A wonderful day visiting the origins of Monasticism - This was an exceptional tour to the Monasteries of Wadi El Natrun. A unique opportunity to visit the sites where monasticism emerged. Zizou our guide for the day was excellent and ensured we had a monk escorting us around and informing us about the history of their individual monastery. The journey to and from Wadi El Natrun was comfortable and safe for which we thank Omar, our driver. In conclusion a magnificent day which we can strongly recommend.

A fascinating day outside Cairo - It was our first visit to Cairo. We had booked the usual trips, pyramids, museums, citadel, etc. We wanted to see something outside Cairo so we booked a day trip to the monasteries of Wadi el Natrun. We were not disappointed. It was a long day. We were picked up from our hotel in Central Cairo at 7.30am, as arranged, and arrived back at 5.30pm. Our driver, Essam, and guide, Hosni, both spoke excellent English and were very helpful. We visited four monasteries. In each one an English speaking monk led the tour. We were always with other groups who did not speak English, so each tour was slowed down by the need for translation of the commentary. The drive to the monasteries through the desert and some small towns was a very interesting part of our day, as we had hoped. Highly recommended.

Day trip to ancient monasteries - It was truly a wonderful and very special trip. It is a nice way to experience the richness and diversity of Egyptian history and culture. The monasteries are so calm and beautiful, and it is amazing how long they have stayed in use. The frescoes and icons are still very clear and colourful despite being many hundreds of years old, and the different buildings also bear witness to the not always easy life there in pre modern times. The guide, Henry, made it a very special tour for us - he introduced us to many different monks and we got to hear about their experience living in the monastery and why they chose this way of life. It was also nice to hear how they, despite their quiet and secluded lives, are involved in society both through agriculture, academic studies and charity. Truly a wonderful experience.

Good times at 4 monasteries - Good tour. Beautiful views and interesting places that show an interesting side of Egypt's history and present. The Guide Mahmoud B was knowledgeable about the region and helpful for showing me around the monasteries (all 4) and getting me in touch with interesting and helpful monks there. He speaks good English and was invested in the tour going well. The driver, Arabee, was on time and a smooth driver.

Good time seeing 4 different monasteries - The trip to the monasteries was very beautiful! We went to a unique part of Egypt's history and present, and covered all 4 of the active monasteries in Wadi el-Natrun. Mahmoud Badr the guide was knowledgeable about the area and history, and helpful to meet Monks and show me around the monasteries. The driver Arabee was good. He drove smoothly and arrived on time. It's definitely a good way to spend some of your time in Egypt to see the monasteries.

Great way to end and Ancient Egypt tour. - We took this trip at the end of an organized tour of ancient Egypt (we had an extra day). These Coptic (Christian) monasteries are indeed a link between the antiquity and the present day. The guide, Mahmoud Badr, was very responsive and entertained us with many stories aimed at helping us understand the context of what we were seeing. Thanks Mahmoud! A special note for our driver, Omar: for some reason it was decided to "cut" in between two ring highways using the neighbourhood's streets ... amazing driving (I've been driving for many years, in many countries, and I don't think I would have got myself out of there)!

Fabulous and safe experience - Zizou, my guide, was utterly amazing and very knowledgable. He made it very easy for me to see the monasteries as a solo female traveller. I would highly recommend it!

Highly revommended - I really enjoyed my tour with Zanati, who was my guide, that day. He was warm, friendly, jovial and very informative.

Wadi el Natrun - Was ever good in this travel. Also the driver ( Omar) and the guide ( Mahmoud Badr ) are very friendly and gentle. Just I did’t understood why we didn’t visit others 2 monastery around there how was in the online description of the tour. Anyway was everything fine and smooth with guide and driver.

Extremely disappointing, exploitative, and dishonest experience - I don’t even know where to begin—this was easily one of the worst travel experiences I’ve had. ///////////// Although the tour was marketed as a “Private Day Tour,” we were forced to join other tourists at one of the monasteries, completely defeating the purpose of a private tour. ///////////// We were pressured not to visit St. Macarius Monastery, which was the main reason I booked the tour. The guide emphasized how far it was and how hungry and tired he and the driver were. As a small woman traveling with my elderly parents, I felt extremely uncomfortable and unsafe in this dynamic. ///////////// We were taken to an overpriced restaurant and charged 2,500 EGP for lunch, including meals for the guide and driver—which we never agreed to. Then we were dragged to multiple expensive souvenir shops we never asked for. ///////////// To top it off, the guide tried to force me to write a positive review on the way back to the hotel. When I hesitated, he grabbed my phone, opened the browser, and started typing a glowing review without my consent. He even browsed through my personal photo gallery to look for pictures to post. Fortunately, for some reason, the review didn’t go through. The next day, he even texted me via WhatsApp asking me to confirm if the review was published. ///////////// This tour was dishonest, unprofessional, and outright manipulative. Viator should immediately investigate this operator. I have screenshots of the WhatsApp messages as proof and will be sharing them here.