The Sinai in a Weeknend

St. Katherine's monestary is home to an old sect of Greek Orthodox monks dating back to the Byzantine Empire. A hike up the famous Mount Sinai to see the sunrise is a must. After a few days inland head to the coast and experience the resort towns of Sharm El-Sheikh, Dahab, or the Ras Muhammad National Park. The Red Sea features some of the most spectacular diving and snorkeling in the world, take advantage of it!

Quick Tips:

Decide if you want to spend more time hiking around inland, or relaxing on the beach and diving. Saint Katherine's and Mt Sinai can be done in a day if needed. However, there are many other hidden oases and canyons that will be a treat for the more adventurous.

Best Way To Get Around:

The Sinai has a very limited road system and so the best way to get around is by bus. You can get between almost all the the towns on the Sinai by bus, but there are often only a few connections a day, so make sure you plan carefully. You can also rent a car, although the roads of the Sinai can be dangerous, for one there are many land minds left over, and also the Sinai has a large military presence that may sometimes hassle foreigners.

The St. Katherine Tourist Village is a nice hotel located 2 km up the road from the Monastary. As its name suggests, it is sort of cheesey, but a good place nonetheless. The architecture tries to blend in with the surrounding rocks and mountains but does not work too well. Rooms are standard size doubles and all have AC which is a life saver in the summer. There is also a small bar, and a restaurant with good quality buffets where you will most likely end up eating most of your meals because there really is nothing around St. Katherine's. The hotel also has a lovely pool that feels absolutely wonderful after wandering around in the heat of the Sinai all day. There are a few tourist shops and a small tent with pillows where you can relax at the end of the day. St. Katherine doesn't have much to offer in the way of housing and the Tourist Village is one of the best you can stay in, perfect for a night or two.

When it comes to resort style hotels, the Swiss chain Mövenpick makes some of the best. While not terribly pleasing from an architecture stand-point, the Mövenpick at Sharm is a high class high quality resort with all the services you could possible need. It is located right on Na'ama Bay and has its own beach. It has numerous watersport facilities, snorkeling, diving, sailing, and parasailing, as well as a tour office that will organize tours to other parts of the Sinai. One of the best things about the Mövenpick is its location. It is located right near the heart of most of Sharm's nightlife, with plenty of clubs and restaurants withing walking distance. The staff is very friendly and helpful, but the marquee of the resort is its absolutely supurb buffets. The Mövenpick features a sprawling breakfast buffet and every night the dinner buffet features a different cuisine. Definitely worth the money. If you are going to Sharm and want to be close to the beach and all the action, as well as have great facilities at your disposal, the Mövenpick is the perfect place.

Located at the foot of Mt. Sinai, St. Katherine's monastary is an old Greek Orthodox Monestary founded in the 4th Century BC near the spot where they supposedly found the remains of St. Katherine of Alexandria, who was killed by the Romans for being Christian. The modern fortress that you see today was built by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in the 6th century. Currently about 20 monks occupy the monastary and you can take a tour of it, although take note that you have to see it before 12, because after 12 the monastary closes to the public.

Among the sites in the monastary are a beautiful chapel featuring original doors from the 6th century, as well as the remains of St. Katherine, the supposed Burning Bush through which God talked to Moses, and a well from which Moses drank. There is also a macabre room full of all the bones of the former monks of the monastary. St. Katherine can be done in about an hour or an hour and a half. It can also get crowded at times (thus be rather frustrating), but it is a beautiful monastary tucked into the mountains of the Sinai, and worth a visit.

Mount Sinai is said the be the historical mountain where Moses was spoken to by God in the form of a burning bush. It is held in high regard by Jews, Christians, and Muslims, so please be repectful as you climb.

The climb up the mountain is far different from the climb Moses made thousands of years ago to be sure. Today there is a nice wide camel path that will guide you gradually up the mountain. Along the way are throngs of camel sellers, as well as four or five stands selling water, soft drinks and candy. It's not likely that Moses stopped for a Snickers on his way up but, whatever, the climb still offers spectacular views.

During the summer I suggest not going up during the day; the heat is absolutely unbearable and dangerous. Plus, seeing the sunrise from the top is a magical experience. If you leave around 2:30-3:00am you will make it up in time for sunrise, but bring a flashlight and warm clothes. It gets cold on top of the mountain. Blankets are also for sale on top for about 5 Pounds.

There are 2 ways up the mountain, the Camel Trail and the Stairs of Repentance. For all but the most fit and adventurous, I suggest the Camel Trail; it will take you the majority of the way up the mountain, but you still will have to master one last set of stairs. The Stairs of Repentance are 3750 steps built by a monk for repentance. They go straight up the 2285 meter mountain and it will likely leave you breatheless by the end. If you are going to do the stairs bring lots of water and be very careful at night. I suggest for the average hikers around to go up the camel trail then come down the stairs. Coming down the stairs is not too difficult and it offers great views of the monastary.

On the top of Mt. Sinai there is a Greek Orthodox church as well as a mosque, although both are usually closed. During the summer months the mountain is often flooded with people waiting for the sunrise and fighting for spots on the mountain. I found that if you get up the mountain aroun 4:30-5:00 you should beat the rush and get the best seats, to the right of the church on the ledge. Then all you have to do is snuggle up with your partner, or chat with your mates and wait for the sunrise. You won't be disappointed.

The Red Sea has some of the best SCUBA and snorkelling in the world and Sharm El-Sheikh has its fair share of quality reefs. There are three main reefs close to Sharm. These are the Near, Middle, and Far gardens. All of them have splendid displays of coral and marine life: Parrot fish, Angel fish, barracuda, and a whole bunch of others I can't identify.

All of these reefs aren't accessable by walking or swimming so you will have to take a boat. You can get a full tour from all the major hotels including rental for fair prices. You will pay around 80 Pounds for a two hour tour of two of the reefs, or more for all three, and less for one. If you only have about an hour to spend, head to the Near Garden. Just because it is near doesn't mean that it is any less spectacular. I found the Middle Garden to have the best marine life. There are also all day tours out to some of the farther off islands or to places like Ras Muhammad for around 250 Pounds. Whether you go for a full day, or just a one hour trip, you are guaranteed to see some beautiful coral and marine life. I have snorkeled in the Atlantic, Carribean, and Pacific, and the Red Sea really does have some of the best in the world.