4 Days Sinai Safari: Mount Sinai & St Catherine

Why travellers choose this trip

Your route

Day-by-day itinerary

1. 1
   Day 1 · St CatherineCairo to St Catherine

   Pick-up. Your driver collects you from your Cairo hotel in the morning and drives east and south into the Sinai peninsula, towards the mountains. Lunch is included and taken on the way, and bottled water is in the vehicle. Route, timings and any checkpoint or permit formalities are arranged by us and confirmed when you book. UK and Canadian travel advice both set limits for the north of South Sinai and mention Ministry of the Interior permits for some travel in the region, so check your own government's advice before you book.

   Afternoon. You arrive in the afternoon and check in to your hotel in St Catherine. Your local guide briefs you on the climb, checks your boots and warm layers, and sends you to bed early, because the climb starts after midnight. Dinner is included.

   • Pick-upPrivate transfer to your hotel
   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • MealsLunch, Dinner

   Overnight in St Catherine
2. 2
   Day 2 · St CatherineMount Sinai at sunrise

   Night climb. After midnight you drive to the trailhead below the monastery with your local guide. Two routes lead up. The longer, gentler camel path, Siket El Bashait, takes about 2.5 hours on foot. The steeper route, Siket Sayidna Musa, has 3,750 steps. We plan the camel path for the way up. You can ride a camel for part of it, paid separately.

   Morning. At the summit (2,285 m) you wait for sunrise, wrapped in a blanket. A small camp below the top rents mattresses and blankets. The Greek Orthodox chapel at the summit is not open to the public. You walk down to the monastery, then go back to the hotel for breakfast.

   Afternoon. The rest of the day is for sleep. Lunch and dinner are included.

   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Overnight in St Catherine
3. 3
   Day 3 · St CatherineThe monastery and the wadis

   Morning. The monastery is built at the foot of the mountain and is described as the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery. Your guide takes you through the visitor areas, including the bush chapel, and tells you about the library, where the Codex Sinaiticus was found in 1859. Visiting hours and the areas open on the day are set by the monastery, and we confirm them when you book.

   Afternoon. Lunch is included. After it the 4x4 takes you into a nearby wadi. The Jebeliya Bedouin, the traditional people of the area, have long farmed gardens here and are skilled gardeners. A local guide walks you through them.

   Evening. Dinner and the night are at your hotel in St Catherine.

   • GuideYour private guide
   • TransportPrivate air-conditioned vehicle
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch, Dinner

   Overnight in St Catherine
4. 4
   Day 4 · CairoReturn to Cairo

   Return. You leave St Catherine after breakfast at the hotel and your driver takes you back to Cairo by road, with lunch included on the way. Timings for the return are confirmed when you book. Drop-off is at your Cairo hotel or the airport. Bottled water stays with you in the vehicle. Book an onward flight with enough margin, because the arrival time in Cairo depends on the road.

   • Drop-offPrivate transfer to the airport or station
   • MealsBreakfast, Lunch

   Trip ends in Cairo

How much does this 4-day trip cost?

In US dollars, per person, for a private trip. The price in your written quote, made for your dates and group, is the one that counts. International flights are not included. Choose a hotel level in the booking box to see the total for your group.

Where you’ll stay

What’s included

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