Visiting Cairo, Egypt is definitely a bucket list experience. Walking the ancient ruins of the Pyramids of Giza was truly surreal.
My first big surprise was the Pyramids of Giza are close. How close? This is looking out our hotel window. For some reason I thought to see the Pyramids involved a trip to the desert. I didn’t think could just walk outside the city and be surrounded by them.
The Pyramids of Giza were built as tombs for three different Egyptian pharaohs, Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, in the 4th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom, between 2600 and 2500 BC. Khufu’s is the Great Pyramid, the oldest and the largest. Fun fact the Pyramids of Giza were on the original list of the ‘7 Wonders of the World’ and the only one still standing.
Yes we went on a camel ride. You’ll get asked dozens of times by local camel ride agents and they are superior salesmen. They will always try to up-sell and work more tours and deals. We just kept happily saying no and finally got our ride. I will admit it was super fun.
Just of outside Cairo, is Sakkara. It is a burial ground, serving as a necropolis for Egypt’s ancient capital of Memphis. 
The Colossus of Ramesses is an enormous statue carved in limestone. It is about 34 feet long, even though it has no feet. A small open air museum has been built to house this magnificent piece.
The Egyptian museum was filled with amazing antiquities and to be honest the pieces in the museum need a better home. But it was interesting to see items like the Pharaoh’s chair just out in the open for anyone to touch.
The Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha had the same architect as the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey, so they have a very similar look to each other. It has a beautiful design and is located on top of the Cairo Citadel, so it also has a beautiful view of the city.
This is a photo a snapped while driving on a road in the city.
Cairo has some of the world’s most significant attractions and some experiences that are simply incredible. Seeing the Pyramids and Sphinx was something I can now tick off my bucket list, the Egyptian Museum had some amazing artifacts. Having said that it’s a busy and dirty city. I’m so happy we had a guide. He paved the way with all the security and tourist police to help us have a smooth and easy visit.
After two full days of touring Cairo we had dinner at our hotel and enjoyed a night of belly dancers and music.
