Responsible Tourism

Mountain Hiking Tour – South Sinai

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What Are The Hikes?

We do 7, 10 & 14 day hikes in both the mountains and the deserts around the small town of Katreen, in southern Sinai. Katreen is home to the worlds oldest monastery, St Katherines and it lies next to Mount Sinai, of Moses fame. You spend the first and last night in Katreen at the Bedouin Camp with the nights in the middle spent in Bedouin gardens or settlements in the mountains and desert. Each hike allows you to:

Hike along wadis and up the mountain sides to old ruins
Experience and enjoy Bedouin culture, their gardens and their lifestyle
Gaze upon ancient ruins, young budding trees and abundant wildlife
You can choose whether to hike all day or stroll along, perhaps on a camel, and simply enjoy the view. Perhaps you will spend time with the Bedouin in their gardens, or simply contemplate the extraordinary rock formations. You might go bird watching or decide to hike to the top of the nearest mountain; because it's there. You decide how much effort to spend on walking and how much on experiencing the wonderful mountain and desert life.

Who Goes On The Hikes

Our standard hikes are for between 5 and 12 people; composed of singles, couples and groups of friends. We also cater for Charity Hikes, Special Interest Groups (Bird Watching, Yoga etc), and School & Youth Groups. You can be from 12 to 70 years old, fit and able or leisurely in your gait. The hikes allow you to stretch yourself physically, or expand your spiritual and emotional self through the simple enjoyment of the gardens, the wildlife and the company of your fellow hikers and the warmth of the local Bedouin.

Fitness & Health

You can be any age over 12 with no upper limit. For the mountain hikes, there are places of steep incline or descent. For those of you with slightly dodgy knees, we would advise these parts of the hike to be either ridden by camel or avoided altogether. The hikes are designed to be enjoyed, they are not a commando training course, and therefore all fitness levels can be catered for. Clearly you must be mobile and able to walk or even stroll for a mile or two.
To get to the top of either Mount Sinai or Mount Katherine, you are looking at a good 2 or 3 hours climb (the route is switch backed so the incline is quite easy) with a 1 or 2 hour descent. Most of the hikes can be done in hiking sandals (which is what the Bedouin wear) but for the rocky bits you will want some decent boots. Tell the Tour Leader and/or Tour Guide about any concerns you have before you start so they can ensure you have the best possible experience.

Mountain Hikes

Bedouin Paths is aptly named since you really will be following these ancient paths through the mountains of southern Sinai. You will climb the famous Mount Sinai and Mount Katherine, gaze down upon St. Katherine's monastery, and look in awe upon the majestic Sinai mountains; a breathtaking sight.

The mountains tend to be more popular during the summer because they are cooler whilst if you choose this option during the winter season then expect very cold nights; snow is common during the winter months. Remember you will be climbing to nearly 7,500' at one point and at this altitude you need to keep warm and remember that the air is thinner.

On the Mountain Hikes you will enjoy:

Bathing in mountain pools (bring your swimming costumes)
Resting in quiet Bedouin wadi gardens
Great food around camp fires
Stunning scenery
Beautiful night skies
Great rock formations
Ancient stone buildings from Byzantium times

So if you want to know the details of the hike and what you do each day then click here

Desert Hike

The desert hikes will take you from Katreen all the way to the coast to the small town of Dehab (assuming you do the 14 day hike). Desert hiking is more popular during the winter since the heat during summer can reach 45 degrees and only the true hardy adventurer would want to experience that.

The desert hike can be either walked or by ridden by camel (a real Bedouin way of travelling) and you can simply hop on and off as you like. You will travel between 10 and 15 Km per day and the journey covers both mountains at the beginning and the flat expanse of desert at the end.

At night you will stay in local Bedouin huts. On the Desert Hike you will enjoy:

The wonder of Mount Sinai
The blue desert (blue rocks)
The silent and beauty of the desert
Desert oasis and Bedouin dwellings
White san dunes and local hyrax animals
Burial grounds and old buildings
The beautiful Red Sea

Katreen

 Katreen is the small town at the base of Mount Sinai and a few kilometres from the famous St. Katherine's monastery. It is here that you will spend the first night, at the Bedouin Camp run by Sheikh Mousa.

Katreen has a population of several thousand, a large Mosque, five schools and several tourist hotels. It has the usual collection of banks and post offices and small restaurants. There are very few tourists living here since most arrive from Sharm El Sheikh on the coast (and hour and a half away) for a days trip to see the monastery. Hence you will find the place fairly empty and quiet. The locals are happy to see you but be quick in making contact since on the second day you will leave for the mountains or the desert and not return until the end of your hike.

How you make a difference by going in one of these hikes

 

Bedouin Paths has two key roles in the local community; and educating the local children in English is one of them. Bedouin Paths sources, funds and employs qualified English teachers to teach the local children at no charge.

Where the money goes:

Bedouin Paths takes 20% of all hiking income and puts it aside into a pot. This pot pays for two things:

Funding a local School to teach the Bedouin children English
Re-building the Bedouin gardens in the mountains

And what exactly does the 20% pay for?

A group of 4 going on a 7 day hike will pay around £1600 to Bedouin Paths. Of this, the 20% equals to £320. This will pay for:

One month funding for the school classroom (48 children)
One half of a new eco-toilet for the Bedouin gardens
And much much more...

 

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