Cairo: Giza Pyramids & Great Sphinx Private Half-Day Tour with Camel Ride
Giza's pyramids and Sphinx on a private tour, with a camel ride. An 11:00 pickup at your Cairo or Giza hotel starts the tour, and about four hours later the afternoon is yours again.
Overview
The three great pyramids of Giza are the work of one royal family. Khufu raised the largest, his son Khafre built beside it, and his grandson Menkaure added the smallest, all in less than a century. On this private half-day an Egyptologist of your own tells their story on the plateau itself, and the 11:00 hotel pickup leaves your morning free.
Your driver heads for the new visitor centre off the Fayoum road, on the south side of the plateau, where cars now stop and electric shuttles included in the ticket loop between the sights. The first stop is the Panorama viewpoint: you mount a camel and ride out over the sand with all three pyramids in front of you. Next you pass the pyramids of Menkaure and Khafre, walk beside Khufu's, more than two million limestone blocks stacked into a man-made mountain, and hear why Khafre's looks taller from the ground. The visit ends at the Great Sphinx: you walk through the Valley Temple of Khafre, then up a ramp to the platform that faces it.
Your guide fills in what the monuments leave unsaid: how the state fed and organised the crews who quarried and hauled the stone, why a son chose to build next to his father, and what the Sphinx was carved to protect. The car, driver and guide are booked for your party alone, so you decide how long to linger at each stop.
The drive back gets you to your hotel at about 15:00, or 15:30 with VIP, depending on traffic. Lunch is not part of this tour, so have a late breakfast or plan to eat afterwards. Classic leaves the plateau ticket to you, payable by card on arrival; All-Inclusive includes it, and VIP adds the climb inside the Great Pyramid. Every option is free to cancel, and payment can wait until later.
Highlights
- Hear how Khufu, his son Khafre and grandson Menkaure built Giza's pyramids in under a century
- Ride a camel from the handlers' zone by the Panorama viewpoint, all three pyramids in sight
- Walk beside Khufu's Great Pyramid, more than two million blocks of limestone
- Walk through the Valley Temple of Khafre to the platform facing the Great Sphinx
- Travel in a private car with a driver and Egyptologist booked only for you
- Begin with an 11:00 pickup from your Cairo or Giza hotel and keep your afternoon free
Included
- Hotel pickup at 11:00 and drop-off afterwards in Cairo or Giza
- Private air-conditioned car and driver
- Egyptologist guide for your party only
- Camel ride from the handlers' zone by the Panorama viewpoint
- Giza plateau entry ticket with electric shuttle (All-Inclusive and VIP)
- Ticket inside the Great Pyramid (VIP)
Not included
- Plateau entry ticket on the Classic option (pay by card at the gate)
- Lunch and drinks
- The Great Pyramid's interior, except on VIP
Good to know
- Child price: ages 2-11 · Infants under 2
- Pickup is at 11:00, and we contact you after booking to confirm the exact time.
- Lunch is not included, so eat before pickup or plan a meal after the tour.
- Midday on the plateau is hot and exposed; bring a hat, sunscreen and water.
- Classic option guests buy the plateau ticket at the gate, by card only.
- Children under 6 enter the plateau free of charge.
- On the Classic option, students with a valid student ID pay a reduced gate price.
- Private cars stop at the visitor centre; electric shuttles, included in the ticket, link the sights.
- Camel handlers now work only from a set zone beside the Panorama viewpoint.
- VIP guests enter the Great Pyramid without the guide, who is not permitted inside and explains the route at the entrance.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users.
- A guide speaking English, Arabic, German or Russian is included in the price.
- Guides in Chinese, French, Italian, Polish, Spanish or Turkish cost extra; you see the supplement before you pay.