Upon return from my trip, telling people excitedly about climbing Mt. Sinai frequently met with blank stares. I was aghast...
Do people really not know what Mt. Sinai is???
For those of you who slept through Bible school, Mt. Sinai is the mountain where God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and told him to go to Egypt and set his people free. Then, after he had done that, God handed the 10 Commandments to Moses on top of Mt. Sinai. (Remember Charlton Heston in that old movie???)
So Mt. Sinai is one of the oldest and most famous natural monuments on earth (Biblically speaking). Whether or not you believe in all that stuff, an ascent of Mt. Sinai is still a pretty spectacular event, and I heartily recommend it.
The first thing to consider is that you're in the middle of one of the driest, hottest, and most barren deserts on the planet. So it's a good idea to climb the mountain in the middle of the night.
Yes, you heard me right...in the middle of the night! Everyone does. You start the climb between 1am (weaker hikers) and 3am (strong hikers) which puts you to the top JUST in time for sunrise. The descent in the heat of the morning reminds you how smart you were to start in the cool of night.
I recommend doing the hike independently, which means either having your own car (not recommended, but I did it!) or taking the bus to St. Catherine from either Dahab (15LE and 2 hours) or Sharm al Sheik (20LE and 4 hours). You can also bus here from Cairo via Taba (wayyyy out of the way, but only 40LE) and it takes about 12 hours.
Your hike starts from the parking lot at the gated entry to the monastery, about 1km northwest of town. The parking lot (depending on the season) will either be deserted, or filled with large tour buses, and there will be a crowd of bedoins around a fire that will swarm around you as soon as you leave your car offering their services as guides. A polite "No, thank you" should turn them away, but they will make all sorts of excuses like "Many trails to mountain. I show you one that is faster," or "Climb mountain very dangerous. Need guide for protection." Any excuse they give you is unwarranted unless you're a lousy excuse for a hiker. Just stroll past them and through the vehicle gate and up towards the monastery.
At the fork in the road, stay to the left of the monastery, and you'll eventually be wandering through some camel yards. This is a bizarre sight, in the middle of a starry Sinai night, to see hundreds of camels lying on the ground, belching and growling at each other, with turban-wrapped Bedouins crouching around dying embers and whispering, "Camel...camel for you..." as you stroll past.
You will likely attract a small following of bedoins and camels that may trail you for a mile or so. I think it's best to turn politely but firmly and say, "NO CAMEL, NO GUIDE" but it rarely works. The bedoin child dragging his camel behind him will no doubt reply, "I follow you. If you tired and need camel, I here. If not, no problem!"
RIGHT! Like he won't expect a tip for following your derrier up the mountain just IN CASE you needed the camel!
The climb is on a broad sandy path, and you'll see many forks in the path, but they all lead to the same place so just follow the tiny spots of light you see high up the mountain above you and you'll be going in the right direction. These spots of light are actually bedouin tea-shacks, and you'll be glad they're there by the time you reach the first one. The climb is VERY steep and it gets cold here regardless of season. In the winter, it drops below freezing well before midnight, so dress accordingly.
You'll be given numerous opportunities to ride a camel throughout your climb, and if the going gets too steep, you can always get on. During winter, a camel ride will run you 50LE ($10), or 40LE if you bargain hard. During the peak of summer, count on 150LE.
After about 2 hours of relentless climbing, you'll reach the end of the camel path. If you gave in, much to your distress you'll be told you have to get off and walk the rest of the way, but don't worry, it's only 800 steps to the top! A 5LE tip for your camel is standard, and politely refuse your guides services for the rest of the climb unless you NEED his help getting up those 800 steps.
After a glass of hot tea to warm your chilled bones, continue up the trail, which now consists of hand-hewn steps in the rock, each about 3 inches shorter than a conventional step which gets annoying after awhile.
An hour or two later, depending on your climbing strength, you'll reach the top, where you can rent blankets and mattresses from the tea shack (4LE each). In winter, you'll want them.
Find a flat place (there are more on the other side of the chapel if the first area you come to is already crowded), and settle in for the sunrise. It will start with a gradual lightening of the sky, which will reveal a sea of fog-shrouded peaks far below you, and reveal to your delight (or dismay) just HOW HIGH you climbed.
Finally the sun will poke its red head above the mountains in distant Saudi Arabia and it will be welcomed with cheers and applause from the weary hikers, usually followed by religious hymns in a handful of languages. Religious or not, there is not likely to be a dry eye on top of the mountain at this point.
Shockingly, many people just turn around and leave after the sun rises. I recommend that you stay and scramble around the peak and it's slightly lower alternate peak. Once full light comes to the mountains, you'll be shocked at how barren and rugged they are. I've never seen mountains like this anywhere.
There are two options for descending. You can descend the way you climbed, or you can take the better alternative, "The Steps of Penance." Sound a bit dismal? On the contrary, this spectacular descent via 3,000 stone steps to the monastery is delightful, if only because it keeps you off the dusty, camel-infested main path.
Descend to the valley with the trees in it. (You'll know what that means when you see it.) There will be a sign pointing down into the valley where you plainly see the trail crossing it. Follow the trail down and into this valley (called Elijah's Basin) and under the fragrant 500-year-old Cypress trees. Then you'll pass beneath a stone arch and begin your sharp descent through a rugged canyon to the monastery. It should take about 2 hours for this descent, none of which is hazardous.
The monastery itself makes an interesting place to poke around once you reach the bottom. It was founded in 400 AD as a refuge for Christians in the Muslim Sinai at the site where a bush was discovered that is believed to be the legendary Burning Bush. That may seem far-fetched, but at the time it was literally the ONLY living thing on the mountain, and it has since survived over 1,600 years and still lives and grows prolifically inside the walls of the monastery. The chapel is a must-see, as its carved wooden doors are over 1,200 years old, and the spectacular (but slightly creepy) interior contains a collection of icons rivalled only by the Vatican. Impressive stuff.
You can grab a cheap bite to eat in the town of St. Catherine at The Restaurant for Friends (on the left past the post office). This is where other hikers meet to share the cost of a service taxi to Dahab or Cairo.
The hike is 6 miles roundtrip, with an elevation gain in excess of 5,000 feet. It's no walk in the park, but the path is so well maintained that I have to say it's suitable for anyone. DO THIS HIKE, it will leave you with the exhileration experienced only by climbers summitting major peaks with major equipment...not to mention a funny tingle about walking across rocks where Moses recieved the 10 Commandments from the hand of God.
Cool stuff...