You know how sometimes a trip turns out to be exceptionally memorable? Maybe it was the location, maybe it was the company, maybe it was the weather…but something about it is so sweet that you savor it for days, weeks, months, even years? Any unpleasant aspects of the trip fade into oblivion and you only seem to remember the highlights.
Well, Mt. Sinai and St. Catherine’s Monastery was just that trip for us. It was December 2022. Now, mind you: I had been to St. Catherine’s before. Oh, yes. Once in 1999 as a college student and once again in 2006 in pursuit of my then-fiance (now husband). I say “in pursuit” because we were newly engaged and where he was, I wanted to be. He was doing his study abroad program and I was just there, in the Middle East, studying, well, him. I came along on his Sinai trip to fulfill that very important objective of mine. That’s probably all I need to say about that.
(St. Catherine’s Monastery peeking shyly through the rugged peaks)
Allow me to share a bit more, however, about my first trip to St. Catherine’s and Mt. Sinai. It was my junior year in college and I was on a side trip to Egypt while studying abroad in Jerusalem. Our group leaders decided that my cohort and I would hike up to the top of Mt. Sinai (local name: Jebel Mousa) in the middle of the night. Yes, you read that right – in the middle of the night – so as to catch the sunrise at the top of the famed peak. I didn’t have any choice, really, but I admit I started off up the mountain eagerly enough. And yet by the time I reached the summit, I was exhausted from lack of sleep and sore from the relentless switchbacks. To add insult to injury, it was surprisingly cold at the summit. I huddled with my fellow students under some bedouin man’s camel hair blanket and waited the endless forty-five minutes for the sun to rise. The sun finally rose, of course, and it was spectacular. I can’t say, however, that I actually enjoyed it.
(I’m not going to lie: it can get cold up there)
I’ve since experienced – and enjoyed! – far more uncomfortable things (I have four children, afterall), but I feel bound to be honest with you, my dear readers. Hiking up Mt. Sinai in the middle of the night to catch the sunrise can be uncomfortable. My story gets even better, in fact. With the sunrise came some heat, and I found myself quite warm as I hiked down later that morning. The warmth, coupled with lack of sleep, brought on another uncomfortable feeling: nausea. And so it was, that in full view of all the many other hikers on Mt. Sinai that day, I tossed my breakfast of digestive biscuits and Nutella over the side of the path down the mountain.
(Could this be the burning bush?)
You’ll forgive me, then, for declining to ascend Mt. Sinai on my second visit to St. Catherine’s Monastery in 2006. It is true that I could hardly bear to be parted from my fiance at that point, but I bore it bravely and opted out.
(The summit at last!)
And now we reach the present day. When we were invited to join a group of friends on a trip to St. Catherine’s and Mt. Sinai, my first impulse was to decline. I did decline. But my kids caught wind of the invite and, knowing that their friends were going, commenced to beg. After only some minor arm twisting I gave in.
(St. Catherine’s Monastery – a World Heritage Site)
What follows is a brief summary of our trip. I’ve listed the key points, including some tips and tricks, in list format for quick and easy intake.
- Transportation: You can hire a tour bus (7 hours, realistically speaking), drive your own car (6 hours if you beat the traffic through the Suez Canal tunnel), or take the West Delta Bus (7-10 hours). If you can, drive a private car. Renting a tour bus is comfortable, but note: if the bus is full of foreigners, the security police will not let you leave the St. Catherine’s Monastery area and return to Cairo without a caravan of vehicles.
- Accommodation: I can recommend the Bedouin Camp and Guest House. Several of our friends have stayed here, including those with whom we were traveling. Good reports from all of them. We, of course, are those weird people who like to camp everywhere. We wanted to set up our tent and camp just outside the guest house. The reception initially agreed to this, but grew visibly uncomfortable once they saw we really meant it. By the time we had our tent set up, a local authority had arrived and told us it was now no longer possible for us to camp. I was charming, but firm. We convinced him that we would be unobtrusive and (his greater concern) safe from harm. He relented. We bundled up in our sleeping bags and spent the night camping in the shadow of Mt. Sinai.
- The hike: If you desperately want to see the sunrise from Mt. Sinai then go for it. Just be prepared. If you go in the winter it will be quite cold at the top…and at the bottom. Personally, I prefer to begin the hike at 5 or 6am. If you must return to Cairo the same day, you’ll want to get up the mountain and down again by 11am so you can visit the monastery by the time they close their doors at 11:30am. If you intend to stay in Sinai for a few days, you can take your time coming down the mountain and then visit the monastery on day two. Finally, if hiking really isn’t your thing, you can take a donkey or camel most of the way up the mountain.
- Clothing: The key word is layers. Your bottom layer (closest to your body) should be light leggings or track pants on the bottom and a light short-sleeved shirt on top. Next layer on the bottom should be sweatpants or jeans. On top, something light but long-sleeved. Depending on the season of your trip, keep layering on top, with the final layer being a fleece jacket. Consider also two layers of socks as well; wool socks on the outside and light cotton next to the skin. Bring a scarf or pashmina shawl for your neck and head. You will shed your layers as the chill morning air is chased away by the bold Egyptian sun. Bring a light backpack to carry your layers.
- Amenities: You will find a few rest stops along the way up the mountain. Water and snacks are available at at least one of these, but best to bring your own just in case. You’ll find a few unspeakable bathrooms; my advice is to bring wet wipes and a friend to be your guard as you venture behind a rock some distance off the path.
- Baksheesh: If you, as a group of foreigners, rent a bus from a tour company, you will get at least one driver (possibly two) and a security guard. The presence of the guard is apparently non-negotiable. These gentlemen may expect you to pay their hotel bill. Best to confirm this when negotiating the details with the tour company. Also, you will be expected to pay some extra “security fees” when arriving at and leaving from the St. Catherine’s Monastery protected area. And finally, on top of all of this, groups of any number are required to take a local “guide” up the mountain. This guide is meant to ensure that none of your group causes a diplomatic crisis by going missing on the hike. We call this “nickel and diming” in the USA. Honestly, my response to all of these nonsensical rules and fees is simple: welcome to Egypt. That’s just the way it is here. I love Egypt, so I accept it. It helps, however, to know before you go.
(Take rests if you need them!)
I guess it’s like they say: third time’s the charm. So maybe I do remember some of the uncomfortable aspects of the trip, but it was just so darn fun that all we do now is argue good-naturedly about who among us reached the top first and reminisce about the starry sky above our tent, the stories shared while hiking the mountain, the view from the top, the sense of accomplishment, and the hint of sadness we felt when we piled into the bus and left. The magic and majesty of the mountain and the monastery overshadowed any inconveniences caused by bureaucracy, traffic, and the absence of plumbing on the mountain.
Oh, Mt. Sinai – will I visit you again? You bet I will. Maybe I’ll see you out on that mountain path!
