Egypt has been on my bucket-list for a couple of years now, especially Cairo. I was reluctant to travel alone primary for safety reasons. I was pleasantly surprised; Cairo is totally safe for women to travel solo. Although, I will disclose that I did not go alone on this trip, but I intend to do a solo trip to Sharm el Sheikh at some point.
What you need to know before you visit The Pyramids of Giza
1. Brush up on your Ancient Egyptian history
2. Hire a private archaeologist who specializes in Egyptology or book a guided group tour
3. Go inside the Pyramids
4. Go to the Egyptian Museum in Cairo
5. You are going to encounter hagglers everywhere you go, my advice, simply walk away don’t even consider entertaining it
6. Be aware of your surroundings and be smart wherever you go
I have always been fascinated by Ancient Egyptian history; I was extremely excited to finally visit The Pyramids of Giza!
A brief history about Ancient Egypt pyramids, it was constructed between 2584 and 2561 BC. It is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The pyramid was built as a tomb for the deceased pharaoh Khufu, second King of the Fourth Dynasty. There are three small pyramids built for Khufu’s queens next to the Great Pyramid. The middle pyramid at Giza was built for Khufu’s son Pharaoh Khafre, this is where you will find the Great Sphinx, a statue carved in limestone with the head of Khafre and the body of a lion, it signified as a spiritual guardian. The third pyramid was built for Khafre’s son Menkaure, it is the shortest of the three pyramids.
I hired a private Egyptologist and I recommend you do the same if you plan to visit The Pyramids of Giza or any historical site in Egypt. This way you understand what you are looking at and what it meant to the pharaohs and Egyptians.
Here is a great video illustrating how the priest, wearing a mask of Anubis, mummifies the deceased Pharoh’s body, simply fascinating.
Take a cruise on the Nile river on a felucca (fishing boat). You can get your own private felucca for 15 to 20 dollars for an 1 hour, make sure to negotiate the price. I recommend going for sunset, truly remarkable!
We stayed at Marriot Mena House, Cairo 5 mins away from The Pyramids of Giza. It’s about an hour and half from Cairo International Airport. The hotel was beautiful, you can have your breakfast or lunch facing the pyramids.
I woke up early in the morning to have fresh mint tea to reflect and journal, a great way to start my mornings :)
I would totally recommend staying at this hotel, although the hotel is not located in Cairo, its in Giza.
I hope you will enjoy the pyramids as much as I did and I hope you will find my blog post useful!
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