St. Catherine Mountain Sunrise Hike

Climbing Mount Sinai in the dark to watch the sun come up over the Sinai range is one of the few genuinely unforgettable things you can do from the Red Sea coast. This is a guided overnight trip: you leave late in the evening, walk through the night, and are back at your hotel the following day. The timing. Pick-up is late evening, with a stop to buy snacks and water before you enter the protectorate. The climb begins at around 1:00 AM, which sounds brutal and is in fact the point: the temperature is manageable, the path is quiet, and you reach the summit with time to spare before first light. The climb itself. The usual route is the camel path, a long but steady ascent that most reasonably fit walkers manage without difficulty, followed by the final flight of steps to the summit. There is no scrambling and no exposure. What makes it hard is the hour and the height gain, not technical difficulty. Camels are available on the lower section at extra cost if you would rather not walk the whole way. St Catherine's Monastery. After descending you visit the monastery at the foot of the mountain, one of the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monasteries in the world. Entrance is included. Opening hours are limited and the monastery closes to visitors on some days and religious feast days, so the trip is scheduled around them. What to bring. Warm layers are essential, because the summit before dawn is cold in every season and bitterly so in winter. Bring a head torch or a charged phone, closed walking shoes with grip, gloves in winter, and more water than you think you need. Modest dress covering shoulders and knees is required at the monastery. Meals are not included; snacks are bought at the stop on the way. A licensed local mountain guide accompanies you throughout, and transfers are in an air-conditioned vehicle.