11 Sep 2019
I had a great experience as a solo tourist of the pyramids! Since my experience was as a solo female traveler, I will be detailed in my review for anyone else who might be wondering.
My guide, Mohamed, and the driver, Ahmed, arrived to my hotel lobby promptly at 9:00 AM for pickup.
I felt comfortable during the ride and Mohamed provided interesting facts about the city of Cairo, the Nile River and of course, the pyramids.
Upon arrival, we purchased entry tickets to the grounds as well as optional tickets to walk through one or two pyramids (I chose to walk through one). At the time of my travel, the entry fee was 160 EGP and the pyramid walkthrough was 100 EGP.
Seeing the pyramids in person was breathtaking! The tour included a camel ride, which turned out to be lots of fun.
There are different guides at different stations, so someone else (other than my main guide) accompanied me for the camel ride and a third person accompanied me for the pyramid walkthrough.
Please note:: these additional guides (not my main guide) can be a bit aggressive for tips. You are not required to tip them. Even though I chose to tip them in EGP (the Egyptian currency) they still asked for more money or US dollars instead (how rude).
Mohamed and Ahmed (the main tour guide and driver) were more polite and did not urge for tips. They were grateful for what they received.
After seeing the pyramids, I took pictures near the Sphinx and then we made a stop at a place that makes papyrus paper. Learning about the process was extremely interesting (but once again beware of the pressure to buy papyrus artwork).
I was offered to stop for lunch (part of the tour experience), but I had a time constraint, so unfortunately I cannot give a review of that experience.
Overall, I recommend doing this tour, especially if you are touring solo. The primary reason I would recommend the tour as a solo traveler is less about the information you will receive (although that was good) and more about having some sense of security. Before each station of the tour, Mohamed briefed me on what people might say and how I should respond so I would not feel harassed (for example, if people were trying to get me to buy something). Additionally, Mohamed accompanied me at every station along the way so he was able to speak Arabic to the other guides, since I do not know much of the language.
Other items to note:
Pickup was convenient: my hotel was not one that was listed among the options while booking; however, that was not an issue. I simply entered the hotel information and the driver and tour guide found it.
Communication was easy with WhatsApp: I would recommend you download WhatsApp for easy communication if you are visiting from outside of Egypt. If you are connected to WiFi at your hotel or rental home, the tour guide can easily communicate with you at pick-up time.