Cluster · Cairo

Giza plateau

Opening-time cluster: the pyramids and the Sphinx; be at the gate at opening and off the open plateau by 10:00 in summer.Opening-time cluster: the pyramids and the Sphinx; be at the gate at opening and off the open plateau by 10:00 AM in summer.

Key facts

28″ bags: forbidden
Time budget: half
Rescue coverage: 100% ≤7′; max p90 5.5′
Places: 1; 1 sleep area in reach

Giza plateauPhoto: Francesco Gasparetti from Senigallia, Italy, CC BY 2.0

Rules in force · 12Nine African countries on this site have no trip line bec…Cairo traffic is heavy from about 07

Africa ↗When a route touches a yellow-fever country — even a transit of 12 hours or more — keep the original yellow card (ICVP) in your hand luggage; health desks and airlines can refuse boarding or entry without it.
Africa ↗Nine African countries on this site have no trip line because governments advise against travel; several others have no-go regions. Read your government's advice for every country on the route before paying deposits.
North Africa ↗Plan links between North African countries by air or by ferry via Europe; the only regularly usable land borders for visitors are Tunisia–Algeria and Morocco–Mauritania via Western Sahara.
North Africa ↗Book Saharan nights (dunes, desert camps, oasis tours) between October and April; from May to September desert day temperatures regularly exceed 40 °C and many tours stop.
Egypt ↗Check visa rules for your passport on the official Egypt e-visa portal before flying; visa on arrival availability depends on nationality and can change.
Egypt ↗Drones need prior permission and are routinely confiscated on arrival; leave them at home.
Egypt ↗Do not photograph military sites, police, bridges or government buildings; some museums and tombs charge for or ban photography.
Egypt ↗During Ramadan, avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight; hotels and tourist restaurants still serve.
Cairo and Giza ↗Cross-city rides can take 90 minutes at rush hour; plan one district per half-day.
Cairo ↗Cairo traffic is heavy from about 07:30 to 10:00 and 15:00 to 20:00: plan one district per half-day and add 45+ minutes to any cross-city ride.
Cairo ↗Agree the price of every taxi, camel, horse, carriage or guide before you start; use ride-hailing where you can, since the fare is fixed on the screen.
Cairo ↗From about June to August, be on site at opening, and off the open plateau by 10:00.

Actions

Map to the centre

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Directions

From where I am

Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.

Walking weather, next 5 days

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Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Plan

How the ground walks, and what is here

Bound and physics

The pyramid complex, the Sphinx and the ticket-side gates.

Slope: gentle
Stairs: Few
Shade: low
Surface: sand and stone, no shade
Sleep here or visit: both

Eat and drink here

Lunch near the Giza plateau

A restaurant or café at the plateau edge for an air-conditioned lunch after the site: fixed price, checked before ordering; avoid unsolicited invitations.

On the ground

Where to rest, how to leave, where to sleep nearby

Rescue anchors

5 places to rest · checked on a 40 m (130 ft) grid

A rescue anchor is a spot where you can stop and recover if the walk goes wrong: a bench, a café, a toilet. Every letter on the map is one anchor, and each has a card below. We check that any point in the cluster is within about 7 minutes’ walk of one, so you are never far from somewhere to sit down.

Map © OpenStreetMap contributors. Lettered circles: rescue anchors (green works in any conditions, amber only on hot days). Dashed outline: the cluster. Red dots: spots more than 7 min from any anchor (none if you see no red). North is up; not for navigation.

Plateau centre: shaded rest area

Place to sit · Shelter from rain · Toilet · works in any conditions

north-west: gate area café

Place to sit · Food & drink · works in any conditions

north-east: viewpoint shade

Shelter from rain · works in any conditions

south-west: site café

Place to sit · Food & drink · Toilet · works in any conditions

south-east: Sphinx-side seating

Place to sit · works in any conditions

100% of the cluster is within 7 min of an anchor in any conditions (slowest walker, worst cell 5.5 min) · 100% on hot days

Nodes in this cluster

Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx
The pyramids and the Sphinx: be at the gate at opening for two to three hours; go inside a pyramid only if you accept the extra ticket and small spaces. The Grand Egyptian Museum next door is a separate half-day.

Edges out

directed

To	How	p50	Climb
Coptic Cairo	Car north-east	~35 min	flat
Zamalek	Car north-east	~45 min	flat

Sleep within reach

Giza hotels near the pyramids — 8–14 min

Red lines here

Touts on the plateau: buy tickets at the official gate and agree all camel or horse prices first.

Deep dive

Around this cluster

Straight-line distance; walk time adds 30% for streets.