In February 2025, Airbnb joined a continuously growing list of travel companies that no longer promote and sell camel and horse ride tickets at the Giza Pyramids, Egypt.
Since the investigation by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in 2019 revealed shocking footage of mistreated camels and horses, multiple travel companies stopped offering these rides.
“I have been to Egypt twice and the level of animal abuse there is shocking,” says Alexandra Dubakova, head of marketing at Freetour.com. “Horses pull a carriage with overweight tourists as the driver screams at them. Camels go for ride after ride in the extreme heat without feeding or drinking water until the end of the day. I contacted a guide and requested them to go on foot with me as I didn’t want to ride a camel and they declined. I was forced to contact another guide, who luckily agreed,” she continues.
However, Giza is already changing. Ahram Online reported in October 2024 that Sherif Fathy, minister of tourism and antiquities and Alaa Farouk, minister of agriculture and land reclamation launched the first ever animal welfare program for horses, camels and pets at archaeological sites.
Orascom Pyramids Entertainment (OPE), the company leading the transformation of the Giza Pyramids visitor experience, has also announced plans to regulate and better organize animal operators at the site, as reported by Ahram Online.
So, how to be an ethical traveler when it comes to exploring one of the world’s most iconic landmarks in this transitional period?
The Giza Plateau Is One Of Egypt’s Timeless Legacies
Giza Plateau is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world. It sits on the west bank of the Nile River about eight miles southwest of downtown Cairo. It takes 30 to 40 minutes by car and 1 to 1.5 hours by public transport.
The plateau is home to, among others, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Menkaure and the Great Sphinx. While the entrance fee grants access to the plateau, entering the pyramids requires a separate ticket.
If you have only seen photos of the Giza Plateau, you already know that the landscape is a mix of sand and rock, with little to no shade for visitors. While some paved areas exist near the entrance, much of the terrain is rugged.
Justin and Karolina Jaczewska-Bagri, a UK couple, who visited Giza in December 2024, confirmed in an email interview that all these landmarks are within walking distance of each other. They thought only one viewpoint was a bit out of the way, but they did not feel the need to use any animal transport.
However, if tourists visit the site during summer, the extreme heat may feel daunting, and the distances may feel longer. It is not hard to see that camel rides or horse-drawn carriages can provide an easier way to move among the different sites for those who do not want to walk in the heat. But does convenience justify the current practice?
Camel Rides By The Pyramids May Look Magical In Photos, But The Reality Is Different
Travelers associate riding a camel with the classic desert adventure often seen in movies such as “Hidalgo” or “Sahara,” embedding this imagery in our heads.
Additionally, travel photos showing tourists riding camels in desert landscapes further cement this association. For example, Getty Images hosts more than 12,000 photographs of people on camel-back in sandy landscapes. Instagram has almost 400,000 posts under the “camelride” hashtag.
My husband, Nandor Barta, was eager to visit the Pyramids during a business trip to Cairo. After all, he could see them right from his hotel window. He had imagined visiting one of the Seven Wonders of the World would be an exciting, awe-inspiring experience.
However, what stood out most was not the iconic monuments but the relentless swarm of locals pushing donkey and camel rides on him. Even when the pyramids were two minutes away, they tried to convince him, “It is very far.” He felt everything costs money, taking a photo of a camel or locals “helping” to take a picture of him in front of a pyramid.
Ultimately, he firmly refused all rides and left with a sour impression. The site felt chaotic, and he could not shake the feeling that there was little to no control over what was happening within the archaeological zone.
The Jaczewska-Bagri couple also recommends a simple ruse to avoid any hassles. “We just told everyone who try to sell us a ride that we have already been here yesterday and did it. It worked like a charm,” they said.
Another way to avoid it according to Jasmine Charbonier, a travel blogger who visited Giza last year, is to arrive at opening time. Not just to beat the crowds, but because many animal handlers haven’t arrived yet. She found that by mid-afternoon, solicitation becomes increasingly aggressive, making it the worst time to visit.
If you browse reviews on sites like TripAdvisor or Google Reviews, you will find hundreds of travelers sharing the same unpleasant experience. So, how can you experience the Pyramids without falling for scams while still having a great time?
Why Smart Travelers Are Booking Private Guides, And How to Find Trusted Ones
Many travelers, such as Alicia Walter, a travel journalist who has been to Giza, agree that having a trusted guide is invaluable. She explained that having a private guide allowed them to go by many of the “salesmen” as they instantly saw that they were with a local.
Guides will handle transportation to and from downtown Cairo, assist you with purchasing tickets at the entrance and help you deflect unwanted attention. Having them by your side would allow you to focus on the experience rather than the hassles. But where to find those guides?
Online platforms that connect travelers with vetted local guides have emerged to make navigating unfamiliar destinations easier, especially in places where tourist scams and aggressive sales tactics are common.
One of the oldest private touring platforms is Tour By Locals, founded in 2008. You can find 34 local guides in Giza, several with hundreds of reviews.
Thanks to a rigorous selection and screening process, most customers report being highly satisfied with their tours, leading many travelers to book through their website repeatedly.
GoWithGuide and TourHQ are other alternatives focusing on guide verification and user reviews to connect travelers with knowledgeable locals.
The official website of Visit Egypt also advises travelers not to hire a tourist guide right at the entrance of the archeological site as they often overcharge.
Electric Buses Are Connecting Giza’s Top Landmarks Since 2020
As part of the Giza Plateau revamp an eco-friendly electric bus service has already began its trial operation in 2020, connecting the visitor center to the first on-site restaurant, 9 Pyramids Lounge. According to Amr Gazarin, chairman of OPE, its final form will be a hop-on hop-off kind bus service between the visitor center and seven additional locations.
Ahram Online reported in December 2024 that OPE is set to invest an additional 1 billion Egyptian pounds ($51.1 million) to create a more organized and eco-friendly visitor experience. And this comes after the November 2024 announcement of 500 million Egyptian pounds.
Dubakova tried them when she visited the site and she thought they were surprisingly more comfortable than she expected them to be.
Quad Rides Are Clearly An Alternative, But Are They Really Better?
With camel and horse rides under increasing scrutiny, some travelers are turning to buggy and quad bike tours as an alternative way to explore the desert landscape surrounding the Giza Pyramids. While they take visitors outside the archeological site, they offer panoramic views of the pyramids without the persistent offers from vendors.
Rebecca Leigh, a travel writer at Ukwritings.com, visited the Giza Pyramids and opted for a quad bike tour instead of an animal ride.
In an email interview, she described the quad bike experience as unforgettable, with the vast desert and pyramids creating a breathtaking backdrop. However, she noted that sunglasses or goggles were essential due to the intense sand.
The highlight of her ride was the exhilarating rush of speeding over the dunes, with the pyramids rising dramatically in the distance. She felt part of a movie scene. The guides carefully led her and her group to a vantage point where all three pyramids aligned perfectly against the sky, offering a stunning photo opportunity.
While bike tours remove animals from the equation, it raises another question. Is it truly a sustainable alternative? Off-road vehicles, while undeniably exciting, contribute to noise pollution and dust, having a higher carbon footprint. Is this the price to pay if you want to stop the animal abuse reported in this area?
No Tickets, No Tours, But A Great Meal With An Iconic View
If you are a traveler who does not want to navigate the crowds, haggle with vendors or brave the desert heat to see the Pyramids up close, you can still find stunning views from the comfort of rooftop restaurants and hotels overlooking the Giza Plateau.
Enjoying the Sound and Light Show from a private balcony offers a stress-free, picture-perfect experience without tickets, tours or camel rides. From Wednesday to Saturday, the show starts at 7:30 and 8:30 p.m.
Rethinking How We Experience the Pyramids
The Giza Pyramids remain one of the world’s most awe-inspiring destinations, but how travelers experience them matters. With travel companies dropping support for camel and horse rides over ethical concerns, visitors also have a role to play in advocating for responsible tourism. As Egypt’s tourism industry evolves, the question remains: What should ethical travel to the Pyramids look like? And how can we achieve it?
