Mt Sinai: dodging the crowds

Mt Sinai is – without a doubt – the most famous peak in Egypt. Personally, I’d go further and argue that, through history, it’s been the most famous peak anywhere in the world. Known to more people, in more places, over a longer time, than any other mountain on earth. More than Everest – which came to global attention relatively recently. More than the likes of Mont Blanc – Europe’s highest – and definitely more than any peak in the Americas (which most of the world didn’t even know about as continents until a few hundred years ago). Stories about Mt Sinai have been told and re-told in three different religions for thousands of years. People read about it in their holy books. They heard about its legends in their congregations in churches or mosques. All of this kept Mount Sinai alive in the imagination. When it came to actually seeing it on the ground though, in all three dimensions, only the very rich or very intrepid had that privilege. The gruelling approach – over a week’s camel ride from Suez – made absolutely sure of that.

Things changed in 1977, when a dirt track was beaten through the desert, crossing huge sandy plains and mountain passes, all the way to the foot of mountain itself. Suddenly, anyone with a 4×4 could visit in just a few hours. Today, that dirt track has become a tarmac road; and Mt Sinai has become a mass tourist attraction that thousands of people visit from coastal resorts every year.

Modern transport has penetrated the wilderness shield that gave the mountain its isolation and now it’s the Sinai’s busiest peak. Nothing else comes close.

All the same, it doesn’t HAVE to be. You CAN dodge the crowds. HERE’S HOW:

1. TIME YOUR CLIMB – mainstream guide books like Lonely Planet bill sunrise on Mt Sinai as one of those must-do, bucket-list type experiences. A sort of rite of passage and definitive hike without which no trip to the Sinai would possibly be complete. Buying into the hype and thinking sunrise was virtually the ONLY time I could do it – I did it like this my first time too. And I still count it as my worst night in the Sinai. The whole thing; from walking up in the dark, to the huge, lumbering crocodiles of people on the paths, to the insufferable singing, clapping and praying through the dawn. It felt like a sort of pennance. It’s time to debunk this over-peddled sunrise myth. SERIOUSLY – avoid it! Go up this mountain at sunset: the soft red hue of the mountains looks even more appealing. And, even more, you’ll just have a handful of other people for company. It feels less like a tourist attraction and more like a mountain should.

2. THE ROUTE – I don’t have stats, but I’d say about 95% of tourists – maybe even a little more – go up the so-called Camel Path, then down the Steps of Repentance. Or vice versa. These are the two main tourist routes on Mt Sinai: the ones in the guidebooks, that get you up and down ASAP, starting and finishing at the Monastery of St Katherine. Avoiding THEM means you avoid the crowds. But it also means you’ll see another half of the mountain: the BETTER half, with ruined chapels, deep springs, beautiful orchards and little-trodden peaks. The best route up Mt Sinai starts in a valley called Wadi el Arbain, near St Katherine. From the end of this, you can walk up the side of Jebel Safsafa and explore. You only join the busy tourist route at the end, just below Mount Sinai’s summit. There are plenty of secret places to discover on the way. Just remember to take a good Bedouin guide. Check them out HERE.