Cave Church & Manshiyat Naser Private Tour, Cairo
Description
Tucked against the Mokattam cliffs on the edge of Cairo is a church carved into the rock that seats thousands, and a community most visitors never hear about. This private tour pairs two places that belong together. The Cave Church, the Monastery of St. Simon the Tanner, is hollowed into the mountainside as the largest church in the Middle East. Around it lives Manshiyat Naser, known as Garbage City, home to the Zabbaleen, Cairo's Coptic recyclers who process much of the city's waste by hand and have built one of the most effective recycling systems anywhere. Your guide tells the story with respect: how the church was built, how the community lives and works, and why the two are connected. It is eye-opening rather than comfortable. Ideal for thoughtful travelers who want to understand a side of Cairo beyond the monuments.
Tour Options
Itinerary
You climb toward the Mokattam cliffs and the city opens into a vast amphitheatre cut straight into the rock, with stone reliefs carved across the cliff face. This is the Cave Church, the largest Christian church in the Middle East, with seating for around 20,000 people. Your guide explains how it was built from the 1970s onward by and for the Zabbaleen community, and the story of St. Simon the Tanner behind its name. The acoustics alone are worth the stop.
Below the church spreads Manshiyat Naser, where the Zabbaleen have collected and sorted Cairo's waste for generations. Up close it is organized rather than chaotic: workshops sorting plastic, paper, and metal, with recycling rates that outperform many Western cities. Your guide walks you through how the system works and how families live and earn here, treating the community as people rather than a spectacle. It is a candid, humanizing look at a part of Cairo few tours include.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Please share your hotel name and address when booking. Your guide will meet you at the hotel lobby at the scheduled pickup time. This tour visits the Manshiyat Naser community and the Cave Church monastery, which involves walking on steep, uneven terrain. Comfortable closed-toe shoes are essential. The tour is not suitable for travelers with mobility limitations. If your flight is delayed, message us on WhatsApp at +20 100 118 9973 immediately.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(3)
If you think you’ve seen enough churches and garbage is not interesting you need to go to these places! I was very disappointed when I learnt that we remained ON the bus for the trip to Garbage City. I mean what sort of tour doesn’t let you off a bus to experience the vibe? The answer is: A smart tour! Garbage City absolutely fascinated us, driving through narrow, windy, rubbish congested streets WATCHING garbage being lowered to the ground by pulley ropes, seeing the dark “sorting” downstairs “rooms” where people sat and sorted rubbish into paper/plastic etc. Taking in the local shops and day to day interactions and not fully experiencing the stench (occasionally we got a whiff from the did safety of the bus) of the refuse was a real mind blower. This place was full of atmosphere. On to the Church Cave, with the carvings and the capacity for 20,000 people, literally set into a wide cave, there is so much atmosphere here that it is a very moving experience and I am not a religious person.
Great guide and great experience. Eslam's English was excellent and he had a great knowledge of not just this tour but Cairo/Egypt generally.
Dear Guest Thank you for taking the time to write your travel experience with Egypt Day Tours, we really appreciate your comments regarding our customer service and ongoing operation as our staff take their roles in travel industry very seriously and try every day, to provide that quality customer service, that our guests expect We are very delighted that you enjoyed your stay in our beautiful country and we look forward to another opportunity to host you in Egypt, and once again, thank you for your positive comments!
Hosni was a great and knowledgeable tour guide. He provided a great deal of information throughout the entire tour. We went through garbage city and got to see two cave churches, truly unique and inspiring as he shared the story of St. Simon and more. I will say this tour is a bit pricey compared to others ($60) that have entrance fees to places, whereas both churches, you’re able to somewhat walk in, but regardless, having a tour guide like Hosni makes it well worth it. Garbage city was a town i was really looking forward to seeing. Up close you can see how well organized the place is, and at the same time gain a different perspective when recycling and discarding any item in your home country. Overall I enjoyed the experience and was treated to a nice lunch and extra time to sight see.
Dear Traveler Thank you for taking the time to write your travel experience with Egypt Day Tours, we really appreciate your comments regarding our customer service and ongoing operation as our staff take their roles in travel industry very seriously and try every day, to provide that quality customer service, that our guests expect We are very delighted that you enjoyed your stay in our beautiful country and we look forward to another opportunity to host you in Egypt, and once again, thank you for your positive comments!
