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4 – Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
There are quite a few good pyramids
in this part of Egypt, but the Great
Pyramids of Giza really do live up to
their name. It would be unforgivable
to go anywhere near Cairo and miss
seeing them in person, and thanks to
an endless army of tour guides and
touts, skipping this short trip is much
more challenging than actually going
through with it. Since about 99%
of the photos you’ll ever see of the
pyramids and the Sphinx are taken
from the same side, most people
assume they are located
well out into a
barren desert, but
in reality they are
right on the edge
of the huge city of
Giza, which is just
across the Nile from
Cairo. You can clearly
see them from the free-
way as you approach, and
there are fast food restau-
rants located just outside the
entrance.
Visiting the pyramids can be
done effectively in half a day or
so, especially since they are lo-
cated only about 25 kilometers from
central Cairo. When you get to Cairo
you’ll be relentlessly harassed by touts
who will offer to arrange a driver or
guide for you and hook you up with
other area sights and tours. Fortunate-
ly these tours are usually cheap and
legitimate, but the process of choosing
one can be maddening. Prefab tours
also leave from some Cairo hotels
each morning for those who
prefer to be part of a
larger group.
5 – Petra, Jordan
Most who visit Jordan find it to be a
delightful introduction to the mysteri-
ous Middle Eastern culture that seems
so menacing for those who only focus
on newspaper headlines. This ancient
city built into pink rock formations is
only one of the many highlights for
those who take the trouble to visit this
relatively calm part of a troubled re-
gion. The standard tour of Petra takes
most of a day, and there are plenty of
add-ons available like renting horses
or mules to help take some of the load
off on what is otherwise a strenuous
tour.
You can get to Petra as part of a tour
after landing in Amman, which is
about 3 hours away by car. You can
also reach Petra from Israel, so those
who include Jerusalem on their trip
can skip backtracking to Amman and
see more of the acclaimed
scen-
ery in the area.