Mount Sinai, a night trip from Sharm El Sheikh

Mount Sinai sunrise climb from Sharm El Sheikh: how it works

Almost everyone does Mount Sinai as an overnight tour from Sharm. A bus or minivan collects you from your hotel around 22:00–23:00, drives about three hours inland to St Catherine village, and you start walking around 1:00–2:00 with a Bedouin guide and a torch. You reach the summit for sunrise, walk down to St Catherine's Monastery for its 9:00 opening, and are back at the hotel by early afternoon.

Group tours with transfer, guide and the monastery stop cost roughly US$30–80 per person — unofficial figures that vary by agency and season; private trips cost several times more. Before you pay, ask whether the protectorate fee, the guide and monastery entry are included, and which night the tour leaves.

How hard is the Mount Sinai hike?

Moderate, not technical. The camel path climbs gently for most of the way and takes 2.5–3 hours at an average pace; the way down takes 1.5–2 hours. The monastery itself suggests allowing 5–7 hours for the round trip. The hard part is the final 750 steps from Elijah's Basin to the top: uneven, high, climbed in the dark and in a queue of other hikers.

No ropes or climbing skills are needed, but it is several hours uphill at night on no sleep. It is not a good idea for young children, pregnant travellers or anyone with heart, back or knee problems. Camels can carry you part of the way, up to where the steps begin; handlers set the price on the spot.

What is Mount Sinai?

Mount Sinai — Jebel Musa, the Mountain of Moses, in Arabic — is where, by biblical tradition, Moses received the Ten Commandments. It is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims, which is why a small Greek Orthodox chapel of the Holy Trinity and a small mosque share the summit.

For most visitors, though, the draw is the walk itself: a line of torches zigzagging up the mountain under the stars, then dawn spreading over the red granite ridges of southern Sinai. The peak stands at 2,285 m in the St Katherine Protectorate; the monastery at its foot is one of the oldest working monasteries in the world.

What to see on Mount Sinai

• Sunrise over the ridges of southern Sinai — the rock turns from grey to red in a few minutes.
• The Holy Trinity chapel on the summit, built in the 1930s from the stones of older churches. It is usually locked, but you can stand by its walls.
• The small summit mosque, already recorded by 11th-century writers.
• Elijah's Basin below the top: the double chapel of Elijah and Elisha and a lone cypress tree.
• The Steps of Repentance on the way down, with the monastery appearing in the gorge below.
• Bedouin tea stalls along the trail selling hot tea, coffee and chocolate — a good place to wait out the cold.

St Catherine's Monastery after the descent

The monastery sits at the foot of the mountain, so nearly every tour combines the two. According to the monastery's own site, it is open to visitors 9:00–11:30 and closed on Fridays, Sundays and major Greek Orthodox feasts. Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities lists different hours, so leave some slack and check with your guide.

Inside are the 6th-century Church of the Transfiguration, the site of the Burning Bush and a library of ancient manuscripts — more on the St Catherine's Monastery page. Guided tours are not allowed inside: your guide talks at the gate, and you follow the set route through the grounds.

Steps of Repentance or the camel path?

The monastery puts the old monks' staircase at about 3,750 steps, carved in the 6th century; other counts run from 3,000 to 3,750, and nobody has published an exact tally. It is shorter but steep, and hard on the knees.

Most people go up the camel path, which only meets the steps for the final 750, and choose on the way down: the camel path again (easier on the joints) or the Steps of Repentance (steeper and quieter, and they finish right at the monastery walls).

Weather and what to wear

The summit at night is 10–15 °C colder than the valley. In winter temperatures fall below freezing and snow is possible; in summer the night is cool and the morning turns hot fast. Spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons.

Wear layers you can peel off on the way up and put back on at the top: a windproof jacket, hat and gloves, plus proper closed shoes with grip. A headtorch beats a phone torch — you'll want both hands free on the high steps. Bring water, a snack and a power bank.

Money, passport and the Sinai stamp

Tours are usually paid in US dollars or euros, in cash or by card at the agency; Visa and Mastercard work in hotels and larger shops in Sharm. On the mountain it is cash only: carry Egyptian pounds in small notes for a camel, tea, toilets, blanket hire and a tip for your guide.

Bring your passport. Tour operators say the free Sinai-only stamp you get when flying into Sharm covers this trip; the UK government's list for the stamp names only the Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba resorts, so confirm with your operator. UK travel advice does not place St Catherine or Mount Sinai in its areas to avoid.

Mount Sinai or just the monastery?

If a night climb sounds too much, look for a daytime trip to the monastery only: the same road from Sharm, without the sleepless night.

Is Mount Sinai worth it?

Yes, if you like mountains, sunrises or biblical sites and can handle a night without sleep. It is the most memorable trip into the Sinai interior from Sharm — the starlit trail and the dawn over the ridges stay with you longer than another beach day.

Skip it if you're travelling with young children, struggle with cold and stairs, or have only a few days: the day after is mostly lost to sleep. In that case, see the monastery alone or stay by the sea at Ras Mohammed.

Sharm El Sheikh's best views compared

Places around Sharm El Sheikh with the best views, rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby — add to your day

49

Saint Catherine's Monastery

Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt

1 h · Free entry, museum extra · 34 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Saint Catherine's Monastery

How to do it right

• Leave on a Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Friday night so the monastery is open when you come down.
• Don't race to the top: waiting an hour or more for sunrise in the wind is how people get cold.
• With healthy knees, come down the Steps of Repentance — fewer people, and you finish at the monastery gate.
• A camel only saves effort up to the steps — everyone walks the last 750.
• Wear a headtorch rather than holding your phone: you'll want your hands on the high steps.
• Keep the next morning free — you'll need the sleep.

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