Have you always dreamed about visiting the famous Egyptian Pyramids of Giza? Do you prefer to travel solo instead of opting for tours? Here is everything you need to know about how to visit the Giza Pyramids without a guide but still have an amazing time.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission on products if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you.
If you want to have the most memorable and fantastic time visiting the Ancient Pyramids of Giza, there are a few things you should know first!
There are several ways to visit these pyramids even if most people/companies only try to sell you one way. Most people will take tours to visit the pyramids but this is not at all necessary.
Whether you like traveling solo or DIY travel, I’ve got you covered. Here is what people don’t tell you about visiting the Great Pyramids of Giza and how to visit them without a tour guide!
The One Thing to Know When Traveling Egypt
So before we jump into it, I want to start by sharing what I think is the most important thing to know before traveling to Egypt. Nobody told me and I wish I had been warned.
Egypt is known for tourist scams and aggressive, nonstop attempts at taking your money! No, not just aggressive selling and hassling but demanding and expecting tips for things that do not require tips.
I understand that this is, of course, part of traveling to foreign countries. After traveling to places like India, Mexico, and China, I have never seen or felt such an aggressive and bothersome culture as I experienced in Egypt.
I am not saying this to scare you or deter you, but to give you the reality of how tourists are often treated in Egypt – especially Cairo.
Like I said, I had no idea it was this bad and I remember coming home and everyone asking me about my trip. I would tell them how awful, pushy, and intrusive some vendors would be and I was met with “Oh yeah, I’ve heard it’s the worst.”
If it’s such a common perception, why didn’t anyone warn me?! So that’s what I’m trying to do here now – just in case you haven’t heard it before. Beware, Egypt is not for the faint-hearted.
Pros and Cons of Visiting the Pyramids With & Without Guides
Okay, if I haven’t scared you off yet, visiting the Pyramids of Egypt can still be a wonderful experience – if you do it right. However, this depends on what kind of experience you are looking to have.
I personally am not a fan of tours or guides. I prefer to explore and experience by myself without being rushed or forced into seeing things. Because of all the hassling in Egypt, the pyramids can be a tricky place to visit without a tour guide but certainly not impossible!
Pros of Visiting the Pyramids Without a Guide
- You have the flexibility and option to go anywhere you want. One thing I noticed in Egypt is that even your tour guide is in cahoots with somebody. Whether it’s the camel renting people or the papyrus store. Because of this, I found that it’s less about you having a great experience and more about everyone making a little bit of money. If you’re by yourself you can choose where to go and what to do.
- You can take as long as you want to take pictures. This goes off the first point a bit – when you’re by yourself you can take all the time you want to take pictures or just to sightsee. I felt super rushed when I took the tour. The guide did take photos of us but not very great ones and he didn’t wait for us to get all of the shots we wanted.
- You can choose not to partake in riding the camels. One of the worst parts about traveling to Egypt for me was seeing how badly they mistreat their animals. The camels are dressed up and meant to entertain and carry around tourists ALL DAY. If you don’t want to walk around the whole site, what makes you think the camels do? During my tour, they told me I did not have the option to walk, and that I must ride either a camel or a horse. This was obviously just another scam.
- You’ll save money doing it on your own. One of the main reasons for DIY travel is to save money. Visiting the pyramids without a guide is definitely the cheapest option. You just pay for your ride there and your ticket.
Cons of Visiting the Pyramids Without a Guide
- You’ll get pestered and hassled A LOT. When vendors see you walking by yourself, they see you as fair game to try and sell you a guide, camel rides, trinkets, etc. If you already have a guide, they tend to bother you less or your guide will tell them to go away.
- Tip to avoid this: Put your headphones in and just ignore them. They’ll stop bothering you once they realize you can’t hear them. You can try saying “No thank you” and keep walking but I found them to be quite persistent once I actually engaged with them.
- Not as much ease and convenience. There’s a little more added stress when traveling by yourself. You have to plan and figure things out by yourself and can’t rely on someone to help you. Most people want to have a relaxing and great time while on vacation and not worry.
- Tip: If you’re more of a vacationer who has the money to spend, maybe a tour guide is best for you. If you are a budget traveler doing it for the experience and not the ease, then it’s all part of the journey.
- No one to ask questions to or learn the history from. Another con of not having a guide is you don’t have anyone to answer your questions or teach you about the history of the pyramids.
- Tip: There are so many videos or podcasts about the pyramids you can download ahead of time to listen to while you walk. You can also do your own research so you know the important history behind it.
Here’s a reel I made of the incredible views of the Pyramids of Giza if you’re interested in checking it out!
What to Look Out for When Visiting Solo
As previously stated, when you visit by yourself you are more likely to get bothered by touts. This is because they see you as a target for selling things. Whether it’s their “services” or cheap trinkets.
Just be mindful of this and be ready to decline all offers. I eventually put my headphones in because no matter how many times I said “No, thank you” they continued to try and sell me everything.
I tried several approaches and this one seemed to work the best for me. You may be thinking, “How bad can it really be?” and the truth is, it can get pretty bad!
No matter how much patience or humility you may have, everyone has a breaking point. I am not exaggerating when I say that it’s one person after another every five to ten steps you take. After a few hours of this, it can be extremely exhausting and irritating even for the best of us.
My Experience Visiting With a Guide
Tour Arranged by Our Hotel
I visited Egypt in early 2022 with my mom and uncle. My mom really wanted to do a tour so our hostel arranged one for us. We visited the Pyramid of Djoser in Saqqara first, then the Necropolis of Memphis, and FINALLY the Pyramids of Giza.
Although the archeological sites and pyramids were truly stunning and beautiful to see, it was kind of ruined by the terrible experience I had with the tour. Mind you, it was just three of us plus our driver and our ‘guide’.
I can’t remember exactly how much it was but I think it was around $80 USD per person for the whole day. This may seem inexpensive for Americans but it’s a lot compared to prices in Egypt.
In between each site, they would take us to these stores such as a papyrus store or carpet-weaving store. At first, I thought “Okay, this is fine” but after three stores, I started to think why am I spending money to be brought somewhere I didn’t ask to visit?
Main Issues with the Tour
The priority should be on visiting the Great Pyramids of Giza – that’s the main attraction after all! They don’t necessarily force you to buy anything in these stores but there is a sense of being trapped in there until you make a purchase. Remember what I said about them being persistent?
This was one of my main issues with taking this tour. The other issue was after HOURS of being forced to shop, they finally took us to the Pyramids of Giza with only one hour to spare before closing time.
This was absolutely absurd as it was the only thing we really want to see the whole day. They dumped us off at this local shop where a man gave us his speech about needing to ride a camel or a horse to get around the Giza complex.
Not only is this not true and a scam, but on top of that we had to pay him separately for the tour. Our original “guide” for the day was nowhere to be found. He picked us up later once we were finished.
It was a terrible experience for me. As an animal lover, I felt forced to ride these mistreated animals that I did not want to ride. I ended up crying while on the back of this camel because it felt so wrong to me.
Now I realize, not everyone is like me. Some people unfortunately are extremely disconnected from the natural world and animals. These kinds of people may not see anything wrong with this whole experience. However, I am still sharing for those people like me who want a different experience altogether.
My Experience Visiting Without a Guide
So a few days later, being so unhappy with my initial visit to the Great Pyramids of Giza, I decided to go again but alone this time. I took an Uber all the way there that cost me less than $8 USD, I bought my own ticket and walked right in.
People were constantly pestering me asking if I wanted a camel or a guide, or telling me I couldn’t walk the whole way, I just continued to ignore them. This is the only way to get passed them, trust me.
I put my headphones in and walked all around all by myself and had a great time. I stopped and took a bunch of pictures. There was time for me to sit and journal while taking it all in. It was a WAY better experience than the one a few days earlier.
The only time I had an issue was trying to take photos in front of the Great Sphinx. A ‘security officer’ came over and started asking me all sorts of questions about why I was taking pictures with my tripod and if it was for advertising purposes.
He asked me for a bribe and when I said no and started packing up my things, he then said “Okay, it’s fine no worries.” So was this man really a security officer, I’m not sure.
How to Get to the Pyramids of Giza
The easiest and cheapest way to get to the Pyramids of Giza is by riding an Uber. Taxi drivers are just as untrustworthy and unreliable when it comes to trying to get more money out of you. Even if you agree on a price, they end up demanding more from you before they drop you off.
Uber is way easier and safer as long as you’re smart and cautious. If you want to know more about safety tips and tricks for riding Ubers in Egypt, check out my post about it here.
Pyramids of Giza Entry Ticket Prices
General entry for the Pyramids of Giza is 240 EGP or roughly $7.70 USD. If you’re a student the ticket price is 140 EGP or just under $4 USD.
There is an additional cost of 440 EGP or about $14 USD to go into the main Great Pyramid of Khufu. When you compare these prices plus a $16 Uber ride to the pyramids and back, this way ends up being way more cost-effective.
Plus you have more free time to do what you want inside the site instead of spending it being taken to stores and other shops to be sold things you don’t really need.
Just be aware that if you’re visiting Egypt you need to have tough skin and a strong determination to keep saying no when touts bother you to buy things. It’s so unfortunate because Egypt is a beautiful country with so much well-preserved natural history. If you can look past all these negatives, you should have a wonderful time by yourself visiting the pyramids without a guide!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I visit the pyramids without a guide/on my own?
Yes, you can absolutely visit the Pyramids of Giza by yourself without a guide. In fact, I even recommend it if you’d rather have the flexibility to go anywhere you want and the time to take as many pictures as you’d like. If anyone tells you otherwise they are lying to you and likely trying to scam you!
Can tourists touch the pyramids?
Whether or not it’s legal is a different question, but yes tourists are allowed to touch the Pyramids in Egypt. Most guides will tell you to touch it.
Is it safe for Americans to visit the pyramids in Egypt?
Yes, the Pyramids of Giza are totally safe for Americans to visit. In general, there are high rates of tourist scams in Egypt but this is avoidable if you firmly decline and don’t give in to any nonsense they try and tell you.
For more Egypt information, you may also like:
- Fantastic 17-Day Itinerary For Remarkable Egypt And Jordan Trip
- How To Use Uber in Egypt: Helpful Tips & Tricks (2023)
- Strange Egyptian Dish: Koshary From Famous Abou Tarek Diner
