Cairo and Giza, Egypt Travel Blog
We had one day to explore the sights of Cairo and Giza as part of our five day tour. We started the day by heading to the Giza plateau. There we explored several monuments including the Great Pyramid of Cheops (the only remaining wonder of the seven wonders of the ancient world dating back to about 2500 B.C, Pyramid of Chephren (son of Cheops), and Pyramid of Mycerinus (grandson of Cheops). If you want to go in the pyramids, it will cost an extra 360 Egyptian pounds. We paid and it was well worth it! I was not expecting such a steep and narrow climb that we had to duck for most of the way up to the chamber. If you are able to leave your backpack, I suggest doing so. We also went to a panorama area where we got great pictures of the whole pyramids. Next we had a 15-minute camel adventure in the Sahara desert (extra fee if you would like to do the 30-minute ride)around the pyramids before going to the Valley Temple/Mummification Temple of King Chephren where mummification of the dead king took place. This is where you can get pictures of the Sphinx. We had time to kill before having lunch so we were given options of what we would like to do. We decided to go to a perfume shop where a guide talked to us about how his family makes perfumes and oils for the body. We also went to a shop where they make chains with your name in hyroglyphics on it. Unfortunately, I thought the price was too much so we did not buy anything at these shops. Next, we had lunch at a restaurant before proceeding to the Egyptian museum which has the biggest collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts in the world (120,000 items). At the museum, we had the opportunity to wonder at the treasures of the golden Pharaoh Tutankhamen, the Heretic King Akhenaten collection, colossal statues, coffins, animal mummy room, royal mummy rooms (extra fee of 180 Egyptian pounds), and much more. I do recommend paying the extra price to see the mummy room. Although it is bizarre to look at dead bodies, it is something like no other. Also note that you cannot take photos in the mummy room and golden mask room. After the museum tour, we took a traditional felucca sailboat on the Nile for some relaxation. This lasted about 30 minutes. To be honest, it was quite boring but still a nice thing to do. Later in the night we visited the Khan el Khalili bazaar where we enjoyed the oriental atmosphere of the old markets and mosques. This is where you will find all the souvenirs you are searching for. At the end of the night, we were taken to the pier where we had our pre-booked dinner cruise on the Nile River. The boat had several shows as you ate: including a belly dancer and musicians. Unfortunately, the belly dancer was not very traditional as we had hoped and the music was very loud making it very difficult to have a conversation while we ate. It actually gave me a headache so I had to take a break and go to the top deck for some fresh air. However, the food was good and it was still a good experience. After the dinner cruise, we were transferred back to our hotel to end the night. The following photos were taken on other days during our trip:
