not allowed to purchase the tickets for their group anymore. So at any case if you wish to enter the pyramids at Giza you will have to go to the ticket office and purchase your own ticket. Here are a few steps to follow.

• Always make sure you have enough small money on you to never ask a taxi for change as it is very difficult to do so after the ride is over.
• If you are in a not “on a budget hotel” simply ask the clerk for a taxi. Make sure you ask how much it will cost you to go the great Pyramids - wherever you are in Giza the price should not be more than 30 Egyptian Pounds, 40 if the taxi has air conditioning.
• If you are in a ‘on a budget hotel” or simply in the street and you want to go to the great pyramids, simply get a taxi, they are everywhere in Giza. Very often Taxi drivers will not have a meter so you must negotiate the fee upfront. The taxi driver will always ask for a price much higher than you should pay for…remember the limit is 40 pounds wherever you are on the Giza plateau.
• Make sure you arrive before all the tourist buses - it means you should be at the main Giza gate around 8am.
• Buy the general ticket to get onto the Giza plateau at the main gate.
• Once inside, you can buy tickets to go inside the pyramids. As I learned once there, they only sell a very limited number a day. For the pyramid of Khufu the entrance tickets are limited to around 150 in the morning and 150 in the afternoon. The pyramids are never all opened for visit at the same time - one of the three major pyramids at Giza is always closed to the public for preservation, so usually only one or at most two pyramids can be entered on any day.
• On the way back you will find many taxis at the outside Sphinx gate. Again make sure you bargain for a fair price - fares should be on a “last price, no tip or baksheesh” basis

Why Book a tour of the great pyramids?

It all depends on what you are looking for but whether you decide on booking or not a tour, when it comes to Giza, the rule of thumb is that if you book a tour you should not do it from home as in Egypt, travel plans are often subject to changes.

Read more at Suite101: How to: Egypt, Giza, the Pyramids - How to Avoid the Tour Trap?

Sources:

Middle East (Multi Country Guide), Anthony Ham, Rafael Wlodarski, Jenny Walker, and Cesar G. Soriano, 2009

Travels in Egypt by author