Hiking Mt. Sinai was something I knew I had to do when visiting Egypt. I was interested in doing this hike for a couple of reasons. I thought it was unique that the hike was overnight and you would make it to the top by sunrise. The other reason being that this is said to be the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments. I mostly wanted to do the hike for religious reasons, but no matter what your views, hiking Mount Sinai is incredible.
Alright, let me tell you more about Mt. Sinai. The closest cities to the hike are Dahab and Sharm-El-Sheikh. From Sharm-El-Sheikh it is about a 3 hour drive to the bottom of the hike. The hike will take around a total of four hours( two hours for the hike up, an hour at the top and an hour back down.) In total, the hike up and back is six miles. Spending that hour on the top is much needed to rejuvenate and enjoy the sunrise.
Here are a couple tips for for the hike:
- Bring a flashlight! This will be so helpful if you decide to hike overnight. For 2.5 miles you’ll be walking up the camel trail. This means the trail is fairly easy as you zigzag. However, there are rocks on this path that you’ll want to avoid. Having light while you walk will be helpful.
- Bring good shoes! I feel like this may be obvious, but still. I wouldn’t recommend this hike to be done in flip flops.
- Bring Egyptian pounds! There are rest stops along the way. You will see small huts as you hike up that sell snacks and drinks. There is one right near the top, so that’s where I got my hot chocolate and snickers bar.
- Bring layers! Once you are at the top, you will be cold. There are blankets to rent at the top if you need more. We wore leggings and sweatshirts and needed a blanket as well.
Weather:
We hiked Mt. Sinai in November. In my opinion, the best time to be in Egypt. The weather was perfect everywhere we went. The overnight hike is the best option. Doing this hike during the day may get too hot. Thankfully, there are rest stops as I mentioned above. There are also bathrooms!
Overall Tip:
I do highly recommend taking a tour company. Because of where Mt. Sinai is located in the Sinai Peninsula and it is required to have certain transport for security reasons. So, taking a tour is the best option as you’ll have a guide on the hike and you’ll have your transportation to Mount Sinai. Here are some tours I would suggest.
If you are looking to plan more for your Egypt take a look at this blog.
