Explore the Unique Sights of Cairo: Garbage City and the City of the Dead

Join us for an eye-opening tour of two of Cairo’s most intriguing and unconventional neighborhoods. This tour will provide you with a unique perspective on life in the city, showcasing the resilience and resourcefulness of its inhabitants.

Tour Overview

Pickup Time: 10:00 AM
Duration: Full Day
Meeting Point: Your hotel in Cairo

Garbage City: A Community of Resilience

Our journey begins in Garbage City, a vibrant yet challenging community located at the base of Mokattam Hill. Here, you’ll find a group of Coptic Christians, known as the city’s unofficial sanitation crew. They play a crucial role in managing the 17,000 tons of garbage generated daily by Cairo’s 20 million residents.

As we walk through the bustling streets of Garbage City, you’ll witness the community’s extraordinary efforts to recycle and repurpose waste. Families often specialize in specific types of garbage, showcasing a remarkable economy built around sustainability. You’ll gain insight into their daily lives, struggles, and the industrious spirit that defines this neighborhood.

Hidden Treasures: Churches and Chapels

Within the rocky landscape of Garbage City, you will discover seven churches and chapels, many of which are carved into the caves. These sacred spaces are a testament to the community’s faith and resilience. As you explore these hidden gems, you’ll learn about the rich history and traditions of the Coptic Christian community, offering a glimpse into their spiritual life amid the challenges they face.

The City of the Dead: A Unique Living Arrangement

Next, we will head to the City of the Dead, an ancient cemetery that has evolved into a residential area. This sprawling site is home to countless tombs, some of which are occupied by families seeking to stay close to their deceased relatives. Others have settled here as a means to escape poverty, creating a unique coexistence between the living and the dead.

As we navigate this fascinating neighborhood, you’ll encounter stories of resilience and community, revealing how these families make the most of their unusual living conditions. While the exact number of residents is uncertain, it’s estimated that thousands of people live among the tombs, highlighting a unique aspect of Cairo’s diverse culture.

Coptic Cairo Churches and Synagogue

To conclude our tour, we will visit the historic churches and the synagogue of Coptic Cairo. This area is rich in religious history and architectural beauty. You’ll have the chance to explore remarkable structures that date back centuries, learning about the intertwined histories of Christianity and Judaism in Egypt.

Special Requests

If you have any special requests or specific interests, please let us know! We strive to make your experience as enjoyable and informative as possible. Whether you’re interested in a particular aspect of the tour or have dietary needs for lunch, we are here to accommodate you.

This tour promises to be a remarkable experience, shedding light on the everyday lives of some of Cairo’s most resilient communities. We look forward to guiding you through this captivating journey!

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Egypt Female Tour-Guide
  
 59 Tripadvisor reviews 
 
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 Vahram D 
 
2024-04-29
 
 
 Verified 
 
Egypt trip with private guide.
Where do I start. I found Nahla online after an intensive search and let me tell you what a blessing it was. I contacted her and told her exactly what places in Egypt I want to visit, within couple of days, she drew an exact itinerary for everything and all the cities that I needed to visit to see everything i wanted. . Her knowledge and personality are the best. Her heart is the biggest the way she treats stray dogs in Egypt and feeds them every time she’s in the area should tell everyone how big of a heart she has. herself and her team exceeded all my expectations and delivered everything to my expectations and beyond. I highly recommend her and her team for your trip to Egypt and believe me she’ll set up any customized itineraries you need. Thanks Nahla very much..
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 David H 
 
2024-04-29
 
 
 Verified 
 
The Best Guide
Had an absolute blast in Egypt! It’s important to have a good guide! Nahla was amazing. She was very knowledgeable about history! Everything was organized so well from the time we were picked up from the airport, all the tours all over Egypt. Nahla was very helpful in literally everything …. she helped us a lot during the trip. Her love for animals was very touching! Thank you for being there for us during our trip!
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Henry Pennay 
 
2024-04-02
 
 
 Verified 
 
The BEST Experience of My Life!
Going to Egypt has always been a dream for me. Once I knew my family and I was going, I was overwhelmed with excitement. Our tour guide, Nahla, made the trip I dreamed of since I was little so much more memorable and awesome. Over the four days we spent together, Nahla and I became good friends! She is someone I look up to. From the Pyramids of Giza to the huge Catacombs of Alexandria, I hope this adventure is the beggining to many more! Thank you! Henry Pennay
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Traveler22716049821 
 
2024-03-24
 
 
 Verified 
 
Unforgettable experience!
Thanks to the Guide du Routard, we found a comment from a tourist who had found Mona AMIN as a French-speaking guide. Thanks to the latter, she put us in touch with one of her 10 guides HOWAIDA MOUSSA. She is beyond a tourist guide: she loves her job, passionate about its history! Very endearing, it matched immediately. We stayed with her PDT for 5 days. She adapted to our group of 8 people (25 to 80 years old!❤️). Its driver was voted the most ZEN in Cairo. We left Howaida with a lot of emotions and the appointment is made for next year for Luxor, Aswan.... INCHALLAH ❤️
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 RB 
 
2024-03-17
 
 
 Verified 
 
Excellent and we'd book again!
We had an excellent experience with Nahla and we fully recommend her as a tour guide!!! We wanted to support a woman in business and we are glad that we made this choice. Two of our family have read a lot about Egypt and one of us just has a basic knowledge. Nahla showed great depth of knowledge and the two of us enjoyed learning even more about fascinating Egypt. For the other member of our family, Nahla was just as courteous in answering simple questions about history and culture. One of the most notable things about Nahla is that she re-lives every experience as "new" because she lives them through her clients. You know she is always glad to show the sights of Egypt and delighted to retell the history of the world's greatest civilization! Our itinerary included the pyramids, camel ride, sphynx, the GEM, the Egyptian Museum, the sound and light show at the pyramids, the City of the Dead, the Khan El-Khalili bazaar, jewelry shopping, and a felucca ride on the Nile. Others will say the Giza complex can be stressful but Nahla made it easy for us to get the most out of the pyramid visit, camel ride, and sphynx. The GEM, although only partly open, was a great experience with Nahla guiding us through the artifacts. We could have spent days at the Egyptian Museum and Nahla gave us an expert walk-through of all the highlights that made us feel like we got the absolute best out of that visit. Nahla's connections gave us an "insider's" experience at the City of the Dead, and she timed the visit to the Khan El-Khalili bazaar so that we avoided the heavy crowds. She found a safe boat with an experienced sailor, so the felucca ride was enjoyable and worry-free. We truly believe that having Nahla as a tour guide meant that vendors weren't as pushy. It was easy to collect a few souvenirs when we stopped to do that and we could ask Nahla's advice about when to bargain or when to pay the price marked on the item. She also helped us navigate through line-ups and she communicated with security personnel on our behalf when needed. These small but meaningful actions show what an exemplary tour guide she is! We were transported by Wael, an excellent driver that Nahla arranged for the week. He took us around to all the sights with her, and picked us up and returned us to the airport. We asked Nahla for a good quality vehicle and safe driver, and that is indeed what we got. Another notable characteristic is that Nahla helped us manage our schedule without us ever feeling rushed. In fact, that is exactly why we opted for a personalized experience with her -- to NOT be part of a large tour group but instead to visit Egypt with a guide at a pace that suited us. Nahla made that experience perfect. Nahla showed kindness to many of the stray animals in the places we visited. She also showed respect to many of the underprivileged people in the community. All of these gestures demonstrate what a caring and kind person she is. Arranging the itinerary was easy and confirming final details was handled expertly. The deposit and final payment were handled without any trouble through a trustworthy e-payment platform. A final note of praise -- we had a few full days of activities at the beginning of Ramadan, and Nahla kept on going strong! If we are lucky enough to return to Egypt, we will happily book Nahla again!!!
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 carole 
 
2024-03-14
 
 
 Verified 
 
Absolutely amazing!!!!😃👍👍👍
The entire organization was simply top!!! :-D Nahla was extremely competent and very friendly!!! Nahla, the best driver with the most beautiful eyes ;-), and our very competent and friendly Egyptologist, Wahid, who was very close to our hearts, gave us the most beautiful days in Luxor that we could have wished for!!!😃👍👍👍 Highly recommended and gladly again at any time!!! Carole & Stephan from Switzerland
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Rachel H 
 
2024-03-03
 
 
 Verified 
 
Great time in Cairo
We booked Nahla for day tour of the pyramids during our time on Cairo. It was easy to communicate with her to organize in advance. We liked supporting a woman-owned business and had a wonderful tour. Would highly recommend!
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Aatltd11 
 
2024-01-17
 
 
 Verified 
 
The best guide!
Nahla was our guide in both Cairo and Luxor. She has so much knowledge to share and she shares in the most enjoyable way. After hearing that our hotel forget to send a car to pick us up upon arrival, Nahla took it upon herself to make sure every other pickup was arranged, no matter what city we were in. Her enthusiasm for Egypt was watershed early in. Not only did we learn about the county and its history, we met a new friend. Highly recommended!
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Daneris C 
 
2023-12-31
 
 
 Verified 
 
Journey of a lifetime with magnificent Nahla
Many thanks to you dear Nahla 🙏 you shepherded us through a beautiful and fascinating journey through Aswan and Cairo. Temples, the Nile, Egyptian precious perfumes like the blue lotus, light, beauty, the pyramids and deep spiritual connections🌹 It is difficult for me to describe how wonderful and grateful I am for your presence, work and efforts during the journey 💗 I could let go knowing that you had things in hand. No small thing with a group of 28. With love, blessings, and thanks 🙏
  
 
 
  
 
 
 
  
 
 
 Debbie S 
 
2023-12-28
 
 
 Verified 
 
3 Amazing Cultural Days
What an adventure with a fabulous, knowledgeable female historian Hagar. Personal tour guide is a must and our driver Rom making sure we were collected on time and in comfort, and there for the next stop. 3 Full days of amazing sights and things we didn’t know together with local cuisine pit stop. Now eager to return to another part of Egypt to explore with this great company. Thank you Nahla we will be back.
  
 
 
  
 
 
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