Cairo and Giza can be a hassle, but they don't have to be. Being intrepid Globepouncers, we just couldn't stay away from the history. We hit several key sites in the capital - the Giza Plateau, The Egyptian Museum, and the Mosque of Amr Ibn Al 'As (the oldest mosque in Africa dating to the mid-7th century) - in one day, and we hired a private guide from Egypt Fun Tours to do it.
Our guide, Ahmed Youssef, was great, and our airport pickup was very convenient. EFT does a great job. Without our guide, the pyramids and museum and just moving around town would have been rough, but in some places a guide is more than worth it, and Cairo is one of those places - and this from a pair who typically avoids tours and groups as a strict rule. We had such a good time we're planning a much longer trip to Luxor and Abu Simbel in the south of Egypt.
It's easy to get a visa upon arrival, but the process was a bit different than any other place we've seen. Before going through the passport check at immigration, we had to buy the visa stickers at one of the bank counters and had to put the stickers in our passports ourselves, and then the immigration officer stamped them at the checkpoint. It didn't take long. Use cash if you can. If you use a credit card at one of these banks, the transaction is processed as a cash advance. It's not a huge deal, but a cash advance is something worth avoiding.
A person should experience the sheer scale of the pyramids despite any potential hassle. After being razed for building materials and treasure for millennia, these structures are still a mighty sight to behold - how grand they must have been in their glory days! Even having previously seen Angkor Wat, the Colosseum, and the Great Wall, seeing the Giza pyramids in person was special and well worth it.
Do not leave Egypt without having falafel and koshari; yes, you can find them elsewhere, but they are perfection in Egypt.
Enjoy the photos below, and find more at The Globepouncing Portfolio.
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