Hidden Cairo Tour – Cave Church & Garbage City Experience
This Cairo private half-day tour focuses on the Saint Simon Monastery and the neighborhood known as Garbage City in Cairo. You will visit the monastery carved directly into the Mokattam Hills and see how the Zabbaleen community lives and manages the city’s recycling. The tour provides a look at local history and daily life in a part of the city that is rarely included on standard tourist routes.
- from Cairo
Cave Church & Garbage City Tour Highlights:
- Visit the famous Saint Simon Cave Church
- Explore the Monastery of Saint Simon the Tanner
- Discover Garbage City (Manshiyat Naser)
- Visit the scenic Mokattam Hills
- Enjoy panoramic viewpoints across Cairo
- Learn about the remarkable Zabbaleen community
- Experience hidden Cairo local life beyond tourist routes
What You Will Experience During This Hidden Cairo Tour
Your guide meets you at your hotel to begin the drive toward the Mokattam Hills. This journey takes you away from the usual tourist paths and into a different part of the city.
The primary destination is the Zabbaleen community in an area known as Garbage City. Over several generations, the residents here have established a recycling system that is now an essential part of Cairo’s waste infrastructure.
You will see how local families live and work within this network of small-scale recycling workshops.
It is an opportunity to understand the city’s social fabric and community spirit through a perspective that few visitors encounter.
Half-Day Program:
- Hotel pickup
- Drive to Mokattam Hills
- Explore Garbage City
- Learn about the Zabbaleen community
- Visit Saint Simon Cave Church
- Explore the monastery complex
- Panoramic Cairo viewpoints
- Photo stops
- Return transfer to hotel
Hidden Cairo Tour Prices:
Prices for Children:
What’s Included in the Hidden Cairo Tour:
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Private local guide (English-speaking)
- Cave Church visit
- Garbage City visit
- Entrance Fees
- Insurance
- Taxes and Fees
What’s Not Included:
- Personal Expenses
- Anything not mentioned in itinerary
Optional extra visits:
Some sites are not included in the main program but, can be visited optionally for an additional cost.
in Cairo
- Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) from inside
- Advance booking — 30€ p.P
- On the day of the tour — 40€ p.P
- Pyramid of Menkaure from inside
- Advance booking — 6€ p.P
- On the day of the tour — 10€ p.P
- Tomb of Queen Meresankh III
- Advance booking — 4€ p.P
- On the day of the tour — 6€ p.P
- Workers' Village of the Giza Pyramid Builders (Minimum 5 Tickets)
- Advance booking — 14€ p.P
- On the day of the tour — 18€ p.P
Children under 11 years enjoy a 50% discount.
Why This Is One of the Most Unique Tours in Cairo
Most visitors experience only the famous side of Cairo. This tour takes you beyond the traditional tourist route and reveals a completely different side of the city that many travellers never discover.