Enter at the Entrance

This is kind of a no-brainer, right?  “Well, of course I’m going to go in at the entrance,” you’re saying.  “Where else am I going to enter?  What kind of stupid website is this, anyway?”

I’m not going to claim that this site is zero percent stupid, but here’s the issue: There’s more than one entrance to the Pyramid complex.  If you’re taking a cab and tell the driver you want to go “To the Pyramids,” you may or may not be dropped off at the right spot. 

Your driver may be getting a kickback to drop you off at the wrong place.  If you’re walking to where you think the entrance is, you may have people waving you towards a gate, or trying to lead you to where they claim the entrance is.

You want the Main Entrance.  This is by the Great Pyramid, and some people call it the “Mena House entrance,” because it’s near the gate for the Mena House hotel.

The picture up above shows you what the entrance and ticket window looks like.  If you look on a map, it’s just a few hundred feet northwest of the Great Pyramid, near the big loop and parking area for tour buses.  I’ve dropped a pin here, showing you where it is.

Get out of my cab!

Do not try going in any way aside from the main entrance, unless you already have tickets and know what you’re doing.  Other entrances are scam central — for example, there’s a separate entrance for camels and horses. 

If you go in another way, there’s a good chance you’re going to have a very difficult time shaking off people attempting to be your tour guides, or trying to threaten you to pay them off because you don’t have the “right ticket,” or any number of other ways to separate you from your money.

A common scam is the cab driver dropping you off at the entrance for horses and camels, telling you that the only way to enter the complex is by carriage.  Certainly, you’ll be able to argue with him and get him to drop you off at the right spot, but he’ll likely say it costs extra (sometimes a lot extra).

A word of warning: There are scattered reports of a scam where people will walk in front of your cab, forcing the driver to stop.  They’ll then open the door and get in the back with you, starting the whole “You have to get out here, the entrance is this way and the only way in is with a guide or on a camel” sort of routine. 

Sometimes they’ll say “Oh, the Pyramids are very far from here, you don’t want to walk, you need a carriage.”  Even though…you know…you can see the Pyramids at this point, and they’re right there.

I don’t think this happens often, but obviously it can be scary.  Just remember…scammers are trying to scam you.  They aren’t trying to beat you up or rob you.  They want to sweet talk you into paying them, then they’ll advance to trying to intimidate you.

I think the best tactic here is just to be aware of the slim chance of this, and lock your doors.  If the cabbie doesn’t feel like arguing with the scammers and tells you to get out, tell him you won’t pay unless he drops you off at the main entrance…like you agreed on.

Agreed on?  Yes, that’s right.  As with everything in Egypt, be very specific when you’re negotiating for a cab ride.  Show the cabbie exactly where you want to be dropped off before you make a deal.  Or, just take an Uber.  It works just fine in Cairo, and can save you from some headaches.

How to avoid scams at the Pyramids of Giza?

  Ignore. Everyone.

Generally speaking, I fully endorse chatting with locals, learning about their lives and attempting to understand their cultures — well, to the extent that you can in the couple of weeks you may be in a country, anyway.

One big exception to this rule is at a location like the Pyramids. How should you avoid scams at the Pyramids of Giza?  Just.  Ignore.  Everyone.

Here, you basically want to pretend that you can’t see or hear anybody.  You’ll run into the standard people trying to sell you things, like scarves or postcards or little trinkets.  These are typically easy to shake off, but under no circumstances should you allow anyone to give you a “gift” or to put something in your hand.  That will typically lead to a demand for cash. 

Remember: Nothing is free here.  No one will be giving you free gifts, and if you’re asked if you want to take a picture next to someone’s camel, they will absolutely be expecting you to pay them afterwards.

The more persistent ones are the people trying to sell you rides or tours, or perhaps some sort of “special” access to a location.  If you engage with them, that gives them an opening and could cause them to think they can wear you down.  Simply avoiding eye contact and pretending they aren’t there can feel rude, but it’s preferable to being followed around.

Odds are that most anything someone tells you here won’t necessarily be true.  They likely don’t work there, you probably aren’t going the wrong way, the Pyramids aren’t closed, it’s not true that everyone is currently taking a break to pray, and no, it’s absolutely, positively not illegal to visit the Pyramids without a guide.

The best tactic to deal with people who approach you trying to scam you or sell you things is to just ignore them.  And if you feel forced to engage, you can always just pretend you don’t speak English. 

If they don’t feel they have any opening, they’ll move on to someone else.  If someone is really bothering you, pulling out your phone and recording them will almost always get them to leave you alone.

The cops try it too

Surely, uniformed police won’t be trying to get money out of you, right?  Wrong.

“Tipping” is extremely common in Egypt.  If someone performs a service for you, you’re expected to tip them.  This applies to virtually everything — including using the restroom.  If a police officer at the Pyramids offers to help you with something, odds are he’s going to expect a tip.

Here’s what happened to me: There’s certain areas at the Pyramids that are roped off, usually right around the base.  I assume this is to prevent people from climbing up the sides.  Walking near one of these ropes, an officer off in the distance began to wave to one direction, as though I’m supposed to walk in the way he’s gesturing.  So that’s what I did.

Turns out, he thought he was offering a service: Allowing me to walk where I wasn’t “supposed” to walk.  Mind you, I didn’t ask for this, and it’s not like going in that area provided any sort of benefit.  So he comes up and asks if I liked walking there and what I thought of it — obviously thinking I should give him a tip.

I simply told him sorry, I don’t have any cash, and walked off.  He didn’t get aggressive about it, but it’s important to remember that just because someone is wearing a uniform doesn’t mean they have your best interests at heart.

“Scams” like these may be unavoidable, which is why I carry most of my money in a money belt.  My credit cards go in there too.  However, I keep my wallet on me with nothing important inside — just a few small bills.  That way, if you find yourself in a situation like this, you can show someone how little you have, and if you somehow feel obligated to pay up, you’re only out a few dollars.

“No ticket”

Remember the scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade where Indy throws a Nazi out the window of a zeppelin, turns to the passengers and proclaims “No ticket”?  That will not be happening here.

In order to sell camel rides and such at the Pyramids, the locals are required to have a government-issued ID.  They’ll usually wear this on a lanyard, and they’ll come up to you claiming to be a guard or employed by the government in some way, and they may try to show you their ID to prove it — usually with the lanyard wrapped around it, so you can’t really see what it says.

The most common interaction with these people tends to be of the “Show me your ticket” variety.  No one is actually going to check your ticket to make sure you’re supposed to be there.  Once you’ve bought your ticket at the main entrance and you’re in, that’s it. 

This is a scam.  I get it, many people are used to showing their tickets at events or on public transportation, so it’s easy to fall for this.  But if you show your ticket, they’ll take it from you, and one of three things will happen:

They’ll say that means they’re your official guide, they’ll ask for money to give your ticket back, or they’ll claim you have the “wrong” ticket and you need to give them a “tip” to avoid being kicked out.

There’s one notable exception to this: If you visit an “indoor” location at the Pyramids, like the wonderful Tomb of Queen Meresankh III, you’ll need to buy an additional ticket when you come in at the main entrance. 

After wandering around for a bit and looking for it, I ran into a guy who was trying to get my attention.  I ignored him, and he persisted.  Turns out he actually was employed there, and had the keys to open the door to the tomb.  In which case, I actually did have to show him my ticket.

In my defense, the guy didn’t have any sort of special uniform.  He did show me his keys, and I didn’t show him my ticket until I arrived at the door and saw that it was closed.  I did have to tip the guard who came into the tomb to show me around, but this is extremely common and requires its own article.

A final note on this issue: I have heard that some people claim to work there and will pretend to unlock a tomb for you, expecting a tip.  This was not the case here, as I did see him unlock it and he never asked for money.

Taking pictures at the Pyramids

You want pictures, right?  I mean, who comes all this way, to the location of the only surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and doesn’t want pictures?

It doesn’t cost extra to wander around and take pictures on the grounds, no matter what someone may tell you.  I have heard you can purchase a very inexpensive “tripod pass” if you want to use one of those, but your mileage may vary on that one.

But here’s something you need to keep in mind, which I feel like I need to repeat once again: Nothing here is free. 

If a local offers to take your picture, he’s going to want money for doing so.  No matter how friendly he may seem, he’s not going to take your picture for nothing. 

He’ll hold on to your phone, encouraging more pictures: Go over here, you can get a picture where you’re kissing the Sphinx, hold your hand up so it looks like you’re dangling a Pyramid from your fingers, now go over here and jump up and down — anything to increase his perceived “value” to you.

The same goes for people with camels — especially people with camels.  If you want a picture with a camel, it’s going to cost you.  If you agree to take a picture sitting on someone’s camel, it’s going to cost you.  The owner may not even let you down until you’ve paid. 

As always, make sure you are very specific about what you’re paying for.  Assuming you know you’re going to have to pay and still want your picture on a camel, you would say something like…

“I will pay you 20 Egyptian pounds to get on the camel, have multiple pictures taken on the camel, and then get back down.”  Otherwise a particularly tricky owner may tell you it actually costs extra to take more than one picture, or double the cost to get back down, or that he thought you were negotiating in British pounds.

A bit of a variation on this “scam” — many people have had issues with people popping into the background of their pictures, then saying you need to pay them for taking their picture.  My advice would be this: If you’re taking a picture of yourself or the people you came with, try to make sure you don’t see anyone waiting to walk into your shot.

Now, take a close look at the picture up at the top of this section.  If you visit the Pyramids on a Friday or Saturday, it’s what you may see a lot of: local Egyptian tourists.  These days are weekends in Egypt, and you’ll often run into kids from other parts of the country — parts that don’t get a lot of tourism. 

Depending on what you look like, you could get a lot of children on school trips coming up and asking if they can take a picture with you.  To them, visiting the Pyramids and meeting foreign tourists can be a really cool experience. 

They aren’t trying to scam you, they just want to take a picture with a foreigner using their own phones. 

You’re free to decline, but I don’t think there’s any harm in saying yes.  It can be a nice way to interact with the locals.  Just be aware that taking one picture will often result in many more requests.

I still got “scammed”

You probably think I’m an expert on all of this, right?  After all, I did meticulously research every aspect of visiting Egypt for many months, including all the various scams going down at the Pyramids.  And for the most part, I glided effortlessly across the grounds, knowing just where to go and just what to do.

But there was a problem: I wasn’t sure how to get up to the Sphinx.  You see, the Pyramid complex isn’t exactly labeled well.  They don’t give you a map when you walk in, or anything of the sort.  Yes, you can see the Sphinx from all over the place, but there’s a number of fences around it, and figuring out how to get up to the side can be a bit confusing.

Reluctantly, I engaged with one of the locals — meaning, the guys with the camel/horse licenses who are wandering about.  He did the old trick of showing me his license with his lanyard wrapped around it.

I asked if he knew how to get up to the Sphinx, and of course he did…but he couldn’t just point it out, he’d have to take me there.

Now, I knew I’d end up having to pay him, but that was fine.  Before I knew it, he was giving a full tour of the Eastern Cemetery, going down into areas that tourists probably aren’t expected to visit.  You see, the area around the Pyramids is completely covered with small tombs, and this man seemed to know where everything was.

We did get yelled at by a guard at one point — well, he got yelled at by a guard, anyway.  Eventually, we did end up at the Sphinx.  I’m guessing the little detour was so he could attempt to increase his worth by becoming an impromptu tour guide.  I gave him what was in my wallet (again, using the method of only keeping a small amount in there and the rest in a money belt), and he was happy.

Was I scammed?  Sure, I suppose you could say that.  I think the story is worth telling, because it shows how easy it can be to have someone providing “services” you didn’t really ask for.

Oh, and as for getting up to the Sphinx, you have to go through the Valley Temple of Khafre.  I’m putting a link to its location here.

None of this means the Pyramids are dangerous

From the way I’ve described visiting the Pyramids of Giza, you might be under the impression that it’s some sort of warzone.

In a way, I guess it is — you’re pitting your wits and knowledge against theirs.  There’s a good chance you’ll be besieged by people trying to take advantage of you, and others just trying to make a living.  But none of it is physically dangerous; you aren’t going to be attacked or kidnapped. 

A few people have been known to get verbally aggressive from time to time, but it’s all theatrics.  They’re just trying to get visitors to reach a point where they feel that handing over some cash is preferable to continuing to deal with the annoyance.

Of course, “annoyance” is all a state of mind.  Those with bad intentions are counting on you to be naive — but by heading in through the gate (the right gate) and knowing what to expect, you can easily have a successful trip.  I find that the best tactic to deal with people like the ones you’ll encounter here is to just dive in, treating it as part of the experience.

It’s also worth noting that Egypt has plans to change the entire area.  They’re putting up a giant new museum called the Grand Egyptian Museum near the Pyramids, and have a master plan to knock down old buildings in Giza and rebuild.  They’ve also committed to cleaning things up when it comes to scamming tourists.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that it is possible to lessen the effects of the scammers by visiting the Pyramids with a guide, who can help run interference.  Personally I don’t care for guided tours, but to each their own. 

But with a guide or braving the Pyramids alone, the best advice I can give anyone who asks about how to avoid scams at the Pyramids of Giza: Just be confident.  This is your trip and your time.  Don’t worry about being “rude,” and don’t feel pressured into anything.  Just focus on yourself and absorbing the incredible monuments surrounding you.

Note: Everything I say here is my own personal opinion, and may not work best for everyone. I’m far from an expert, so please just do whatever is best for you, and be sure to visit the TripAdvisor Forums to ask questions and do some more research!