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Red Sea Monasteries Tour: Full-Day Private Tour from Cairo with Lunch
Embark on a full-day private tour from Cairo to explore the Red Sea Monasteries of St Anthony and St Paul. Discover ancient churches, chapels, caves, and sacred springs in the scenic Red Sea Mountains. Enjoy a delicious lunch and immerse yourself in Egypt’s Coptic Christian heritage.
Embark on a full-day private tour from Cairo to explore the Red Sea Monasteries of St Anthony and St Paul. Discover ancient churches, chapels, caves, and sacred springs in the scenic Red Sea Mountains. Enjoy a delicious lunch and immerse yourself in Egypt’s Coptic Christian heritage.
Duration:
10 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- St. Anthony’s Monastery (Deir Mar Antonios) - The Monastery of Saint Anthony is a Coptic Orthodox monastery standing in an oasis in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, in the southern part of the Suez Governorate. Hidden deep in the Red Sea Mountains, it is located 334 km southeast of Cairo. It is the oldest monastery in the world.
- **St. Paul…
- St. Anthony’s Monastery (Deir Mar Antonios) - The Monastery of Saint Anthony is a Coptic Orthodox monastery standing in an oasis in the Eastern Desert of Egypt, in the southern part of the Suez Governorate. Hidden deep in the Red Sea Mountains, it is located 334 km southeast of Cairo. It is the oldest monastery in the world.
- St. Paul Monastery - the Monastery of St Paul began as a grouping of hermitages in the cliffs around the site where Paul had his cell. The complex’s heart is the Church of St Paul, which was built in and around the cave where Paul lived. Itâs cluttered with altars, candles, ostrich eggs (the symbol of the Resurrection) and murals representing saints and biblical stories. The fortress above the church was where the monks retreated during Bedouin raids.
- Zafarana - lunch will be in local restaurant in Zafarana after end both of those oldest churches and monasteries of all Egypt
What's Included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Driver/guide
- Lunch
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Driver/guide
- Lunch
- Transport by air-conditioned minivan
What's Not Included
- Drinks
- Gratuities
- Drinks
- Gratuities
Additional Information
Embark on a private 10-hour journey to explore one of the planet’s earliest Christian monastic settlements and enjoy a meal, as part of the Red Sea Monasteries of St Anthony and St Paul tour, recognized sacred locations in Egypt’s Coptic Christian religion. Journey through the Eastern Desert to the artistically formed Red Sea Mountains, and uncover…
Embark on a private 10-hour journey to explore one of the planet’s earliest Christian monastic settlements and enjoy a meal, as part of the Red Sea Monasteries of St Anthony and St Paul tour, recognized sacred locations in Egypt’s Coptic Christian religion. Journey through the Eastern Desert to the artistically formed Red Sea Mountains, and uncover churches, chapels, caverns, hallowed springs, and historic murals. A meal is part of the package.
- Dress code is smart casual
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- May be operated by a multi-lingual guide
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(14 Ratings)
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1 star
47a2019
Sep 16, 2024
Fantastic day - I booked this tour through kemet travel under the leadership of Mr Simman, he was so very prompt to answer all my questions and I felt was extremely kind with his concern for my excursion from cairo to the monastery. I was picked up on time by Andrew, who was my guide for the day. The ride takes about 3 hrs, so they arrived around 730am. The first stop is the staircase up to St. Anthony Cave, where he resided,1700 yrs ago, note, lt this is the oldest monastery in the world. The hike takes about 90 min total up and down. It's very hot , you definitely need water and a hat.theres a church on the way up. A monk is in the cave if you want to pray or give a donation.
The highlight is the monastery itself. You are given a tour by the actual monks who live there. They were so peaceful(because of whom we serve, The Lord Jesus). They gave so much history of the place. Andrew, my guide, gave extra information. The monastery is a site to see. The 2nd stop was st Paul of thebes monastery. There were more tourists here but it is just nice.
I highly recommend this tour, I had an extra day in cairo and booked this tour. You will arrive back at cairo around 6-7, and you are fed a delicious lunch. This was one of the highlights of my 12 day vacation in 🇪🇬 Egypt .
I wanted to mention it is safe to travel here and all over Egypt relating to the war with gaza, if that is a concern for you. You also get views of the Red sea
Thank you Mr simman and Andrew for an amazing trip to the monasteries.
Book with Kemet travel, you will not regret it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
X6029nbelizabetho
Jul 1, 2024
Pilgrim to the Desert Father's Caves St Anthony and Paul of Thebes - I very much enjoyed my pilgrimage to the monasteries and caves of St Anthony and St Paul of Thebes.🙏 Andrew was a superb host and guide. Ahmed tour driver got us to all sites safely and was great company. Good peoples 👍I plan to visit the monasteries again.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thomas_w
May 24, 2024
Wonderful experience at the monasteries near the Red Sea - A fantastic day to see a fascinating angle on Egypt's past and present! My guide Andrew and driver Sayid were friendly, professional, attentive, patient, supportive and made the tour excellent in every way. Andrew speaks great English, and is highly knowledgeable about the region and the monasteries in particular. He shared lots of stories of the ancient monks that illuminated and enlivened the experience of being at these places. At the Monastery of St. Antony, Andrew literally went above and beyond when he accompanied me up the 1400+ steps to St. Antony's Cave cell. The monasteries of St. Antony and St. Paul were beautiful, as was the drive through the Eastern Desert along the Red sea coast. I really enjoyed meeting the Monks at both monasteries, and hearing from them about the history. I am grateful to Andrew for facilitating this. I also appreciated Sayid's smooth driving and his quick and efficient work at the checkpoints and tollbooths. Great atmosphere in the car and at the locations we stopped. Definitely worth it, highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Thomaswp1297fb
May 24, 2024
Great trip to the Red Sea monasteries of St. Antony the Great and St. Paul the Hermit - What an incredible day trip to see a fascinating side of Egypt's past and present! My guide Andrew and driver Sayid were friendly, professional, attentive, patient, supportive and made the tour excellent in every way. Andrew speaks great English, and is highly knowledgeable about the region and the monasteries in particular. He shared lots of stories of the ancient monks that illuminated and enlivened the experience of being at these places. At the Monastery of St. Antony, Andrew literally went above and beyond when he accompanied me up the 1400+ steps to St. Antony's Cave cell. The monasteries of St. Antony and St. Paul were beautiful, as was the drive through the Eastern Desert along the Red sea coast. I really enjoyed meeting the Monks at both monasteries, and hearing from them about the history. I am grateful to Andrew for facilitating this. I also appreciated Sayid's smooth driving and his quick and efficient work at the checkpoints and tollbooths. Great atmosphere in the car and at the locations we stopped. Definitely worth it, highly recommend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jb
Apr 24, 2024
Do it. - This was such a unique and meaningful experience - I totally loved it. Andrew and Saeed were a great combo guide/driver. In fact, I worked with them on another tour to the pyramids the next day. They were great. Punctual, communicative, organized.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Helenmq9951rv
Sep 29, 2023
Please Don’t Miss This Tour! - My husband and I took this tour this past August. We had other tours lined up while we were there, but this was BY FAR THE BEST TOUR!! Our tour guide George was amazing, educated, and knowledgeable. We were picked up from our hotel at 7 a.m. Our guide and driver showed up exactly on time. We then stopped for some Turkish coffee. Our drive to St. Anthony’s Monastery was interesting and informative. We received a tour of the monastery from one of the Monks who gave us the history of the monastery, allowed us into different chapels where we saw art and artifacts from the 10th century. There was so much to see, it’s too much to write every detail. We were then taken to the place at the bottom of the stairs leading to St. Anthony’s cave.
—which is over 2200 feet above sea level. Don’t do this one unless you’re in good physical condition! We’ll never do anything more special in our lives. After the climb, we had lunch and then visited St. Paul’s monastery. Another place not to be believed. We received a tour from one of the monks there, as well. The whole tour was amazing and worth way more than what we paid. My husband and I have traveled quite a bit in our 37 years of marriage, but this is the most amazing day we’ve ever had.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Exodusp2023
Jul 22, 2023
A fantastic experience of Red Sea monasteries!! - I absolutely loved the experience of visiting St Paul and St Anthony monasteries. The drive through the Red Sea mountains was breathtaking. George was my guide and was very kind and knowledgeable. I learned so much about Coptic monasticism. I can’t recommend this tour anymore! Definitely book if you are in Egypt!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gettaxihurghada
Jun 27, 2023
It was a wonderful experience and we enjoyed it very, very much. The driver is very professional and very friendly. I will advis - It was a wonderful experience and we enjoyed it very, very much. The driver is very professional and very friendly. I will advise all my acquaintances to deal with you
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Departure703937
Jun 4, 2023
a wonderful experience of these rare Coptic monasteries - This was a fabulous and thoroughly excellent experience. We were driven in a good air conditioned vehicle with seatbelts from Cairo down to the monasteries of St Antony and then St Paul several hours into the Eastern desert. We had an enthusiastic guide, Fadi, a young and bright Egyptologist provided, as well as a security person (unexpected! but subtle enough) and a great driver. Kemet Travel were meticulous in their organisation in the weeks beforehand communicating well by email. They also accommodated our wish for us to be dropped off in Hurghada for the final leg of our trip at the Red Sea rather than returning to Cairo. At the monasteries we waited to be shown round by one of the monks, and got a wonderful flavour of the history and special sense of place and identity these earliest of Christian communities have. We were shown the natural water sources, the ancient wheat grinding mechanisms and the walled gardens, as well as the earliest Coptic icons in the various cave churches. What a privilege to experience. Thank you Kemet Travel.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ashleydd9220ja
Sep 12, 2019
Wonderful experience! - I had a great experience with Kemet travel - they were prompt, attentive, informative, and professional. Highly recommend. I enjoyed them so much that I took them again for a half day trip to the pyramids at Giza the next day!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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