My experience Climbing Mount Sinai
Having never climbed anything before and not exactly being a hiking enthusiast… the idea of climbing Mount Sinai in Egypt as my first mountain very much appealed to me. My trip in Egypt so far hadn’t been the most relaxing trip (see our off the beaten track desert tour here) so a mountain climb seemed to fit with the vibe of this adventure.
With an attitude of 2,285m, this was quite a bit higher than the highest mountain in England (Ben Nevis, 1,345m) but I felt somewhat comfortable when seeing the other people on the tour bus. I was surprised about the amount of older people boarding the tour bus at 9.30pm during their relaxing holiday. This was an over night climb with the goal being to summit with enough time to see the sunrise.
Where To Book?
We booked our trip with Viator for an incredible price of only £16. Pick up time was around 9.30pm and it would take about 2/3 hours of driving into the Sinai desert to reach the mountain. During this time, the Sinai desert was a bit of a no-go area due to the rising political tensions, which for us meant we may have invalidated our travel insurance by going on this trip (This has now changed)
This also meant buses had to travel in a convoy, each bus with their own armed security guard. The good news is, if you buy a local sim card, you will be blessed with good phone signal deep into the desert so you can take your mind off all the potential risks with some social media surfacing… that and sharing your live location with friends and family… just in case… Here is my experience climbing Mount Sinai.
Arriving At The Base (Before Climbing Mount Sinai)
We arrived to the base of the mountain at around 12am and I was shocked to see how remote this place actually was. I was even more shocked to see an airport security set up before you can enter the mountain area! It was incredibly dark and we needed phone torches to navigate.
I couldn’t see any shops or buildings apart from the mini border check. It’s best to bring as many snacks and liquids as you can before arriving to St Catherine’s before climbing Mount Sinai.
Quick funny story: I had brought some vodka with me for a celebratory drink at the top of my first mountain summit but was soon regretting that after seeing the intimidating security officers. This is a predominantly Muslim country so I don’t think they would have been very happy seeing a small bottle of vodka.
I’m not proud of my actions next… seeing my friends backpack slightly open in front of me, I quickly slid the vodka into his backpack for ‘safe keeping’. Thankfully all was good we had a good laugh about the situation… eventually.
Climbing Mount Sinai
Anyway, we finally begun our accent climbing Mount Sinai! This is also where we a couple of very clever stray dogs, who like to accompany the tourists to the top of the mountain. I really wish I had something to give them but they were happy with a piece of sandwich. What I needed was a small bowl to give them some water!
We started walking and for the most part, it was just a slightly inclined hike. Easy right? Well if you have been even slightly active beforehand, you should be fine for this part. I however had fallen out of shape recently due to working as a digital nomad and being… lazy… and started to worry just how quickly I was tiring.
Thankfully the group would stop off quite regularly, usually around every 15 minutes for a quick break. It wasn’t quite enough, but you could push yourself to keep going.
It’s very dark so a good phone light or rather a headlamp is ideal so you don’t trip over any rocks. This part definitely felt adventurous and although you couldn’t see much, it was great to hear the eerie silence of the desert mixed with the grunts and struggles from other ill-prepared travellers.
The tour was surprisingly busy but its likely due to the security issues that everyone must travel together at the same time. Remember to check your insurance, as we found anywhere outside of the main Sharm El Sheik town wasn’t covered by our insurance as the UK has deemed it a red no travel zone! I believe as of 2023 this has now changed, but as always, be sure to Check Official Travel Advice.
Things to be aware of
Like most long trips, having a power bank to keep your phone charged up is essential! We were getting closer to the summit, however this is where the hard part begins. The steady inclined trail start to change and become rockier and I like to call this bit the steps of hell… the final path to the summit was steeper, made from large natural stone steps that for a short person such as myself, was incredibly difficult to ascend.
Feeling like my entire legs were on fire, this part definitely separated the fit from the unfit and I wish I had better prepared myself for climbing Mount Sinai, like my friend did. Even some mild training beforehand of being used to climbing steps will give you a big advantage for this part
My friend (who been working out with a personal trainer for the last couple months) blissfully climbed up the steps, with me trying to keep up while hoping I don’t pass out or have a heart attack but still maintaining my ‘I’m fine’ composure. One of the dogs was by my side and could probably clearly see I was struggling so decided to stay with me for moral support!
Honestly I wish I could have taken them home with me. They seemed to only follow the people who made a fuss and fed them so if you don’t like wild stray desert dogs they will likely leave you alone. They were however very friendly!
The Summit
Finally, I could see the summit and found myself self with a new burst of energy. This was the moment that definitely put a strain on our friendship for a few hours as I used the very last bit of energy to accelerate to the top, ahead of my friend thus giving me the satisfaction of telling everyone when we got home I summited first. Unlike the vodka prank however, we still don’t laugh about this!
Unfortunately we didn’t have a completely clear sunrise as it was quite hazy, however it’s still one of the most amazing sunrises I’ve ever seen. There isn’t much on the summit but its large enough to walk around and their was a wall protecting people from falling over the edge.
The views we’re incredible and showed the vastness of the Sinai peninsula. I am still not quite convinced that this was the mountain that Moses climbed and received the 10 commandments as it seems more likely to be placed somewhere in Saudi Arabia, however I don’t think we’ll ever truly know! That’s why it’s sometimes called Moses Mountain.
Great experience nonetheless. The celebratory vodka sadly wasn’t quite as satisfying as I thought it would be the night before, I’d definitely recommend a flask of tea or coffee instead. Who would of thought drinking on the top of a mountain would be bad idea… As the sun came up, the temperature quickly did too and the challenge was to get down before we run out of water.
The Descent (2 Options)
After some recovery time, photos and wiping away the tears from climbing Mount Sinai’s steps, we were ready for the descent. Its at this point you will likely be presented with two options, kinda like a blue pill or red pill scenario. You can continue back down the same way you came… or you can take the more direct route!
I would say about 90% of the group went back the same way… MISTAKE! We were told it was a lot harder but going down is a lot easier than coming up. We took the the other option and it was truly incredible.
It is harder as the route is almost entirely large naturally form stone steps, but the views were incredible. This takes you down the other side of the mountain directly, rather than the original route with goes around the side of the mountain.
Only a couple other seasoned travellers took this route and the guide we became friendly with joined us. He explained how they once tried to take tourists up this route and so many people failed they had to change to the longer easier route. From the picture below it doesn’t look too bad, but that is just the beginning.
St. Catherine’s Monastery
As you go through the beautifully naturally carved out valley and see the St. Catherine’s monastery at the bottom, all that pain just seeps away… eventually… The steps became very large at this point and most were boulders you had to navigate around.
I found like jumping from each boulder to another was quite a fun and quick way to get down and didn’t require too much energy. What I enjoyed most about this part was not just the spectacular views, but also looking up and down the route and not seeing any other people.
What began as being part of a large tour, now felt like a private mountain excursion. We were not bound by any arranged stopping points or to keep up with the group, we simply leisurely descended and took regular stops to take pictures and take in the stunning surroundings! Despite taking our time and enjoying the journey down, we still managed to get down slightly before everyone else who took the original route!
Overview
Overall, climbing Mount Sinai was an incredible experience and well worth doing even if you are not fit or very well prepared. The final part of our tour was looking around St. Catherine’s monastery which to be honest, after the climb was really not that interesting.
There were claims the ‘burning bush’ was there but strangely closed off so you can’t actually see anything. I wish I could write a bit more about this as I know a lot of people would find it an interesting place to visit and the location of it is truly amazing, however after the climb I was barely functional and the thought of a long journey back in a hot minbus made me want to just relax in a shady spot.
I looked around everything very quickly and then relaxed somewhere away from everyone. It took quite a while for everyone to get back into the buses which was quite frustrating and I think our bus driver also was getting a little impatient in the end and decided to take off without waiting for the rest of the safety convoy… I hope everyone from our bus managed to get on although I am not 100%… this is Egypt after all!
Well that was just part of our incredible trip backpacking around Egypt! If you are not sure what else to do in Egypt, you can check out our other post – ‘Top 10 Things To Do In Egypt’
