See the famous oldest churches and monasteries in Egypt

Welcome to Egypt - the gift of the Nile as described by Herodotus. Upon arrival at Cairo International Airport, you will be met and assisted by a Memphis Tours representative who will help you through passport control, baggage claim, and all customs formalities. You will then be transferred to your hotel by a private air-conditioned vehicle for check-in. Overnight in Cairo.

Pay a visit old Coptic Cairo, located in the south part of the city, on the right bank of the Nile, opposite of the Island of Roda. See the Hanging Church (where the nave is suspended from the old Babylon fortress), the Church of St. Barbara, the 4th century Church of Abu Serga (St. Sergius & Bacchus), as well as the Synagogue and Coptic Museum. Overnight in Cairo.

Enjoy an excursion to the Coptic Monasteries in the desert at Wadi Natroun. Notable among them, is the Baramus Monastery, which was built at the site where Macarius the Great settled in 340 AD and is still inhabited by monks today. The monastery also had a number of important visitors during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries who kept records of the number of monks living in the monastery. Overnight in Cairo.

Trip to the Coptic Monasteries of St. Antony and St. Paul of Thebes, which lie at the foot of the Red Sea mountains in the Eastern Desert. St. Anthony was among the founders of Christian monasticism and St. Paul was one of the first hermits. The monasteries, founded in the 4th and 5th centuries, are both still occupied. Back to hotel and overnight in Cairo.

Visit the Church of the Holy Virgin with its three cupolas, located on the banks of the Nile at Maadi. This church was built as a dedication to the Virgin Mary, and is the place where the Holy Family started their trip to Upper Egypt via boat. From there, move onto the Monastery of St. Simon (Simeon) the Tanner, dramatically situated in the Mokattam mountain, on the outskirts of Cairo. St. Simon was a 10th century saint whose faith is said to have moved this mountain. Overnight in Cairo.

AAfter breakfast, travel to the recently built monastery of the celebrated martyr St. Menas at Maryut, near Alexandria. Built on the site of the 4th century shrine, which was the ‘Lourdes of the ancient world’, the site also comprises various excavated churches. Overnight in Cairo.

After breakfast, enjoy an excursion to some of Cairo’s Coptic Churches - see the 10th century Church of the Holy Virgin in Haret El Roum and the Coptic Cathedral at Abbaseya. This cathedral was built in 1968 and inaugurated by President Nasser and Emperor Hilasilasi of Ethiopia when Pope Kirolos VI was appointed the Patriarch & Pope of Alexandria. Overnight in Cairo.

After breakfast, transfer to Cairo International Airport for final departure.