Giza Pyramids & Sphinx: Camel Ride, ATV, Nile Dinner Cruise

4.97

(880 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

“You ever ridden a camel before?” our guide Ahmed grinned as he handed me the reins—well, rope?—and I just laughed. The morning air near the Great Pyramid of Giza was already warm and full of that dusty-sweet smell you only get in Egypt. Standing right there, with Khufu’s pyramid looming above us (it’s massive, by the way—photos don’t do it justice), I felt weirdly small but also kind of giddy. Ahmed told us little stories about each pyramid as we wandered around—he even pointed out where some blocks had ancient graffiti. I tried to imagine hauling two million stones without machines. No chance.

The Sphinx was next—its face is more battered than I thought, but up close you can see these faint lines like old laughter. There were a few local kids selling postcards, and one of them tried to teach me how to say “thank you” in Arabic. (I definitely butchered it; he just shook his head and smiled.) After that we climbed up onto the plateau for that classic shot with all three pyramids lined up behind us. It was windy up there and my hat nearly flew off—so yeah, bring something with a strap if you go.

I didn’t expect the ATV ride to be so much fun. The engine rattled through my bones as we bounced over sand dunes with the pyramids fading into the distance behind us. Sand got everywhere—my shoes are probably still full—but honestly, I couldn’t stop grinning. We stopped for lunch somewhere local (the bread was warm and smoky from the oven), then wandered through a market where everyone seemed to know Ahmed by name. He helped me bargain for some spices—I still think about that cinnamon sometimes.

By sunset we were back on the Nile for a dinner cruise. The city lights flickered along the water and there was this low hum of music drifting from inside the boat. The belly dancer winked at our table and an older couple next to us clapped along to the tanoura show (the spinning skirts are hypnotic). I sat out on deck for a while after dinner just listening to Cairo’s nighttime sounds—a mix of laughter, horns, river lapping against wood. Hard to explain why that stuck with me more than anything else.