A camel, according to Brittanica encyclopedia, (genus Camelus), any of three species of large ruminating hoofed mammals of arid Africa and Asia known for their ability to go for long periods without drinking. The Arabian camel, or dromedary (Camelus dromedarius), has one back hump, while the domesticated Bactrian camel (C. bactrianus) and the wild Bactrian camel (C. ferus) have two.
The camel is an extraordinary animal. They can go hours without food and drink which makes them perfect in the hot desert landscape.
I wanted to ride a camel on my visit to Egypt, but I did not think I would have the opportunity. However, when we arrived at the pyramids, there were camels for us to be taken for a ride, literally. If you visit and do not want to ride a camel, don’t talk to anyone, make eye contact and keep your phone/camera in your pocket. And do not bring your purse with you!
Upon exiting the bus a horde of camel tour guides approached us. One of the guides saw my scarf around my neck and told me he could wrapped in around my head like a local. I let me do this.
I took a picture of one of the camels and he asked if my husband and I wanted a picture together with the pyramids in the background. Now who would not want that!? Naively, I handed my phone to him to take our photo. Then he asked if I wanted to sit on the camel, which I did, so I did.
After seated on the camel, he ordered the camel to stand up and I almost fell off, as I was not expecting that! Fortunately, a young kid helping with the camel told me to lean back. Riding a camel is different than riding a horse because of the height and there is a lot more movement with each step of the camel.
Prior to the visit, I had read how to not be scammed by some of the locals. I shared with my husband the things I read. My husband was persistent with answering with a firm ‘NO” each time the camel guide asked about taking his picture and sitting on the camel. He adhered to the advice, but I did not, because I wanted the ride.
At the end of the ride, I reached into my pocket, while on the camel, to get some cash. The camel tour guide quickly had the camel kneel and I almost fell off again. I normally exchange my currency before a trip and only bring a small amount of cash on excursions. This habit proved to be smart on this visit. I gave the some of the money I had in my pocket. He was disgusted it was not American dollars and said he needed more; he then started hounding my husband for his money. My husband hardly ever carries cash, so he had nothing to give.
We moved on and enjoyed the rest of the scenery at the pyramids. After meeting back up with the people on the tour bus, we heard how many people paid a ridiculous amount for their camel ride. One lady had brought her purse with her, after her ride on the camel, the tour guide reached into her purse and stole all of her money!
I would recommend visiting the pyramids with a tour group. Get all the information beforehand and stay with the group is a good way to avoid being scammed. Afterwards, we found out the camel rides were already paid for. My ride cost less than $20, but I saw a sign afterwards that said they were $5.