The Holy Family Trail & Treasures of Egypt

Enjoy breakfast before departing with your personal Egyptologist guide to the Giza Plateau, home to the Great Pyramids, the Sphinx, and the Valley Temple. After lunch at a traditional restaurant, visit the Grand Egyptian Museum, located near the pyramids. Return to your hotel for overnight.

After breakfast, explore Coptic Cairo. Begin at the Virgin Mary Church in Maadi, followed by visits to the Hanging Church, St. Sergius, St. George, and the Fortress of Babylon. These sites are believed to have been touched by the Holy Family. Lunch at a local restaurant. Dinner and overnight in Cairo.

Begin the day with a visit to El Matariya, where you’ll see Mary’s Tree, a site of rest for the Holy Family, and the nearby balsam plant fields, used to make sacred oils. Then, visit the Church of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun, famous for reported Marian apparitions in the 1960s. Dinner and overnight in Cairo.

After breakfast, travel to Wadi El Natrun, considered one of the most sacred Christian sites in Egypt. Visit the region’s four most important monasteries:

Anba Bishoy Monastery
Baramus Monastery
Abu Makar Monastery
El-Suryan Monastery
Return to Cairo for overnight.

Check out and head south to the Monasteries of St. Anthony and St. Paul, nestled in the cliffs of the Eastern Desert. These are among the oldest Christian monasteries in the world, with beautiful architecture and ancient artifacts. Then, travel onward to El Minya, check-in, dinner, and overnight stay.

Today, you’ll visit Jabal al-Tair ("Mountain of the Birds"), where the Holy Family is believed to have sought shelter in a cave. Continue to Beni Hasan, famous for its well-preserved Middle Kingdom tombs showcasing unique daily life scenes. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight in El Minya.

Check out after breakfast and visit the necropolis of Tuna El Gabal, home to fascinating elements such as the tomb of Isadora, sacred crypts for baboons and ibises, and more. Proceed to Al-Ashmunien to see colossal baboon statues and the ruins of a basilica. Continue to Assiut, where you’ll visit the Al Muharraq Monastery, the site where the Holy Family stayed for over 6 months—the longest period of their journey. Overnight in Assiut.

After breakfast, revisit Al Muharraq Monastery to deepen your understanding of its sacred significance. Continue on to explore the Tombs of Miar, ancient rock-cut tombs dating to the 6th and 12th dynasties. In the afternoon, return to Cairo. Dinner and overnight in Cairo.

Enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Free time at leisure depending on your flight schedule, then transfer to Cairo International Airport for final departure.