Day 101: Giza Pyramids with Baby – Camel Rides & Sphinx Views

Julie

2025-04-30

Day 101: Giza Pyramids with Baby – Camel Rides & Sphinx Views

Discover our family adventure to the Giza Pyramids with our baby—camel rides, the Sphinx, and tips for traveling in Egypt with a little one.

Main Journey

The Day We Met the Great Pyramids of Giza

We were buzzing with anticipation. This was the day we’d meet one of the Seven Wonders of the World—the legendary pyramids of Giza. After days under the sweltering Cairo sun, our small family—Julie, Sweetie, and I—geared up early and waited downstairs at our hostel for the private car we’d booked.

But as travel with a baby often goes, nothing quite follows plan.

We waited. And waited.

8:30 AM came and went. 9:00 passed. Still no car.

Thankfully, the tour agency was just a brisk 1km walk away, so I jogged over and voiced our frustration. The staff finally realized their slip-up and scrambled to arrange a new driver for us. By 9:50 AM, a car pulled up—not the original driver, but at least we had a ride.

I wanted to stay calm, but knowing how much we had to see, I could feel time slipping away.

Events

Private Giza Pyramid Tour Details

Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Car: Private sedan
Price: ~500 Egyptian Pounds (We paid 440)
Tour Conditions: Flexible itinerary, choose lunch location, optional visits to souvenir factories (papyrus, carpets, perfumes)

Our route for the day:

Giza – The main cluster with Khufu’s Great Pyramid and the Sphinx
Saqqara – Step Pyramid of Djoser
Dahshur – Red and Bent Pyramids
Memphis – Open-air museum with Ramses II

But let’s start with Giza.

First Glimpse of the Pyramids

After about 20 minutes on the highway heading west, they emerged—the pyramids! Still far off, but unmistakable even through the haze of the desert.

The driver dropped us off at the ticket gate, where we arranged to meet again in 2.5 hours.

Note: Only international student IDs are valid for discounts—not teacher IDs.

And then: wow.

That first full view of the pyramids and the Sphinx—it just hits you. No photo, no textbook, no documentary really prepares you.

Entering the Sphinx Temple

We wandered into Khafre’s temple complex. Granite blocks transported from the Aswan quarries still stood in place. Hard to imagine the labor, the sheer will, that built all this in an age without machines.

In ancient Egypt, the Nile’s annual flooding allowed for grand construction efforts, as stones could be transported by boat during the high waters.

But there wasn’t much shade, and Sweetie was starting to stir.

So we moved quickly toward the Sphinx.

Face to Face with the Sphinx

There it was. The Sphinx—part man, part lion. Ancient guardian of the pyramids.

Today, the Sphinx isn’t guarding much beyond posing for endless tourist photos and offering sleepy babies like ours a good napping spot.

We took our family photo, even though Sweetie was still fast asleep.

Fun fact: The Sphinx was carved directly from bedrock, not built with imported stone. That odd boulder, probably in the way of pyramid plans, became a genius solution.

Camel Ride to Panoramic View

The heat was brutal. Walking with Sweetie wasn’t really an option.

So we haggled hard, and up we climbed—onto camels. For 50 Egyptian pounds per person for an hour, it was a game-changer.

Camel travel is a whole different rhythm. The swaying, the height, the breeze—it actually felt relaxing.

We passed countless tombs near the pyramid base. Many weren’t for royals, but for workers—volunteer laborers who helped build the pyramids in return for food, status, and afterlife promises.

The Panoramic Spot

Finally, we reached the view spot.

From there, all nine pyramids stretched across the desert. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but in real life, it’s humbling.

The pyramid guide knew all the camera tricks—lining up the angles to make it feel like you could hold one on your palm.

As the hour ticked by, we headed back toward the Great Pyramid.

We were grateful we’d insisted on a longer ride. Thirty minutes wouldn’t have been enough to see even half of it.

Up Close with the Great Pyramid

We stood at the foot of Khafre’s pyramid. At close range, the stones looked more like giant building blocks. One stone reached my chest. It was almost unbelievable to think how precisely these had been stacked—thousands of years ago.

Julie beamed. Sweetie slept. Again.

“Sweetie! You’re sleeping through history!” I whispered.

A chunk of the original smooth casing still clung to the top—reminders of how pristine these once looked.

We skipped the Sun Boat Museum (you can’t do everything with a baby), and walked back toward the main gate.

Pyramid-Side Lunch… at KFC

Yep, KFC.

You wouldn’t believe the view from the window. The pyramids framed in the glass as you eat spicy chicken and drink soda. Surreal.

There’s something poetic about biting into fast food with the world’s oldest manmade structures in sight.

The Pyramids were once the tallest structures on Earth. That scale, that ambition—it sticks with you.

But the day wasn’t done. The Great Pyramids of Giza are the final form. We were off to chase their beginnings—back to Saqqara and Dahshur.

Tips for Traveling with a Baby

Keep Schedules Flexible

Keyword: Baby Sleep
Sweetie slept through half the tour—sometimes on camelback. That’s okay. Let your baby nap when they need it, even if it’s in front of the Sphinx.

Avoid Midday Heat

Keyword: Desert Weather
The Cairo sun can be brutal, especially in July. Start tours as early as possible. Shade is rare, and walking with a baby carrier gets exhausting fast.

Opt for Camels, Not Strollers

Keyword: Camel Ride with Baby
Walking around Giza is no joke. The camel ride helped us cover way more ground comfortably and made for some fantastic memories.

Local Travel Tips

Book Private Tours with Buffer Time

Keyword: Cairo Pyramid Tour
Even a slight delay can eat into your itinerary. We lost over an hour waiting. Booking direct and confirming the night before helps.