Exploring the Area

Mount Sinai & Santa Katarina

Located in the rugged interior of the peninsula, the place where Moses received the Ten Commandments is not the isolated pilgrimage site it once was; nevertheless it is a charismatic and powerful place. Nestled on the lower slopes of Mount Sinai (Gabal Mussa, or the Mountain of Moses in Arabic), is one of the world's greatest but least known treasures: the fortresslike Monastery of Santa Katarina, with origins reaching back to the times of the cave-dwelling monks of the 2nd century A.D. Much of the monastery is more than 1,500 years old; including its large wooden doors and carved ceiling beams. The library includes what is probably among the most important collections of rare and ancient manuscripts outside of the Vatican.

The monastery's Church of the Burning Bush was built by command of the great Byzantine Emperor Justinian between A.D. 548 and A.D. 565. Mosaicists were probably sent from Constantinople to create the extraordinary mosaics surrounding the apse. The vast collections of ancient icons include some of the most beautiful examples of this art ever created. According to tradition, at the time of the church's construction, the actual Burning Bush (in its unfiery form) still stood just outside the apse, but was virtually destroyed over the centuries as pilgrims took away pieces as relics. What remained of the bush, a form of wild raspberry, was transplanted to a more protected spot in the monastery where it thrives to this day.

Ascending Mount Sinai--The climb up steep pathways and staircases to the top of Mount Sinai is arduous. In summer, most people do it in the cool (or cold) of night and enjoy the incredible sunrise. In winter, daylight hours are not as bitterly cold for climbing as the freezing predawn, but you miss the sunrise. The hike can take from 2 to 4 hours, depending on your strength. It's by no means an easy ascent -- you may want to consider taking a Bedouin guide and renting a camel that will take you at least part way up the mountain at a cost of LE 70 ($12) for the climb. Much bargaining may be involved; the Bedouin take all currencies (they're not going to lose a customer who will be gone tomorrow because he was short of Egyptian pounds). The view from the summit (if you can get away from tour groups) is transcendent. If you can't make it all the way to the top, there are flat, camel-accessible way stations along the pathway, and the vistas from these places, containing chapels dedicated to Moses, Elijah, John the Baptist, and others, are very spiritual and dramatic. Remember, to ascend, does not mean merely to climb.

Six kilometers (3 3/4 miles) to the south is Gabal Katarina (Mount Catherine), the highest in Egypt. The path to the summit of this mountain is more beautiful and less trafficked by hordes of tourists than Mount Sinai; from the village of Milga the climb can take 6 hours. Although the tradition of identifying Mount Sinai as the place where the Ten Commandments were given to Moses is very strong, there are other traditions and theories attached to other mountains, and Gabal Katarina could possibly be the genuine place. There is a chapel and a source of water at the very top of the mountain.

The village of Milga, 1km (1/2 mile) from the monastery, has banking facilities, groceries, a bread bakery, and inexpensive restaurants where you can take a meal for LE 18 to LE 46 ($3-$8). Those with Egyptian visas can ask in Milga about hiring a Bedouin guide for hiking in the surrounding countryside. Guided hikes start at around LE 116 ($20) for a guide and permit. Whatever tour packages or guides you might have booked before coming to Milga, in the end, all hiking tours are led by guides from the Bedouin syndicate here in town.

Along the Coast between Taba & Nuweiba

This is some of the loveliest shoreline in the Gulf of Aqaba, dotted with isolated encampments and small hotels. They are inexpensive but tranquil places by day, and often crazy at night; most offer simple snorkeling and beaching, and can arrange hikes and Jeeps trips in the region as well as tours to Mount Sinai.

The most unusual is Basata, 43km (27 miles) on the Taba-Nuweiba road (tel. and fax 062/350-0481; basata@basata.com), a quiet ecocamp on the beach with quiet, communal rules. All materials at Basata are biodegradable; rooms (with shared bathrooms) are lit by candles (they can be quite chilly at night in winter). You must bring your own sheets/sleeping bags, and plan to do your laundry elsewhere. Wonderful communal meals are served each day for LE 35 to LE 46 ($6-$8). Rates are $16 double, plus 10% tax; they don't take credit cards.

Nuweiba

Nuweiba is a small port and industrial center with beautiful beaches at its outskirts, and along the coast to the north of town. On busy days, the line of trucks waiting for the ferries to Jordan can stretch for 1km (1/2 mile). Separate from the port is Nuweiba's other incarnation as a beach resort. Resort Nuweiba consists of a mixture of sprawling camps and beach-hut hotels, especially to the north at Tarabin, where you can easily find a place in the $4 to $10 per person a night range. Tarabin is filled with little restaurants, cafes, and outdoor discos and pubs. From Nuweiba, there's a main road to Santa Katarina and Mount Sinai.

The Nuweiba coast's best hotel, located south of the port, is the Nuweiba Hilton Coral Resort (tel. 069/352-0320; fax 069/352-0327; www.hilton.com). This sprawling, low-rise 200-unit complex is older and of less sophisticated design than the Hilton resort at Dahab, but relaxing and pleasant. Set around desert gardens and a pool, it offers beautiful, isolated swimming and snorkeling beaches, pools, restaurants, and a PADI diving center. The air-conditioned rooms have the usual amenities. Doubles run $88 to $108, but a good travel discounter in Eilat can, at times, book you in here for around $60 double, including breakfast. The more expensive, atmospheric bungalow rooms are worth the extra money.

Dahab

Once the flower child of the Aqaba Coast during the years of Israeli occupation, Dahab has grown into a laid-back resort town with the best diving in the area.

The Nesima Hotel and Dive Center (tel. 069/364-0320; www.nesima_resort.com) offers a full variety of courses, daylight- and night-diving tours starting at 31€ ($39), as well as multiday dive packages (up to 10 days), and snorkeling activities. The comfortable, atmospheric hotel is laden with cozy restaurants, bars, and places to sit and talk. Doubles range from 65€ to 85€ ($80-$100), breakfast included, but scout out bargains.

The most comfortable choice in town is the Hilton Dahab Resort (tel. 069/364-0310; fax 069/364-0324; www.hiltonworldresorts.com/resorts/Dahab), a beautiful, mildly exotic low-rise village of 163 air-conditioned units with a whitewashed, desert design; fine beach; top-flight diving and wind-surfing center; two outdoor pools; three restaurants, an excellent buffet; and three bars. Rates run $74 to $135 for a double without breakfast, but there are packages and special Hilton weekend rates that can get you a double with breakfast for $68.

As at Nuweiba, you'll also find lots of hutlike accommodations. They have no phone numbers -- just ask about rooms at places that strike your fancy. There are tons of beachfront Bedouin restaurants, cafes, and discos.

Sharm-el-Sheik

At the southernmost point of the Sinai Peninsula, Sharm-el-Sheik itself is a sprawling center for commercial and industrial action as well as a mecca for divers.

Na'ama Bay, a low-rise resort offering beaches, snorkeling, and diving, is a 5-minute drive from commercial Sharm-el-Sheik. When I first saw Na'ama Bay in 1970, there was absolutely nothing but a beach with a few reed shelters. It's now home to a large mall area 1 to 3 blocks inland, filled with inexpensive hotels, eateries and bars, and over three dozen moderate and expensive hotel complexes catering largely to European visitors on package vacations. The better hotels are located directly on Na'ama Bay, and most have a slice of beach reserved for its guests. A pedestrian promenade runs along the beach, connecting all the hotel properties before terminating at the Na'ama Bay Shopping Mall.

Diving is good at Na'ama Bay, and the hotels and dive centers offer a large variety of snorkeling and diving options. The best diving and snorkeling, perhaps in the world, is just south of Sharm-el-Sheik, at the National Park at Ras Mohammed. You must have the standard Egyptian visa, rather than Sinai Only visa in order to enter this most elysian of the earth's coral reefs. Admission to the National Park is LE 29 ($5). Many divers arrange to get to Ras Mohammed by chartering a boat, and then diving or snorkeling from the boat; most hotels and diving centers offer tours to Ras Mohammed. Diving and snorkeling areas are carefully marked. It is forbidden to damage the reefs or to remove seashells. The park is open daily from 8am to 5pm.