From Early Morning at the Sphinx to a Private Night in the Great Pyramid

This is what a day designed with ultimate access and intelligent pacing looks like:

10 am

We stepped into the Sphinx enclosure, not from the public gate, but directly from the plateau road. For a full, private hour, we stood between its colossal paws, walked around its body, and sat in its presence, all under the gaze of the crowds being hurried past the Sphinx’s gaze on the public viewing platform about 50 meters away. A fleeting feeling of royalty.

Noon

A short drive from the Sphinx would bring us to the newly opened and much-talked-about, Khufu's Restaurant, on the plateau for lunch. Popular opinion says it is hard to choose which gets pride of place here—the food or the view. Unfortunately, Khufu's was booked out for the entire week we were in the area. We had a table booked at Mamluk Restaurant, which also has a stunning view of the pyramids and plateau, and our consensus was the meal was plentiful and exceedingly tasty.

1:30 pm

The afternoon was for the future of Egyptology: the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). A mistake I see time and again is guides trying to rush groups through a world-class site like the GEM, which is prone to delays, just to tick a box. This creates pressure and ruins the experience.

My philosophy is the opposite: we build in buffer time. Our brilliant guide regaled us with stories at every stop, holding us enthralled without a single glance at the clock. The King Tut treasure hall was packed, but we used the strategy of patience, finding gaps in the procession line while others rushed. The rest of the museum was far easier to navigate, and we made full use of the cafes for a relaxed coffee, immersing ourselves completely without hurry.

One of Tutankhamun's gold, inner sarcophagi at the GEM

6:30 pm

We arrived in our minibus at the entrance gate to the Great Pyramid. The drive up was in total darkness, the monument a colossal silhouette against a star-studded sky. We were six, picking up our inspector at the gate to shepherd us inside. The silence was profound. This is what it must have been like back in the 1920/30s, when the mysterious Dorothy Eady used to freely roam the plateau and spent many nights sleeping on the stones of the Great Pyramid.

The air was warm as we climbed the Grand Gallery, and by the time we reached the Queen’s Chamber, we all needed to catch our breath. Resuming the climb and emerging into the King’s Chamber was like stepping through a portal into another dimension. Bear in mind the entire pyramid was empty and silent apart from us, our guide and the inspector—both of whom left us at the entrance to the chamber.

The red granite sarcophagus was sparkling—a detail I’d never noticed before. I looked again for the faint Alpha and Omega symbols recently documented by researcher Robert Edward Grant on its rim, which I had found myself the previous November, but to no avail.

Anubis—from King Tut's treasures

Then, unspoken, we all lay down. The lights went out. In the pitch-black warmth, I took off my shoes and socks to press my feet into the cool, smooth floor. One of my companions began to tone, a sound immediately harmonized by the others. I was a little surprised to note the men joined in without hesitation. This was a space where anything could happen! It was in that harmony I heard a clear, internal voice: “This is your time.” ... and I knew exactly what that meant.

After a timeless hour, we sat up as one, buzzing with the shared experience. While the men chose to delve into the depths, tackling the challenging 150 meter descent from the pyramid entrance to the Subterranean Pit, we women remained, content in the King’s chamber.

At the end of our two precious hours, we met back at the entrance and emerged into the welcome cool night air under a moonlit sky full of stars. The comments were the same as always, whispered in awe: “Wow! Once in a lifetime! Unbelievable! That was something else!” A lone, wolf-like dog—who appeared to all of us as not quite an ordinary creature—was waiting, as if to bid us farewell. He watched us leave before resuming his solitary vigil at the mouth of the pyramid. The journey back to our hotel devolved into a deep, contemplative silence, each of us already reliving the magic.

• Booking: Private pyramid access is tightly regulated. Permits must be secured months in advance through vetted agents.

• Fitness: The climb inside the Pyramid is arduous—the descent to the Subterranean Pit is a 45-degree, 150-meter crouch. Having said that—three of our group were in their 70’s and 80’s and got on fine, but perhaps not advisable for children under eight for safety reasons.

• Pacing is everything: Rushing the GEM is a disservice. My itineraries build in intelligent buffer time to transform a site visit into a deep, relaxed cultural immersion. But, at the same time, the GEM is not deserving of a full day when there is so much more to see in Cairo—my tip: do not let the excitement of the GEM blind you to the treasures still waiting in the Antiquities Museum at Tahrir Sq. The Silver King and his treasures have taken over King Tut’s chambers there and should not be missed.

• GEM Strategy: Go with a plan. The Tutankhamun exhibit requires patience—the rest of the museum is more manageable. Utilize the cafes.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Egypt page.