Mount Sinai Climb and St Catherine Monastery from Sharm El Sheikh

Posted By : ellegi71
Excursion NOT for everyone. We leave Sharm around 9pm, making several stops along the way for coffee, water, bath, etc. always escorted by at least two police vans. We arrive around one in the morning at a museum (open) where it is possible to purchase sacred images of Saint Catherine and many others. Continue towards the bus parking which is about 1 km from the climb up Mount Sinai. From here onwards another guide who accompanies you along the entire climb, 7km, made up of many hairpin bends all uphill, irregular with stones, dirt road, sharp stones, steps, in the dark, so bring with you a LED torch that lasts 3/4 hours of battery life or power bank. From here, at the start of the climb, it is possible to take a camel for a fee almost to the end of the climb. As you go up there are other points where there are other camels and the possibility of taking them. Always along the climb, there are various coffee shops where they sell drinks, water, coffee, tea and snacks, and some improvised bathrooms, places where the guide invites you to rest for a few minutes. You continue until even the camels can carry you, from here there are 750 steps, all irregular and of various heights and lengths, in some places even dangerous and steep. You get to the top where there are 4/5 little shops where they sell a bit of everything, even blankets for rent for three euros, and for those who arrived during the night also rest inside the hut. Another final effort 4/5 minutes more up the last steps to then reach the top of Mount Sinai. Here you can sit, take photos, videos and of course pray. Charismatic mystical magical place, you can find the adjective. To be done only if you are fit, trained and with a spirit of sacrifice. Definitely an indelible memory and experience for life.
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Posted On : 2024-05-05 08:20:52

Posted By : TANYA_K
Marvelous organization, perfect guides Ahmed,Megdi. A bit hard climbing because of lack of training last year but very exciting. And not that cold as everyone said!!!Bad thing-very little time for the monastery-only 45minutes and there is a lot to see and learn there. As a whole-worth doing it!
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Posted On : 2024-04-18 17:44:04

Posted By : _lon647
Definitely a must go spot when you are in Sharm el Sheikh. All worked out nicely, although our hotel was located quite far, so it took quite a time until everybody was picked up from their hotels and we were on the way. The time for climbing is wholly adequate even for unfit people, so if you are fitter than average, pack warm clothes!
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Posted On : 2024-04-17 04:20:37

Posted By : Junaid_H
The trip was amazing and worth every bit!

If you add more details here about it, that would be helpful, like we go there in a caravan, stop first at a souvenir shop, then start climbing, see the dawn at the top of Mount Sinai, then come back to monestary, etc. Also, you don't really need to carry food and drinks because there are small shops all the way till the top of Mount Sinai.

They pick you up earlier than 21:30. We were the first to be picked up at 19:45. Then they picked up other people, and we left Sharm el Sheikh at 21:30. It was a three hour drive to the site. We reached home the next day at 13:30.

The trip isn't children-friendly because it's not easy to climb up and down 12 kilometres in total. You can't go all the way with camels. They stop before the summit, and to reach there, you have to walk 720 steps. Also, please note that you cannot take camels while descending. In fact, you can, but the ride becomes very very rough and painful down the hill. They charge €20 for one person one way for the camel ride.

Good luck, I hope this review was of help!
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Posted On : 2024-04-03 06:07:49

Posted By : Emanuele C
Excursion as expected: tiring but well organised. The only things to underline are: it is not clear at the time of booking whether your group consists of a few people or many and we had requested a guide in Italian but he could only speak English. We found ourselves in a bus of 50 people which doesn't make a difference but it would be necessary to specify it as well as knowing that the guide will not speak Italian. Apart from these things, the tour is well organized with well-timed stops both during the bus journey and during the climb. Walking at night is tiring and also quite cold. There are camels that can help you climb if you pay for them. The Monastery is well preserved and with excellent explanations.
Overall the tour is well organised
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Posted On : 2024-03-30 18:45:29

Posted By : PeacefulJourney
We were so nervous about the hike. But it turned out to be fine. We were picked up by 9 pm and driven about 3 hrs to the base. Then walked about 3 hrs uphill in the dark. Made it to the summit before 5 am and waited for the sun to rise. There were places to buy snacks and drinks along the way. The bathrooms along the hike are not pleasant, so use the ones at the monastery before going up. Each bathroom costs about 10-15 Egyptian pounds and bring toilet paper. The hike down took about 1.5 hrs. Then we toured the monastery before heading back to the bus. When we went, March, 2024, there were only 2 times in the day that the police escort the buses - 10 am and noon. So we ended up waiting a bit before the police escort could happen. Our guide was funny. It was useful to have a flashlight on the way up.
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Posted On : 2024-03-18 05:08:55

Posted By : W5901WVstephenl
What an incredible experience! Sajed our tour guide was brilliant and professional, spoke three languages and made us all feel welcome on the bus there. We had a two security guards escort us in the front of the mini busand felt safe the whole time. Sajed handed us over to our Bedouin guide "Jimmy" (Jimmy Sinai on Instagram, give him a follow) who was great as well, stopped for regular headcounts and made sure we were managing ok.

A few tips - be careful of the ground as it's rocky, bring a torch or portable charger if you're using your phone. Bring food and plenty of water or cash as there's a lot of rest stops to get snacks and drinks on the way up. Warm clothes! Have extra layers in a bag, a coat and gloves if you have them. They do hire out blankets at the summit as well as it is very cold and windy. Once the sun rises it warms up quickly so pack sunscreen too.
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Posted On : 2024-03-14 18:11:03

Posted By : Denayu T
Excellent experience, though it was a long day the guides made it as comfortable as possible ensuring we fully enjoy the trip. It was roughly a 17hr round trip from the time we left the hotel in Sharm El Sheikh and returning.

I would recommend this tour for avid travellers and experienced hikers as it does take about 3hrs to get to the tip of the mountain, the terrain is difficult but the view from the top males it worthwhile! I would say if you're not fit, or into fitness then this probably isn't for you as it takes some level of mental and physical strength to endure and complete.

Nevertheless I had a great time and would recommend to someone who is visiting Sharm El Sheikh.
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Posted On : 2024-03-09 15:33:47

Posted By : Marcus W
This isn’t a tour to be taken lightly - it’s a long hike to the summit and it was freezing cold on top - take warm clothes, good footwear and money for teas and hitting a Bedouin blanket for the summit. But it is very beautiful and even atheist like me found it well worth while. Local guides are great - you can get a camel ride up - although that looked scary to me.
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Posted On : 2024-03-06 16:01:25

Posted By : chorleyshopper
Really good trip. Well organised. The pickup was on time. You are picked up in a large coach so very comfortable drive to Sinai. Pick up about 7.45pm return 2pm.
The guides looked after you. At the monastery the guide gives you a tour in your language. I asked about the museum with Bible manuscripts and for a couple of dollar extra you can see this.
Tip in February it is cold at the top wear layers/ being hat and gloves.
Also ask hotel for breakfast box there wasn’t many places to get food other h than crisps.
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Posted On : 2024-02-29 13:42:11