Wadi El Natrun Monasteries From Cairo
Wadi El Natrun Monasteries From Cairo, the place where it was developed the monastic traditions that were later adopted by European Christians.
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Under Request
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-6 Hour
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Tour Guide
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Lunch
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Pickup And Drop
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Instant Booking
TRIP ITINERARY
Wadi El Natrun The Birthplace for Christian Monasticism
Wadi El Natrun day tour from Cairo starts after breakfast from your hotel. Your guide will join you in the air-conditioned vehicle to Wadi El Natrun, halfway between Cairo and Alexandria where there are a dozen saline lakes. Wadi El Natrun is a 25 kilometers long depression in the western desert, lies 23 meters below sea level and about 90 kilometers northwest of Cairo.
Wadi El Natrun derives its name from Wadi means Valley and El-Natrun means Natrun from the vast quantities of sodium hydroxide obtained from a chain of small lakes used for mummification purposes in ancient times and, in Roman time, for glass manufacture and today Natrun is used in a larger scale by the chemical industry.
In its hey-day in the fourth and fifth centuries, under the pressure of Roman persecution, many Christians fled to the area to hide, and many hermitages sprung up. Holy men inhabited caves and formed monasteries, now mostly obscured by sand. From about fifty Coptic monasteries existed in the area one day, we have only four survived to the present day, the monastery of the Romans (Deir El-Baramos) which is the oldest of the surviving four, The monastery of Syrians or (Deir El-Saurian) which is the smallest, the monastery of St. Pshoi (Deir Anba Pshoi) which still keep the body of Anba Pshoi and the last one, the St. Macarius monastery (Deir Abu Makari).
You will start your tour from the monastery of the Romans (Deir El-Baramos) which is the oldest of the surviving four. It was founded around 335AD until today the monastery has been preserving much of its ancient character. It has five churches. The monastery has been renovated and enlarged during its history; nowadays it contains a remarkable infrastructure and houses around fifty monks.
Then the monastery of St. Pshoi (Deir Anba Pshoi) was founded in the 4th century AD by Saint Bishoy the Great “The Perfect Man, the Beloved by our Good Savior. Its main church contains, among other relics, the body of its founder, Saint Pishoy, indeed, Saint Bishoy’s body is still without decay to date, and without being preserved chemically in any way or mummified. The monastery has five churches and lately, it has been recently renovated and enlarged.
Continue the tour to St. Macarius monastery (Deir Abu Makari). It was founded around 360 AD by Saint Macarius of Egypt who was the spiritual father to more than four thousand monks of different origins. It has been continuously inhabited by monks ever since and contains relics of many saints; during the restoration works, two crypts have been discovered, supposed to belong to Saint John the Baptist and the Prophet Elisha.
This was the seat of the Coptic Church in the sixth century and the residence of the Coptic patriarch of Alexandria when Egyptian Christians established independence from the Church of Constantinople in 570. It takes pride in having supplied no less than 30 patriarchs from its ranks, more than any other monastery in Egypt.
You will end your trip with The monastery of Syrians or (Deir El-Souryan) is dedicated to the Virgin Mary and actually carries her name, but it is commonly known as the Syrian Monastery because it was mainly used by Syrian monks The church was built around the 4th-century cave where St Bishoi resided and tied his hair to the ceiling to keep himself awake during prayers and is worth visiting for its superb series of 11th-century wall paintings.
Lunch will be taken in a local restaurant in Cairo then back to the hotel.
Important Notice
As long as you will visit holy places it is better for women to keep long dress and scarf for the holy places.
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TRIP EXCLUDES
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Prices Policy
Cancellation Policy
Cancellation Policy and refunds
Our goal is to provide extensive tours and excursion services and innovative travel products for our guests to ensure they enjoy the best of what Egypt has to offer as a holiday destination but we understand things happen in life and sometimes you have to cancel or change your tour plan. We want to make it as easy as possible to do so we try to make our cancellation policy as good as we can and we divided the cancellation policy into Individual Travelers, groups depending on the high and peak period of the season.
Day Tours and Shore Excursions Cancellation
Cancellation by the clients
Cancellation requests should be sent via fax or emailed to provide the Company with written confirmation that your reservation should be cancelled.
In case you cancel your trip, the following scale of charges will be applied.
- For daily excursions no cancellation fee ( 0 % cancellation fee ) is charged and a full refund is given if the cancellation is received 12 hours before trip starts.
- Less than 12 hours before the trip starts a 50% will be charged as a cancellation fee.
- Additionally, there are cancellation fees on all domestic flights within Egypt. If you cancel a tour at any time, you will be subject to any fees according to airline’s cancellation policy.
Cancellation by Golavita
We reserve the right to cancel a tour at any circumstances but will not cancel a tour less than 45 days before departure, except for Force Majeure, Low Bookings or clients’ failure to pay the final balance, the Company will, upon cancellation, return all monies paid excluding payment for travel insurance or offer an alternative tour of comparable standard. No compensation will be paid to the Client if cancellation is because of Force Majeure or Low Bookings.
Tour Packages and Nile Cruises Cancellation
Cancellation by the clients
Cancellation requests should be sent via fax or emailed to provide the Company with written confirmation that your reservation should be cancelled.
In case you cancel your trip, the following scale of charges will be applied.
Individual Travelers
- Up to 20 days before arrival date 5% cancellation fee
- 19 – 08 days before arrival date 15% cancellation fee
- 07 days before arrival date 100% cancellation fee
Groups (10 persons or more)
- Up to 30 days before arrival date 5% cancellation fee
- 29 – 16 days before arrival date 25% cancellation fee
- 15 – 08 days before arrival date 50% cancellation fee
- 07 days before arrival date 100% cancellation fee
Christmas & New Year from 20/12 till 06/01 & Easter holidays from 19/03 till 31 /03
- 30 days before arrival date 25% cancellation fee
- 29 – 16 days before arrival date 50% cancellation fee
- 15 days before arrival date 100% cancellation fee
Cancellation by Golavita
We reserve the right to cancel a tour at any circumstances but will not cancel a tour less than 45 days before departure, except for Force Majeure, Low Bookings or clients’ failure to pay the final balance, the Company will, upon cancellation, return all monies paid excluding payment for travel insurance or offer an alternative tour of comparable standard. No compensation will be paid to the Client if cancellation is because of Force Majeure or Low Bookings.
Frequently asked questions
What is the reservation system in Golavita?
Once you make your mind about the trip or tour package you want, try to make your reservation as early as possible via one of our contacts to give us the chance to secure your space for your wanted trip upon receiving a deposit of 25 %. You can pay the deposits with any kind of credit cards, dollars, Euros or English pounds.
How can I contact Golavita ?
Golavita tour is available 24 hours a day and 7 days a week to receive and answer your requests or your bookings inquires via phones, Email and lives on line chat. Moreover all our contacts, you can find easily on our home page.
Who do I contact in case of emergency?
Upon your arrival to one of Egypt’s airport and after you will be greeted and welcomed by our staff and on the way to your hotel, our representative will give you papers with all useful information about Egypt and the contact numbers and phone line from which you will keep all the stay and from which you can call us day and night.
What is the official currency in Egypt?Will I be able to exchange dollars, Euros, or other currencies in Egypt?
Egyptian currency is known as Genieh or L.E or Pound .Currency exchange is available at banks, official bureaux de change and most hotels. Banks often have better exchange rates than bureaux de change or hotels. All common international currencies are accepted. There are ATMs in Cairo and other major cities in Egypt that accept any hard currency credit cards
Is it allowed for non-Muslims to enter historical mosques in Egypt?
• Non-Catholics can enter the Vatican and non-Christians are welcomed at churches around the world. While not all the holy mosques of Egypt are off-limits to non-Muslims. All the historical mosques are open for the visit of Muslims/non-Muslims alike like Mohamed Ali Mosque within the Citadel, Amr Ibn El Ass mosque, Ibn Tulun mosque, El Refae mosque, Madrassa of Sultan Hassan and Al Azhar mosque. However, there are protocols which must be followed. Always remember a mosque is a place of prayer and worship for Muslims. It is not a museum.
Can I take pictures while visiting the monuments in Egypt
The answer is between yes and no. in most of the sightseeing it is allowed to take photos and make your trip memorable but there are other places in which you can not take even your camera with you for example Egyptian Museum, Valley of the kings, inside any of the Pyramid, inside the tombs in Sakkara, tombs of noblemen in Luxor, valley of the queens in Luxor.
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