Detailed programme (delivered in French)
Walk in the footsteps of the Holy Family in Egypt
February 19 – March 2, 2026
with Haniel Sofia Rivière
Come along with me for a genuine experience in Egypt, the blessed country where the Holy Family sought safety after Herod threatened them. You will be able to learn about the beginnings of Christianity through the ancient Egyptian myths. We will literally follow the Holy Family's journey, praying in the desert and in the first Christians' Coptic monasteries. As someone who is deeply interested in the Christian tradition, its beginnings, and its esotericism, I will provide you with Marian prayers, spiritual exercises, songs, guided meditations, and simple rituals.
| Date | Programme (delivered in French) |
| Thu 19/02 | Arrival at Cairo Airport and transfer to the El Baron Hotel in Heliopolis. We will take a moment to get to know each other. Dinner at the hotel. hôtel El Baron d’Héliopolis. |
| Fri 20/02 | Breakfast at the hotel / Visit the Giza Plateau, the Pyramids, the Sphinx & the Saqqara site. / Lunch at the Blue Lotus Farm / We will then return to the hotel and have dinner there. |
| Sat 21/02 | Breakfast at the hotel / Visit of Old Cairo and the Church of Saint Sergius, the so-called 'hanging' Church and the oldest synagogue in Egypt. / Traditional lunch / Visit of the Coptic Museum / Dinner cruise on the Nile. |
| Sun 22/02 | Breakfast at the hotel / Visit to the Museum of Egyptian Civilization and the Royal Mummies. / Lunch in Cairo / In the afternoon we have a very moving visit, the Church of St. Simon, a troglodyte church dug into the hill of El Moqqatam, and to get there, we will have to cross the rag-pickers' district where the poorest Coptic Christians reside. / Traditional dinner at the Petit Palmyra. |
| Mon 23/02 | Breakfast at the hotel / Visit the garden where the tree under which the Holy Family rested still stands, as well as the site of Ain Shams where the largest pharaonic temple was located. / Lunch near the Nile / Visit the church of El Maadi which is located on the bank of the Nile. The church was built around the well from which the Holy Family drew water. / Dinner at the hotel |
| Tue 24/02 | Breakfast at the hotel / Departure from the hotel with our suitcases / We will take the desert road to reach the region of the Coptic monasteries of Wadi-el-Natrun (4th-7th century). / We will arrive in Anafora in the afternoon, a Coptic community created in an oasis—a haven of peace and prayer. Dinner and overnight stay at Anafora |
| Wed 25/02 | We will spend this day in Anafora; we will be able to attend Coptic religious services and participate in moments of meditation. / Dinner and overnight in Anafora |
| Thu 26/02 | Breakfast in Anafora / We'll head to the Fayoum Oasis. / Lunch in a traditional restaurant With a stunning view of the lake, we will spend the night in a Bedouin tent in the desert. Awe-inspiring starry skies! Sleeping in a tent: |
| Fri 27/02 | Departure after a traditional Egyptian breakfast / Visit to the Dayr el-Durunka monastery built around the cave that sheltered the Holy Family during the Nile floods. / Overnight at the hotel in Assiout hotel |
| Sat 28/02 | Visit the 4th-century Deir el-Muharraq Monastery, dedicated to the Virgin Mary—located in the very geographic center of the country—the church is built around a square table, which became the church's altar because it was blessed by the infant Jesus. Isaiah 19:19 prophesied the existence of this church. “At that time there shall be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a monument to the Lord on its border.” Following in the Holy Family's footsteps, we explore the church of Gabal al-Tayr (the mountain of birds), which was constructed in the fourth century around a cave where the Virgin Mary and her child slept. Overnight at Minya hotel |
| Sun 01/03 | We'll head north again, arriving in Heliopolis in the afternoon. Schedule permitting, you'll have the opportunity to go shopping in the centre of Heliopolis. Dinner at the El Baron Hotel. You will spend the night at the hotel. |
| Mon 02/03 | Transfer to the airport for your return flight |
Workshop cost
€2670, which includes the accommodation in a double room to share, all meals, all transfers, all guided tours, and tips. Supplement for single room
What is not included
Your international flight, your travel insurance, your visa (€25 to be collected upon arrival at Cairo airport).
To register
Contact me [email protected] to receive a registration form. The maximum number of participants is eight people.
Registration deadline
For registrations, please send me the deposit of €1000 on registration and before October 30, 2025 and the balance of €1670 must be paid before November 30, 2025
the complete journey taken by the Holy Family
