An alternative and uncrowded way to see Mount Sinai and St. Catherine’s Monastery. Sheikh Sina is Bedouin run, the guides have local knowledge and as a couple we had our own guide. Most tourists climb up Mount Sinai to see the sunrise and the summit can be busy. This walk up the basins of Ras Safsafa is an alternative path. There are a series of basins joined to Mount Sinai, each with a small chapel and garden. Setting off mid-morning we didn't see another soul until we were about half an hour from the summit in the late afternoon. There are amazing views down onto the monastery that most people never see. We took our time with a gentle walk up to the basins and had a simple lunch and rest at Elijah's Basin, just below the summit. We then climbed to the summit for the sunset where there were a handful of people. The view and the colours illuminating the rocks were beautiful. Afterwards we made our way back down to Elijah's Basin where we stayed overnight; our overnight bag which had travelled by camel was waiting for us. The night sky was incredible and the Bedouins cooked us supper which included delicious fresh, warm flatbread. In the morning we emerged from our warm camel hair blankets and tucked into breakfast while watching a very long stream of people climbing down from the summit after the sunrise. The walk down the Steps of Repentance to St Catherine's Monastery, where we rejoined the crowds, was knee-shattering but our guide was attentive and supportive, even carrying our overnight bag! The pace of the walk, the land and sky scapes and the Bedouin people made this an unforgettable experience!
www.sheikhsina.com/english/
El Milga, St. Katherine, South Sinai, Egypt
+20 69 347 0880
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