Mount Sinai and Catherine's Monastery Tour from Sharm El-Sheikh

Great experience. It is not easy and go prepared. Totally worth it

This is a very long journey, in our case 7:45pm on evening up until around 12pm the next day but would recommend atleast once for its religious significance. I’ve broken the review into three sections (1) what to expect for transport (2) What to expect at Mount Sinai and (3) General tips To begin then - (1) What to expect for transport: - We were picked up around 8pm from our hotel in a minibus that holds around 12 people. The first few hours involved picking other people up and smoke breaks. Total journey time in minibus from hotel to start of the Trek was over 4 hours. Expect similar time for return. - The minibus is air conditioned but can get hot. Also not much leg room. - There are toilet breaks and you can buy food/water during these stops - You will unfortunately not be able to sleep much on the bus due to the regular road potholes. Also the driver has to play music to keep awake. - Our guide (‘Ramadan’) was very friendly knowledgeable about the mountain and history and gave us a brief during the bus ride. (2) What to expect at Mount Sinai: - The guide will stop at the monastery (where the bus stops) and meet you there the next morning. You will be taken up the mountain by a separate Bedouin guide. - You will go up in your transport group but there are many other groups present too (I’d guess more than 70 people were at the top for sunrise). - Our Trek began at 12:30pm and we were at the top before sunrise around 5:30am (5 hours up). We needed to be back at the monastery by 8:30am. Hence expect an 8 hour round trip up and down the mountain. - The path starts off paved and quickly becomes just gravel. Most of the journey involves taking steps on various rocks. It is very tiring but you will stop multiple times along the way. - You can rent a camel for between $15-$20 USD (or equivalent) for one way. This however is not an easy way out as its very painful on the groin area (more detail below). Camels are scattered throughout the mountain near each stop. - There are no toilets on the way up. Once you get to the very top you can pay to use one (we didn’t see it until the way down) but it is apparently extremely dirty according to the guide. Worth noting if you need to make ablutions to pray. - There are 750 steps at the top which are very tiring after the long trek to get to them. - Once you get to the top the views are breathtaking! (see pictures) You will stay at the top until sunrise then make your way down. - You will be given a tour of the monastery when back down but will be less than an hour before you must return to the bus. Your tour will include the burning bush and the well of Moses (Peace Be Upon Him). (3) General tips - Dress well e.g. sports clothes and also have warm clothes for when you’re at the top as its cold up there. You can rent a blanket but its extortionate. Good shoes are vital. - Take your own food, water and energy drinks. Otherwise expect to pay a lot e.g. 100 EGY for a water. - Take your own mini torch as it will be better than the one provided. - Please note that if you get tired the camels are not an easy way out. They will give your legs a rest but you will suffer in other ways because the saddle is quite small so with each step they take you will be constantly impaled at your stomach and back by the wooden edge of the saddle. As a result you have to use your hand as a shock absorber and they will be hurting within minutes. What’s far worse though is they crush your groin area with each step they take because of the hard impact of each step which is pretty much unavoidable. Would not recommend using a camel unless extremely tired. Our only negative experience was on the return to the bus from the monastery we were asked to pay an extra 25 Egyptian pounds per person to get a minibus for 30 seconds to our main minibus instead of walking 10 minutes. We took it instead of walking as we didn’t want other travellers to wait. We gave a 100 as we didn’t have change was this taken and no change given (despite asking). I didn’t like that Ramadan just took the money and refused to give me the change. I ended up telling him to keep it as I was too tired to argue. I appreciate it’s not a large amount but this lack of integrity when people are tired is really not acceptable. Despite this I would recommend this difficult but rewarding experience

I booked it at last minute and it ended up being a private tour handled by Sameh Nofal who has been a tour guide of Mt Sinaí for over 20 years. Sameh picked me up at 11 pm (because my flight landed at 9:50 pm!), he arranged the vehicle, he was my driver and companion as well as the coordinator with the Bedouin for my climb; I felt traveling with a friend since the first minute: educated, respectful and engaging with you; given my situation (tired after a full day touring in Fayoum near Cairo) he gave me advice and organized contingency options (a possible camel ride if I would get exhausted during the climb, what to carry and could possibly buy during the climb, etc.) and he gave me advice on how to handle the experience. Fortunately I was able to take a nap in his car during the 2.5-3 hour drive from Sharm El-Sheik to St Catherine and I was full recovered by then; Sameh gave specific instructions to the bedouin who escorted me in the mountain and he waited for me upon the descent to guide me in the Monastery of st Catherine; he is absolutely a master in the details of this historic region. The drive back to my hotel was smooth and we kept talking about meaningful topics all the way until he dropped me off at my hotel around 1:00 pm the following day.

This tour was one of the highlights of my trip to Egypt. Hiking and climbing Mount Sinai was definitely challenging and exhausting, especially the final ascent, but every step was worth it when we reached the top and witnessed the incredible views. The scenery and atmosphere were unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. A huge thank you to our guide, Fares. His knowledge of the history, biblical significance, and local culture made the entire journey so much more meaningful. He was professional, patient, and always willing to answer questions throughout the hike. You could tell he genuinely cared about making sure everyone had a great experience. After the mountain, visiting Saint Catherine’s Monastery and seeing the famous Burning Bush was the perfect way to end the tour. The combination of history, faith, breathtaking views, and an outstanding guide made this a truly unforgettable experience. If you’re considering this tour, be prepared for a physically demanding hike—but don’t let that stop you. The reward at the top and the experience as a whole are 100% worth it. Highly recommend! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a wild journey and a very beautiful one. Arriving into Sharm El Sheikh I was worried about only doing touristy things and I wanted to see the history of this holy land. When seeing Mount Sinai was close enough this was the best and low cost option to get there. They take you 3 hours away and 3 hours back from where ever you are staying in Sharm El Sheikh. That alone is crazy to think about my taxi to the airport is 15-20$ here. You'll leave at night so it's a bit chilly at the top of the mountain. There are a lot of stops along the way and I would strongly recommend bringing all the snacks and drinks you think you'll need for a 4 hour hike up and 2 hours treck down. I am sure they make some commission from all the places we stop, because there was a lot of stops, but they are generally very honest helpful guides and drivers so I don't see an issue with this given the low cost. The Trek was gruiling and challenging. My only honest critique was how hard it was. It took everything in my to get up the mountain and I'm happy I did it in this challenging way. I truly wanted to get a glimpse of what moses experienced and I wouldn't trade that opportunity for a camel ride or an easier mountain. If you really don't want to go through the trials of this hike just take a camel up and walk up the stairs at the top. I did not know fully how hard it would be. I am not super fit but I can walk for a few hours and exercise no problem. Getting up was extremely difficult so if you're not good with insurance running hiking or fast walks be prepared for a hard trail. Also a heads up the stairs at the end are truly the worst part and for me it so hard to get that last KM because of how steep the rocky steps are. Even if it feels like you have a lot of energy left please save energy for the steps at the end and take them seriously. You need to pay for almost every bathroom do be being EGP. Also going down sucks if you don't have the right shoes. I really recommend you bring a headlamp. Ultimate it was a mixed bag of grueling but beautiful experiences. They are upfront about that. They are very honest and keep you safe with a good local guide. They don't push for tips. If you bring all the food with you it's truly worth the 30$ admission for a life changing experience. We were all dead though after coming down. So tired and we couldn't sleep until we got home so be prepared to be sleep deprived and grumpy. All and all I would say it's so worth doing. I was very scared going in and those fears were indeed warranted. I strongly recommend training for this with long walks and runs or hikes before hand as all the highly active people in the group didn't have much trouble. Or preparing to bring cash for a camel assist. I recommend going through it though it was very worth it to me.

The communication from the start was great. When arranging the tour they answered all our questions and even checked in to see if we were all okay once we had been picked up. Our tour guide that picked us up and did the tour around St. Catherine’s was Fares, he was warm and friendly, clear on the itinerary throughout the excursion and would check in to make sure you were doing okay. We then met with Muhammad who was our tour guide up the mountain. He gave clear instructions to help keep the whole group safe and was very friendly and caring with the people who struggled and needed breaks. The hike up was difficult, you definitely need to be physically fit to make it to the top by only the coffee shop breaks. Personally, I had to take quick more regular breaks the higher up we got, cause the lack of sleep does affect my energy level too. It was also okay to take the regular breaks as most other people in my group did and you could easily let the guide know as well. Once we made it to the summit, the sunrise was spectacular and made the physical struggles of getting to the top worth it. It makes you feel proud of what you’ve accomplished. The only thing we weren’t quite clear on was that we were given the option to pay in US $ for the entrance fee to the mountain however the entrance fees for the toilets were only in Egyptian pounds. We didn’t have this currency to hand and so wasn’t able to use the toilets. To note, from the response of the people in our group who used the toilets, the ones at the bottom of the mountain/near the entrance are the most hygienic and cheaper then the toilets up the mountain which were the opposite, so make sure to go before you start the hike. The trek down was much easier and once we made it down, we met back up with Fares who gave an excellent tour of St Catherine’s. We then went back to the mini bus to which we really appreciated the driver for transporting us all and waiting over night for us as well. We met some wonderful people in our group. It was a great opportunity and we are grateful to the tour group who organised it. Thank you

first things first: viator provided great support throughout the reservation / meet-up process. The excursion itself (with infinity travel/tours), however, fell short in several dimensions. 1) we wasted 1h going fpr the collection of people, and 45min. I've taken several such organised tours and this is the longest it has ever taken. A different way to organise pick-up should be used. 2) the tour i booked promised 2h at the st catherine monastery, we ended up staying barely 45min (and ot was planned to be this way). 3) Guides had a very basic level of English, it was quite difficult to follow what was said. 4) the minivan was packed and had extremely small spaces between rows (and I'm of average height). The trip was very uncomfortable and one could not reasonably nap. I would not take this tour again if I had the opportunity.

Well organised trip with clear communication between the tour operators and guide. Mohammed our guide was brilliant, he made everything very clear and his knowledge of st. Catherine monastery very good. Our guide up the mountain was Jamil, again very clear with instructions and kept our group safe and all together. From our experience climbing this mountain, wrap up warm as it is freezing at the top! You can borrow blankets to wrap up in at the summit but we were both still freezing! Take a head torch and wear good trainers with a good grip for climbing. Do not take heavy rucksacks/backpacks. For any one who is planning on praying at the top (there is no wudu facilities for this) take a bottle of water and ask to be taken to the mosque at the summit otherwise you are praying outside. Take money for renting the blanket and for hot drinks at the summit. Honestly, it is hard going! It will test you and you will be exhausted! Going down is worst than going up! But with that said, an experience we will not forget for a long time! The sunrise was stunning!

Muhammed is a knowledgeable guide. The tour is well-organized. Highly recommended.

The trip was great. Everything happened on time & guide was very friendly, he was very informative and helpful. Recommended