If the Egyptian pyramids are the loud celebrities of ancient architecture, the Chinese pyramids are the introverts — brilliant, massive, unmistakably important… and doing everything possible to avoid eye contact.

China has dozens of pyramidal mausoleums, most of them disguised under soil, trees, and carefully maintained government silence.

If China’s pyramids are imperial mausoleums in camouflage, then you will need Local tour guides in Xi’an and Shaanxi to decode layouts, alignments, and access rules because:

• They’re real.
• They’re huge.
• Almost nobody outside China talks about them (but we DO).

Let’s fix that.

• Sudan has over 200+ pyramids, compared to Egypt’s ~120.
• Most people have never heard of the Kingdom of Kush or the Meroitic civilization, even though they lasted 1,000+ years.
• Sudanese pyramids are smaller, steeper, and built in densely clustered groups.
• Sudan is not a “side note” to Egypt — it was a rival, a successor, and at times, a conqueror.

Kushite pharaohs once ruled Egypt as the 25th Dynasty (the “Black Pharaohs”).

The ancient city of Meroë was called the “Manhattan of the Desert” by early explorers because pyramids stood everywhere.

Let’s start with the obvious: everyone thinks they “know” the Pyramids of Giza. They’ve seen the desktop wallpaper, they’ve seen the magnets, they’ve seen Hollywood’s “slaves dragging stones under the whip” template that refuses to die.

But the Pyramids of Giza are one of those rare monuments that get less understood the more people talk about them. The truth is stranger, funnier, more technical, and far more human than any myth could make it.

If you’re ready to ditch clichés, here is the first article in the “Records in Stone” series: the Giza edition, where the world’s most overexposed monument suddenly becomes fresh again.

Humanity keeps repeating two rituals. One is noble: building monuments that reach for the divine. The other is pathetic: shrinking those monuments into sterile triangles.

Different civilizations, different continents, different religions — yet the same geometric instinct appears again and again. Sometimes as a tomb. Sometimes as a temple. Sometimes, it is a calendar, or a political stage, or a cosmological diagram carved into stone.

The result is a global conversation written across millennia. This series deciphers that conversation.

Most people think “pyramids” means Egypt and stop there, as if the rest of humanity spent millennia building mud huts and playing chess. Meanwhile, pyramids quietly appeared on almost every continent: in jungles, deserts, mountains, rice fields, kingdoms you’ve never heard of, and empires that evaporated before anyone wrote their name down.

This series is not about repeating what every bored guidebook already said. It’s about the oddities, the engineering madness, the coincidences, the human stories, and the moments when ancient architects clearly decided to defy common sense just for the fun of it.

From Giza to Sudan, from China to Mexico, from Cambodia to the forgotten corners of Central America, the series of articles, "Records in Stone — A World Tour of Ancient Pyramids", follows the same question:

How did so many civilizations invent the same shape despite being thousands of kilometers and centuries apart?

Spoiler: No, it wasn’t aliens. But the real explanations are far weirder, far more human, and far more satisfying.

Welcome to “Records in Stone” - a new article series on the PRIVATE GUIDE WORLD platform. The flight will not be safe, so unfasten your brain.

Attention!

Get yourself ready!?

Start!

The Call to Guide

Guiding is not just a profession—it’s a calling.

Some people hear the call in the silence of ancient ruins. Others feel it in the laughter of strangers discovering their homeland. For many, guiding is not just a profession—it’s a vocation. A way of life. A bridge between cultures, stories, and souls.

But who exactly is drawn to this path? What kind of person finds meaning in leading others through the streets they’ve walked a thousand times? This article is for those who feel a quiet pull toward something more—toward becoming a local tour guide not just by trade, but by calling. We explore the soulful archetypes of local tour guides and the deeper meaning behind their work.

Tour guiding is so much more than just taking travelers from one spot to another. It's really about sharing stories, connecting cultures, and building genuine relationships with people. Whether we're walking through ancient ruins, bustling city streets, or peaceful nature trails, tour guides help travelers dive into the experiences and stories of each place. This piece dives into the fascinating World of Tour Guiding (how we here, in PRIVATE GUIDE WORLD, understand it), exploring everything from its rich history to the roles guides play today, the licensing they need, the knowledge they are collecting during their lives, and the personal stories of guides themselves. It's perfect for those thinking about becoming a tour guide, seasoned pros, or even travelers curious about the faces behind their incredible adventures.

Whether you're guiding travelers through the ruins of Angkor Wat or leading food tours in Lisbon, one question echoes across continents: How much do tour guides actually earn? This article is the result of meticulous research across 132 countries, offering a rare, global snapshot of tour guide salaries—from the bustling streets of Tokyo to the savannahs of Tanzania.

Angkor Wat may be Cambodia’s crown jewel, but its stones whisper more than history — they echo the rhythms of a living culture. This article invites you to go beyond the monument’s grandeur and into the shadows, where Khmer traditions still thrive.

From ceremonial clothing and spiritual rituals to street food and etiquette, we delve into the vibrant customs that shape modern Cambodian life. Guided by locals who carry these traditions forward, this is not just a tour — it’s a journey of discovery, revealing identity, resilience, and culture in the depths of the soul.

Welcome back, fellow adventurers and tour guides, to another edition of "Bizarre Tours in the World" series of articles on the PRIVATE GUIDE WORLD platform! After exploring Ghost Tours and Bizarre Foods, we are now focusing on something more down-to-earth: Harvesting Tours.

Forget typical sightseeing. We’re talking about hands-on experiences where tourists wear hats, grab baskets, and help gather nature’s bounty. Harvesting is not just about picking apples; it’s about reconnecting with the land, understanding where our food comes from, and creating a unique niche for tour guides.

One of the advantages of Harvesting Tours is that you get to eat what you gather!

In this article, you will find out:

• Why seasonal work and harvesting appeal to tourists.
• Together, we will head up to the most fascinating destinations worldwide, where working on the ground means traveling and exploring something new. Grab your luggage, and have a look at our itinerary for today:
  • 🍇 Vineyards & wine harvests (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Georgia, Argentina, Chile, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, US).
  • 🌾 Rice planting & harvesting (Bali, Vietnam, Philippines).
  • 🍎 Apple picking & fruit orchards (US, Europe).
  • 🍵 Tea leaves & coffee beans (Sri Lanka, Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia).
  • 🌻 Sunflower and lavender fields (France, Bulgaria, Turkey).
  • 🍄 The Quest for Gold: Wild Mushrooms & Truffle Hunting (Worldwide, but especially Europe).
  • 🍹 Sugarcane: From Sweet Stalk to Caribbean Rum (The Caribbean, Brazil).
  • 🥭 Tropical Treasures: Mangoes & Lychees (Southeast Asia, India, Brazil, Mexico, Spain).
  • 🪼 Jellyfish Harvesting (Thailand).
  • 🌋 Volcanic Salt Harvesting (Iceland).
  • 🎋 Wasabi Harvesting (Japan).

Continue reading to find valuable tips for both tour guides and tourists (and a bizarre anecdote at the end).

Some tourists want wine tastings, cheese platters, and dessert tours. Others want to stare at a plate of something so strange their friends back home will question their sanity — and maybe their digestive health.

This guide is crafted for both our dedicated local tour guides and curious travelers on PRIVATE GUIDE WORLD at www.pg.world, offering insights on how to create and enjoy these unforgettable gastronomic journeys.

For tour guides, extreme food tours are not just about feeding guests; they’re about delivering a story they’ll retell for years. Each bite is equal parts culture, history, and dare. The secret? Balancing safety and shock, weaving in local legends, and keeping the mood light enough that people leave laughing rather than looking for the nearest pharmacy.

Tourists, forget Michelin stars. These tours are for those who want to chew on culture—literally. From fermented shark in Iceland to fried tarantulas in Cambodia, extreme culinary tours offer a taste of the bizarre, the bold, and sometimes the borderline dangerous. Whether you're a tour guide looking to spice up your offerings or a traveler hungry for unforgettable experiences, this guide will walk you through the world of edible oddities.

If you’re ready to expand your tour menu beyond “safe and tasty,” here’s how to do it — and why your guests might just love you for it.

Some tour guides lead history walks. Others lead ghost tours that leave their guests laughing nervously, clutching each other, and secretly wondering if that shadow just moved.

If you’re a tour guide, ghost tours aren’t just another niche — they’re an irresistible mix of folklore, atmosphere, and pure entertainment value. Done right, they transform ordinary streets into living stages and turn local legends into powerful stories tourists can’t stop talking about.

This article isn’t a “top haunted places” list for thrill-seekers. It’s a practical guide for tour guides: how to design, market, and deliver ghost tours that feel authentic, engaging, and profitable — while keeping your guests (and you) safe. You’ll learn where ghosts come from, how to craft your route, what to wear, how to handle kids on a spooky walk, and even how to upsell the night with local bar or club recommendations afterward.

Queen of Ghosts (or King of Ghosts)? Science doesn't know, so everyone is free to call it whatever they want!

If you’ve ever thought, “I could do this in my city,” here’s how to make it more than just a walk in the dark.

Some tourists want museums. Others want to be mildly traumatized in the dark by someone in a long coat whispering about ancient curses.

Welcome to the world of private ghost tours — the perfect blend of folklore, fear, and storytelling.

This isn’t about jump-scare theme parks. This is about real places with real history, told by local guides who know which windows creak and which shadows move.