Horse riding

dody

Another trade mark of Cairo is to go horse-back riding in the desert. If you take a left on Pyramids Road, about one kilometer before you reach the Pyramids, the same way you would go to the Sound and Light Show, you’ll find a large number of stables with foreign names to attract tourists. i.e. “AB Stables” and “EuroStables”. Many of the stables have really badly kept horses and will mob tourists trying to persuade them to ride their horses. However, there are also a couple of good stables, where rich Egyptians and foreigners living in Cairo who own horses keep them to be looked after (FB Stables is recommended as being good to both their horses and customers. Call Karim or Cat on 016 507 0288 to arrange a ride). Prices range from 20LE to 100LE an hour, depending on the horse and on the stable. It's fair to pay about 60LE plus a 20LE tip for the guide at one of the better stables. What’s nice about this place is that it’s located at the edge of civilization, beyond it are miles and miles of pure desert, so if you like horses and are capable of riding them, you can enjoy an hour of nothing but gallop. The best time to ride by the pyramids is either early morning or just before and during sunset. If you're not fazed by the dark, riding by night when there's a full moon is awesome. If it's your first time riding here, be sure to ask the guide to take you up the hill to the 'Pepsi Man', where you get a superb view (and photo opportunity!) of the Three Pyramids and the Sphinx. 

It is also possible to ride all the way to Zoser's Step Pyramid and back. Since getting there and back takes about 6 hours, this is not something to do if you don't have a lot of experience but it's a great thing to do if you have. It may be a good thing to rent a horse for one hour first so you know what kind of horse you are riding and, more important, what guide will be going with you.