Snobs like to proclaim that they're a "traveler," not a "tourist."
Someone who goes to Cairo and skips the Giza pyramids is neither a "traveler" nor a "tourist."
He is a fucking idiot.
It's criminal to go to Cairo and not see the Giza pyramids. It's like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Tower or going to San Francisco and not admiring the Golden Gate Bridge.
Yes, these places are flooded with tourists. But they're popular for good reason: they're amazing monuments. You must see them at least once in your life if you can.
This camel wonders if there's something more to Cairo than the Giza's Pyramids. Photo by FRANCIS TAPON
When I traveled with High-End Journeys, I asked my Egyptologist guides to take me to places off of Cairo's beaten track. They took me to two zones: rarely seen pyramids near Cairo and overlooked spots within Cairo itself.
The Bent Pyramid should be renamed the Overlooked Pyramid. Photo by FRANCIS TAPON
You may have heard about the world's earliest pyramids: the Bent Pyramid, the Red Pyramid, and the Step Pyramid (the Pyramid of Djoser). These were built before the Giza Pyramids, which makes them particularly fascinating. In fact, two of them were build built by Old Kingdom Pharaoh Sneferu.
Our guide, Ramez Salama, is an Egyptologist. He said that the Bent Pyramid is fascinating because it's one of the earliest architectural errors still standing. It's a monument that screams, "We fucked up!"
The Egyptians began constructing it at a steep 54-degree inclination but once they realized that it was structurally unstable, they adjusted the top part of the pyramid to a shallower 43 degrees.
The Pharaoh ordered a prettier pyramid next door, the Red Pyramid, which you can enter and feel like Indiana Jones. There were only two tourists, which is unheard of when you enter into the Giza Pyramids, which can be too stuffy and claustrophobic for most people.
View this post on InstagramFeel like #IndianaJones in this quick video. You are escaping the #redpyramid of #Egypt
In the distance, we could see the Black Pyramid (aka, the Pyramid of Amenemhat III). Our Egyptologist offered to go there but we already felt pyramid overload.
The Black Pyramid at Dahshur barely looks like a pyramid. It's hard to look good when you're nearly 4,000 years old. (Photo by DEA / S. VANNINI/De Agostini/Getty Images)
Because I had heard about the Step and Bent Pyramids, I assumed that they would be almost as busy as the Giza Pyramids. I was wrong. Even though I was there during the middle of the high season (December 20), there were more camels than tourists.
The Step Pyramid (Pyramid of Djoser). Photo by FRANCIS TAPON
After you've seen those three or four impressive and overlooked pyramids, you can see three sites in Cairo itself.
The first we went to was the Coptic quarter in Cairo. About 95% of Egyptians are Muslim but the Coptic Christians are an important minority.
Our Egyptologist guide, Ahmed Aziz, explained that the Coptic liturgy evolved from the ancient Egyptian language. Thanks to the Rosetta Stone, we can read hieroglyphics but nobody knows how the ancient Egyptian language sounded like. Scholars believe the sound of the Coptic language is related to it.
The well-guarded Coptic zone contains the Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church, which has the site where some believe that baby Jesus rested during his family's perilous journey into Egypt. Coptic Cairo also contains a Jewish synagogue. Although Coptic Cairo certainly had tourists, it wasn't packed like the Giza Pyramids or Egypt's National Museum.
The Mosque of Ibn Tulun was empty even in the high tourist season. Photo by FRANCIS TAPON
To understand Egypt, you must dive into Islam. In some countries, a non-Muslim cannot enter a mosque. Fortunately, in Cairo, men and women can visit the Mosque of Ibn Tulun. It's one of Cairo's oldest and most expansive mosques.
Because we went there in between prayers, nobody was there. One of the best things about this mosque is that you can walk up a long flight of stairs and enjoy a spectacular panoramic view of Cairo.
Khan Al-Khalili is a popular pedestrian zone for Egyptians. Photo by FRANCIS TAPON
Back down to Earth, you can visit the Khan Al-Khalili. At first glance, it will feel a bit touristy. However, 99.9% of the people we saw were Egyptians. It's everything you would hope for in a souq (marketplace). It's a shopping mecca. It's a perfect place to practice your haggling skills.
The Khan Al-Khalili is also an ideal place to get sugar cane juice or something healthier.
Fresh carrot and pomegranate juices cost about $1 each. Photo by FRANCIS TAPON
The Egyptian pound has been hammered. One US dollar used to buy five Egyptian pounds. Today, one US dollar buys nearly 17 Egyptian pounds.
In other words, Egypt is on sale right now. Even the Pyramids are reasonably priced.
With no touts or tourists, you'll have the Bent Pyramid all to yourself. Photo by FRANCIS TAPON
High-End Journeys booked me in The Four Seasons Nile Plaza, which is Cairo's most luxurious hotel. It costs $240 nowadays, which is half the price as other major cities.
If you've never seen them, the Giza Pyramids should be number one on your list of things to do and see in Cairo. The National Museum is another popular and excellent option.
However, before you race off to Luxor or fly back home after your Cairo business conference, be sure to see some of Cairo's other sides. And don't worry about whether you're a tourist or a traveler.
