# Giza Pyramids The Giza plateau holds the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, three monumental tombs built for pharaohs of the Fourth Dynasty. Three pyramids stand on a limestone plateau at the edge of the Western Desert, roughly fourteen kilometres from central Cairo. They were built over roughly eighty years during the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom, around 2600–2500 BCE, as tombs for three successive pharaohs: Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. The largest, known as the Great Pyramid, originally rose to a height of 146 metres, making it the tallest structure in the world for nearly four thousand years. ## The Great Pyramid The pyramid of Khufu contains three known chambers. The lowest, cut into the bedrock beneath the structure, appears to have been sealed before the pharaoh's burial. The main burial chamber, constructed of red granite blocks, sits roughly halfway up inside the pyramid. Above it, a relieving structure of granite and limestone beams distributes the massive weight of the stone above. A long descending passage leads to these chambers; a second passage, the so-called Grand Gallery, rises steeply to connect them. Most of the casing stones that once gave the pyramid a smooth outer face have been removed over the centuries, leaving the stepped core visible today. ## The Second Pyramid and the Sphinx The pyramid of Khafre appears taller because it sits on higher ground, though it is marginally smaller in base dimensions. Parts of its original casing survive at the top, giving a sense of how the finished monument would have appeared. Directly beside it stands the Great Sphinx: a limestone figure with a human head and a lion's body, some 73 metres long and 20 metres high. It is carved from a single piece of bedrock that the builders left in place when they quarried the surrounding stone for the pyramid complex. ## The Broader Necropolis Beyond the three main pyramids, the Giza plateau holds a complex of smaller pyramids, mortuary temples, valley temples and hundreds of tombs belonging to officials and nobles. The site was in continuous use for burials long after the Fourth Dynasty, and the settlement that grew around it has left layers of evidence spanning thousands of years. Today the plateau sits at the edge of the modern city, with Cairo's suburbs visible on the horizon behind you. ## Tours that visit Giza Pyramids No tours visit this place just yet. ## Before you book you should know ### Is this trip right for you? Our groups are capped at eight travellers, which is about a third of what the industry calls a small group. Eight people share one vehicle, one table at dinner and one guide's attention, and the day can change on the road without anybody being left behind. If you are looking for a coach, a fixed script and a microphone, this is not that. Most days involve real walking, often on ground that was laid two thousand years before walking shoes: marble worn smooth, cobbles, uneven steps and long site paths with little shade. Bring shoes you can spend a morning in. Some days move between regions and are largely a drive, with stops along the way. Summers are hot — well over 35°C inland — and winters are colder than most people expect, so layers, a hat and sunscreen earn their place in the bag whatever the month. How demanding a particular trip is, is written on the trip itself: the physical rating in the header, and the day-by-day itinerary above. ### Rooms, and travelling on your own Trip prices are per person, sharing a twin room. Each traveller picks their own room while booking, so a party can mix the three: - **Twin share** — two single beds, shared with someone you are travelling with or with a traveller of the same gender. - **Travelling as a couple** — one double room. - **Individual room** — a room of your own, for a single supplement on top of the trip price. Availability is limited, and the supplement for a given date is shown next to the option when you book. Solo travellers are welcome on every departure, and most of our groups have one or two aboard. ### Accommodation The hotels named in an itinerary are a guideline rather than a guarantee. Where one is full, or has dropped below the standard we booked it for, we substitute a property of a similar standard in the same area — we would rather change the hotel than the trip. Check-in is usually mid-afternoon. If you arrive early we will ask for the room, but no hotel can promise one before its own check-in time; luggage can normally be left at reception in the meantime. If you want the room from the night before, ask us and we will add the extra night to your booking. ### Passports, visas and insurance Entry requirements depend on your nationality and change without much notice, so the only reliable source is the official one: the government of the country you are travelling to, and your own foreign ministry's travel advice. Check both before you book a flight. Many countries ask for a passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, and for blank pages. It is worth looking at yours now rather than at the airport. We ask every traveller to carry travel insurance covering medical treatment and repatriation, and we would strongly encourage cover for cancellation and for your luggage as well. ### Your departure is guaranteed — the day can change Once a departure is on the calendar it runs. We do not cancel a trip for want of a minimum number of bookings, so a booked date is one you can plan flights and leave around. What can move is the shape of a day. Museums and archaeological sites change their hours, roads close, weather turns, a local holiday lands in the middle of the week. Where that happens your guide reorders the day, or swaps a stop for one of the same weight, and tells you why. Changes to a booked itinerary are covered by our Booking Terms & Conditions. --- Full page: https://www.smallvoyage.com/destination/giza-pyramids/