Visiting Egypt had been on my wish list for the longest time, so when I finally went there last December, I was ecstatic.
Being a history buff, Egypt was beyond fascinating to me and seeing the pyramids, mummies, oases, the River Nile and the architecture, as well as learning about the country’s history, was a lot of fun.
But for me, the best and most memorable part of the holiday was climbing Mount Sinai.
Mount Sinai, or Jabal Mousa, stands at 2,285m and is located in the South Sinai Governorate of Egypt. It is a sacred site for both Christians and Muslims, with many people hiking there each year during their pilgrimage.
Our six-hour car ride from Cairo to South Sinai was pleasant with occasional stops along the way for breaks and lunch. There was a security checkpoint at Abo Zenima where we had to scan our passports and luggage, but overall the journey was completely safe.
We were excited to travel across the Suez Canal. This canal is a significant maritime route between Europe and Asia – it is said to be the shortest route.
When we got to the town of St Catherine it was just before dinnertime. Our tour leader gave us a briefing on the hike, which would start at 1am – we wanted to catch the sunrise at the summit. He would be the “sweeper”, walking behind everyone, while a local Bedouin guide would lead us in front.
I woke up at midnight and quickly got ready for the hike, before boarding a van that took us to the registration post. We found out that you could also “climb” the mountain by riding a camel – it costs US$50 (RM202), and the camel would take you all the way to one of the last checkpoints.
We were fortunate that the weather was good and that there was a full moon, which provided enough light for us to see our way. Still, I brought along a small torchlight just in case.
The temperature was about 10°C so it was definitely cold, but the workout warmed me up throughout the hike. The path mainly consisted of sand and pebbles so luckily I wore my good pair of hiking shoes.
There were several segments to get through on the trail, with each one taking around an hour to complete. The first few segments had winding paths and steady ascents. We stopped for a 15-minute break at each tea house, which also served as checkpoints.
There are also some basic toilets at the checkpoints.
After a few hours of climbing, we arrived at a main checkpoint where we reunited with some of our tour members who had taken the camel option earlier.
From here, everyone must climb up the final 750 steps on foot.
It wasn’t easy as some parts were quite slippery. There were a few locals lingering about that “offered” to help, but we discovered that these were actually “paid services”, so be wary of this if you’re planning to hike here one day.
My tour members and I decided to just help one another, and take things slow. We made sure everyone was safe and that nobody was too far behind.
We all made it to the last checkpoint (yes, another one) by 5am.
By this time, the temperature had dropped to 5°C and it was so windy we could hear it howling. After a short break, we continued to climb the final and steepest flight of steps, reaching the top at 5.30am, just in time to witness the beautiful sunrise.
At the summit, there was a chapel, a mosque and the sacred Moses’ Cave, all of which are historically significant to the Christians and Muslims.
After taking countless pictures and marvelling at the panoramic view of Mount Sinai, we began our descend slowly along the same route. We stopped for a simple breakfast at one of the teahouses and took our time to enjoy just being on the mountain.
As an avid hiker, I would say that Mount Sinai was not too difficult to climb. But you would still need to do some training before going.
To me, though, this hike felt more like a pilgrimage and I will forever cherish it.
The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.
