Cairo by Van – Pyramids & Museum of Civilization
From€80 per person
Camel Ride at the Giza Pyramids
The experience
Some photos are worth the trip on their own. Climb onto a camel at the edge of the Giza plateau and sway slowly across the sand to the panoramic point, where all nine pyramids line up on the horizon. Go at sunrise or sunset, when the stones turn honey-coloured and the desert is at its quietest.
Duration1 h ride
RunsDaily (sunrise or sunset best)
PickupGiza / Cairo hotel
PriceFrom €20 · Per person
Children0–5 free · 6–11 50% (typical)
About the places you'll visit
The story behind each stop, so you arrive knowing what you're looking at.
Pyramids of GizaOld Kingdom · c. 2600–2500 BC2–3 hours
Three kings of the 4th Dynasty built their pyramids on the desert edge west of the Nile: Khufu, his son Khafre, and Menkaure. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing.
- The Great Pyramid was about 146 m high when finished and is about 139 m today
- Built from roughly 2.3 million stone blocks
- It was the tallest human-made structure on Earth for about 3,800 years
- Khafre's pyramid still has some of its smooth limestone casing near the top
- Small queens’ pyramids stand beside the kings’ pyramids
The Great Sphinxc. 2500 BC · reign of Khafre30–45 minutes
A lion with the head of a king, most likely Khafre, carved from a single ridge of limestone. It guards the way up to his pyramid, next to his granite Valley Temple.
- About 73 m long and 20 m high
- The largest ancient statue carved from one rock
- Sand covered it up to the neck for most of its history
- Its nose was already missing centuries before Napoleon reached Egypt
Did you know?
How many pyramids are there in Egypt?
Archaeologists have identified between about 118 and 138 pyramids in Egypt, depending on how they count ruined ones. Most stand on the desert edge west of the Nile, from Giza south to Fayoum.
- The oldest: the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara, around 2670 BC
- The first true pyramid: the Red Pyramid at Dahshur
- The largest: the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza
- Later pyramids were made of mud brick and have mostly collapsed, like Hawara in Fayoum
- After about 1550 BC the kings stopped building pyramids and were buried in hidden tombs in the Valley of the Kings
Included
- Camel ride with guide through the desert to the pyramids panoramic point
Not included
- Giza plateau entry ticket (confirm)
- tips
From€202 × Adults · €40