Giza Pyramids & Sphinx Day Trip from Cairo with Egyptologist

4.98

(206 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

I’ll admit, I was nervous about finally seeing the Giza Pyramids. You grow up seeing them in books, on TV—so when our Egyptologist guide Samir met us at the hotel (right on time, which honestly surprised me in Cairo traffic), my stomach did this weird flip. The drive out wasn’t long, maybe half an hour from downtown Cairo, but you start spotting those shapes way before you arrive. It’s almost like they’re teasing you from the haze. Samir pointed out little things—families picnicking by the roadside, a donkey cart weaving through cars—and I realized how much regular life just hums along right next to all that history.

The first thing that hit me stepping onto the Giza Plateau was the smell—dusty stone mixed with something sweet from a nearby tea vendor. We stood in front of the Great Pyramid of Khufu and I tried to wrap my head around how old it actually is (Samir said it’s 4,500 years, but it feels even older). He told us stories about workers carving their names inside hidden chambers—tiny details that made it feel less like a monument and more like something built by real people. I kept running my hand over the limestone blocks just to ground myself. The Sphinx looked smaller than I’d imagined but somehow more mysterious up close; its face is worn down but you can still see this quiet pride. There were schoolkids everywhere, laughing and taking selfies—I tried to take a photo too but ended up with my thumb over half of it.

Lunch was koshary at a local spot Samir swore by—layers of pasta, lentils, spicy tomato sauce. I’m still not sure what all went into it but it tasted like comfort food after hours in the sun. My friend tried to order falafel in Arabic and got a big grin from the waiter (and probably mangled the pronunciation). We skipped the camel ride because honestly we were wiped out and just wanted to sit for a bit and watch families passing by with picnic baskets and kids chasing each other around the parking lot. On the way back to Cairo, I kept thinking about how these pyramids have seen so many lifetimes come and go—it’s strange how calm they make you feel.