
Ninety seconds on the Great Pyramid of Giza
Go inside the Great Pyramid of Giza: book the separate interior ticket first, as its limited sessions sell out early, then climb in a half-crouch.
Entry is through a tunnel cut in the ninth century, and inside it the air goes still within seconds. Wooden cleats and wall rails take your weight on the way up; once you are in the ascending passage there is no easy way back, so skip it if tight spaces or close air trouble you. Coming down, gravity pitches you forward and your knees take the strain, so go slowly and let faster climbers pass. In the King's Chamber at the top, a guard will ask you to leave after a few minutes, and videos are not allowed. Back outside, touts still work the plateau, though camel and horse handlers have been moved to a designated area. A ride is often quoted per person and for one direction only, so agree the return in writing on your phone before you get on.
Further afield in Egypt
More than twenty million live in greater Cairo, and the medieval city the Fatimids founded in 969 is still in daily use at its centre:…
Ancient Thebes, the capital of Egypt at the height of its power, lies under and around this provincial town of half a million, split by the…
Egypt's southern frontier town sits where the Nile breaks through a belt of granite, scattering islands and boulders across the river, and…