Holy Family Nile Cruise

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1

   Day 1: Arrival in Cairo

   Day 1: Arrival in Cairo

   • Meet at Cairo International Airport and transfer to your hotel
   • Overnight in Cairo
2. Day2

   Day 2: Wadi El Natrun

   Day 2: Wadi El Natrun

   • Drive to Wadi El Natrun (about 1.5 hours), a valley that Coptic tradition says the Holy Family blessed
   • St. Bishoy Monastery, with the saint's relics and the tomb of Pope Shenouda III
   • The Syrian Monastery, known for its medieval wall paintings, and the Baramos Monastery, subject to opening days
   • Overnight in Cairo
3. Day3

   Day 3: Giza & Coptic Cairo

   Day 3: Giza & Coptic Cairo

   • The Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx
   • Abu Serga Church, built over the cave where tradition says the Holy Family sheltered (Matthew 2:13–15)
   • The Hanging Church, perched on the south gate towers of the Roman fortress of Babylon
   • Overnight in Cairo
4. Day4

   Day 4: Cairo – Gebel El Teir – Minya

   Day 4: Cairo – Gebel El Teir – Minya

   • The Church of the Virgin in Maadi, by the Nile steps where tradition says the Holy Family sailed south
   • Drive south to Gebel El Teir, across the Nile from Samalut (about 3.5 hours)
   • Gebel El Teir: the clifftop Church of the Virgin, built around a cave where the Holy Family sheltered
   • Overnight in Minya
5. Day5

   Day 5: Minya – Al-Muharraq – Assiut

   Day 5: Minya – Al-Muharraq – Assiut

   • Drive south to Mount Qusqam (about 1.5 hours)
   • Al-Muharraq Monastery, where the Holy Family stayed more than six months; Copts link its altar to Isaiah 19:19
   • Drunka's Monastery of the Virgin in the cliffs above Assiut, by tradition the Holy Family's farthest point
   • Overnight in Assiut
6. Day6

   Day 6: Assiut – Luxor

   Day 6: Assiut – Luxor

   • Drive south along the Nile to Luxor (about 5 hours)
   • Board your Nile cruise ship
   • Karnak Temple and Luxor Temple on the East Bank
   • Overnight on board in Luxor
7. Day7

   Day 7: Luxor West Bank – Esna

   Day 7: Luxor West Bank – Esna

   • The Valley of the Kings and its painted royal tombs
   • Queen Hatshepsut's terraced temple at Deir el-Bahari
   • The Colossi of Memnon
   • Sail south through the lock at Esna
   • Overnight on board
8. Day8

   Day 8: Edfu – Kom Ombo

   Day 8: Edfu – Kom Ombo

   • The Temple of Horus at Edfu, still almost whole more than 2,000 years after it was built
   • Sail on to Kom Ombo
   • Kom Ombo's twin temple beside the river, built for Sobek, the crocodile god, and Horus the Elder
   • Overnight on board
9. Day9

   Day 9: Aswan

   Day 9: Aswan

   • Optional early-morning trip to the temples of Abu Simbel, about 3.5 hours each way by road
   • The Aswan High Dam
   • Philae Temple on its island, reached by motorboat
   • A felucca sail around Elephantine Island
   • Overnight on board in Aswan
10. Day10

    Day 10: Aswan – Cairo

    Day 10: Aswan – Cairo

    • Disembark and fly to Cairo; the afternoon visits are subject to flight times
    • The Virgin Mary's Tree in Matariya, where tradition says the Holy Family rested beneath a sycamore
    • The Church of the Virgin Mary in Zeitoun, where apparitions of the Virgin were reported from 1968 to 1971
    • Overnight in Cairo
11. Day11

    Day 11: Departure

    Day 11: Departure

    • Check out of your hotel
    • Transfer to Cairo International Airport for your flight home