Mount Sinai Sunrise & St Catherine's Monastery

This is one of the harder trips we run and one of the most rewarding. You climb Mount Sinai in darkness, reach the 2,285-meter summit before first light, and watch the sun come up over the Sinai range. Then you descend to St Catherine's Monastery, founded in the 6th century and still in use - the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery on earth, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The mountain matters to Jewish, Christian and Muslim tradition alike, and you will climb it alongside people of all three faiths and of none. There is a chapel and a mosque at the top. Whatever you personally believe, it is worth arriving with some respect for the people around you who believe something else.

What the climb is actually like

There are two routes. The camel path is longer and gradual; the Steps of Repentance are shorter, far steeper, and roughly 3,750 uneven stone steps. Most groups take the camel path up and it takes two to three hours at a steady pace. The final stretch to the summit is steps regardless of which route you took.

You do not need to be an athlete, but you do need reasonable fitness and a tolerance for walking in the dark and the cold. Camels are available for part of the ascent for anyone who wants one.

Good to know before you book

• Total trip time is around 14 hours, overnight. You will not sleep much.
• The summit is genuinely cold before dawn even in summer. Bring a warm jacket, a hat and gloves - this is the single most common mistake people make.
• Wear proper walking shoes with grip. Sandals are not adequate on the steps.
• Bring a head torch and your own water.
• The monastery has a modest dress code: shoulders and knees covered, for everyone.
• The monastery keeps its own opening hours and can close to visitors on religious holidays - this is outside our control.
• A guide is included, and you can request your preferred language. A local guide accompanies the climb itself.
• Transfers are included within Sharm El Sheikh; pickup elsewhere carries a $5 per person supplement. Lunch, drinks, photography and video are not included.

$75 per person (regular price $82).