I spent my 40th birthday on a once in a lifetime trip; Egypt and Jordan. My boyfriend, Curtis, booked us a 13-day tour with “My Odyssey Tours” and I booked us the international flights. This tour included a packed itinerary, so I am going to break this up into multiple posts. First: Pharaohs and Pyramids.
The Hotel
I was excited to get to our hotel, Le Meridien Pyramids and Spa, as I was hoping to get a glimpse of the pyramids. Our hotel faces the pyramids providing each room with a view of this ancient wonder. We arrived just after 7:00 pm and I was a little disappointed that it was too dark to see anything.
When I threw opened the curtains the next morning, I felt like a little kid at Christmas. I couldn’t help but gasp, as I admired this breathtaking view for the first time. Finding it hard to tear myself away from the window, I knew it was time to start the day.
Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel, Cairo – room with a view
Memphis & Saqqara
The first stop on our private guided tour was to Egypt’s first capital, Memphis. It was a great introduction to the country’s history as we viewed multiple statues of Pharaoh Ramses II. This Pharaoh lived for 90 years and ruled for 67 years, he is known as Ramesses the Great.
one of many statues of Pharaoh Ramses II found in Egypt
From there we moved on to Saqqara, an ancient burial ground. This necropolis is home to the first pyramid also knows as the Step Pyramid of Djoser, which is enclosed by a 10 foot perimeter wall. There are roughly 80 pyramids in all of Egypt and 17 of them are at Saqqara.
We had the opportunity to explore inside the smallest of the royal pyramids called the Unas pyramid. The outside of this pyramid looks more like a mound of dirt then a pyramid, but the inside is beautiful. It just teaches you not to judge a book by its cover.
perimeter wall
behind the perimeter wall of Saqqara
Step Pyramid of Djoser
burial chamber inside Unas pyramid
Pyramids of Giza
Just on the outskirts of Cairo is where you will find the pyramids of Giza. Seeing the Great pyramid in person allowed me to admire its true architectural beauty. What a spectacle this structure would have made, as it would have sparkled in the sunlight with its white marble shell and golden crown. I couldn’t believe the size of this ancient wonder, I was in complete awe.
The Great Pyramid of Giza
Once I was able to acknowledge my surroundings, I was able to recognize that the crowds were sparse and made up of mostly local students on a school trip. A few of these students came up to me asking to take a photo. When the first one asked, I thought she wanted me to take a picture of her and her friends, but she turned the camera around on me and got in close for a selfie. I thought this was odd, but I took another look around and found I was one of the few tourists here. It was a strange thought, being in the presence of this ancient monument, and I am the one who is considered as a rare sighting. This just confirms how much tourism is down in Egypt.
We made our way around to the desert side of the pyramids to get a look at the well-known panoramic view of Giza’s three pyramids. This is when our guide suggestion a camel ride in the desert with the pyramids as our backdrop.
Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, Pharaohs of the three Pyramids of Giza
Camel Ride
The camels were striking draped in colourful tassel embellished blankets. This was my first camel ride, actually this was my first ride on any animal. The camel was sitting calmly, waiting for its next rider. I hooked my foot into the stirrup on its left side, then swung my right leg up and over to the other side. It was weird not having another stirrup on the right to hook my foot into, but before I could get used to this concept the camel began to move. My guide shouted “hold on and lean back”. I grabbed onto the single knob in front of me and did as I was instructed. The beast started to rise into a standing position, starting with his hind legs. Surprised by this movement, I was immediately tilted forward but leaning back helped me stay seated on the camel’s back.
Witnessing Curtis go through the same process looked almost comical as he was equally shocked by the camel’s movements. This was made evident when he continued to repeat the phrase “oh my god,” until the camel stopped moving. Our guide and I tried to get it all on video, but the camel was faster than us and for some reason Curtis didn’t want to do it again.
Our camel handler, Abraham, guided us to a secluded area to get more shots of the three pyramids. As we rode the pyramids were on our left and the open desert on our right. It was a memorable experience and one I highly recommend.
camel ride in front of the pyramids
Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza
After our camel ride, we headed back to the Great pyramid of Giza. We both agreed to pay the additional ticket for a chance to see inside King Khufu’s burial chamber. This option is not for everyone and one we both regret doing. This chamber was built closer to the top instead of underneath it, because this Pharaoh believed himself to be a God, and felt being closer to the stars was more fitting. This climb is not easy and not one I recommend. Click here for my full review.
The Sphinx
Moving on to the Sphinx, I had to go it alone. Curtis was not in the best shape after the excursion inside the Great Pyramid of Giza.
This Sphinx is still a mystery as to who built it and why. Most believe that it was build for Pharaoh Khufu, while others believe it was built for his son, Pharaoh Khafre. Whichever Pharaoh built it, I believe they built it to guard and protect his spirit in the afterlife.
sphinx
End of the Day
Visiting the pyramids was the main reason we booked this tour and it remains the highlight of our entire trip and we accomplished this on the first day. This is a 13-day tour, so there is so much more to see and I look forward to sharing these experiences. Stay tuned.
My name is Elise, I am a Bucket List Blogger, who inspires and helps others complete their own adventures by sharing my experiences and recommendations.
The camels were striking draped in colourful tassel embellished blankets. This was my first camel ride, actually this was my first ride on any animal. The camel was sitting calmly, waiting for its next rider. I hooked my foot into the stirrup on its left side, then swung my right leg up and over to the other side. It was weird not having another stirrup on the right to hook my foot into, but before I could get used to this concept the camel began to move. My guide shouted “hold on and lean back”. I grabbed onto the single knob in front of me and did as I was instructed. The beast started to rise into a standing position, starting with his hind legs. Surprised by this movement, I was immediately tilted forward but leaning back helped me stay seated on the camel’s back.
