A complete hiking guide to climbing Mount Sinai in Egypt. Also known as Jebel Musa, or the holy Moses Mountain. Many believe this is the Biblical Mount Sinai where Moses received the Ten Commandments.
For many, climbing to the summit of Mount Sinai in Egypt outranks every other landmarks in the country. That’s because Mount Sinai, or the holy Moses Mountain, is considered to be the most religiously significant peak in the Middle East, and even the entire world.
In this guide, I’ll detail everything you need to know about hiking to the top of this biblical mountain from various parts of Egypt. I’ll also include photos and a few highlights from my trek to inspire your visit.
Overview
Below are, in my opinion, the most important things you need to know about hiking to the summit of Mount Sinai this year.
- Location: Mount Sinai is located in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, near Saint Catherine, approximately 440 km from Cairo, 200 km from Sharm el Sheikh, and 130 km from the hotel area in Dahab.
- Difficulty: The hike is considered easy to moderate, taking about 1.5-2 hours to ascend. The path is well-graded, with a gentle incline.
- Routes: Two main paths lead to the summit - the Camel Path, a gentler route, and the steeper Steps of Repentance. The final stretch to the summit consists of 750 steps.
- Guide: Compulsory, and checked at the visitor centre. It must be a Bedouin guide from the local Jabaliya tribe, and the going rate was around 800 EGP (US$16) as a flat group rate if you hire at the entrance. I recommend booking the hiking trip from Dahab to catch the sunrise.
- Monastery: Along the hike, you'll also tour Saint Catherine Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world's oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery.
- Safety: The Sinai Peninsula has safety concerns, especially in northern areas. Independent travel to Saint Catherine is not advised; group or private tours are preferable.
How to Get to Mount Sinai
To climb Mount Sinai, it is compulsory to have a guide. This does not reflect the difficulty of the walk but is required by local authorities for security reasons. Also, this supports the local economy and ensures hikers have an informed and respectful experience in this culturally and religiously significant area.
Therefore, the easiest (and cheapest) way to get to Mount Sinai is to join a group tour from either Sharm el-Sheikh or Dahab.
Book: Sunrise Hike from Dahab
The best trips are sunrise hikes, which is definitely the best way to hike up to Mount Sinai summit. While the view for sunrise is spectacular and infinitely better, the main reason is that it is usually much too hot to hike during the day.
These trips also always include a tour of the Saint Catherine Monastery, which is the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world (built between 548 and 565 A.D) and is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A Bedouin guide from the Jabaliya tribe is compulsory and it is checked at the visitor centre before you start walking. Booked as part of a sunrise tour from Dahab or Sharm the guide is already in the price. If you turn up under your own steam you hire one there, and the going rate reported in 2025 was 800 EGP (about US$16) as a flat fee for the group rather than per person. Budget for a camel too if you want one, at roughly €20 (US$22) each way to Elijah’s Hollow.
Update: 2026 Travel Advisories for the Sinai Peninsula and Mount Moses
Each year, I update this article with the latest travel advisories for climbing Mount Sinai. As of 2026, the Sinai Peninsula remains a popular destination for adventurers and pilgrims, and the Mount Sinai hike is open. However, staying informed about current advisories is essential for a safe trip.
Here’s what you need to know this year:
- South Sinai Safety: The southern part of the Sinai Peninsula, including Dahab, Sharm El Sheikh, and Saint Catherine (Mount Moses), sits outside the do-not-travel zone that covers North Sinai, with ongoing military presence and controlled access. The US State Department names Mount Sinai and the monastery among the southern areas its own embassy staff are cleared to visit. Exercise normal caution and check your government’s advisory before you book.
- Restricted Northern Areas: Northern Sinai continues to face safety challenges, with travel strongly discouraged due to ongoing security concerns. Avoid any routes leading through or near these regions.
- Military Checkpoints: Expect multiple security checkpoints on the way to Saint Catherine. These are routine and ensure the safety of travelers. Keep your passport and any required permits handy, as you will need to present them at each stop.
- Group Travel Recommended: Independent travel to Saint Catherine is not advised. Joining a guided group or private tour from Dahab or Sharm El Sheikh remains the safest and most convenient way to reach Mount Moses.
- Local Authority Requirements: Guides are mandatory for hiking Mount Sinai, led by locally licensed Bedouin people. This rule, enforced by local authorities, is both for safety and to ensure respect for the area's cultural and religious significance.
Always check the latest travel advisories from your government and consult with your accommodation or tour provider in Dahab or Sharm El Sheikh for real-time updates. For extra peace of mind, you can consider purchasing evacuation insurance that covers civil unrest through Global Rescue.
The Sharm Visa Rule That Catches People Out
Flying into Sharm el-Sheikh and planning to climb Mount Sinai? Check your visa before you book the tour, because the free stamp does not cover you.
Egypt gives arrivals at Sharm a free entry permission stamp valid up to 15 days, but only if you stay inside the resort areas of Sharm el Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba or Taba. Saint Catherine is not on that list. Travel outside those four and you need a full visa, which means either an e-visa applied for online at least a week before you fly, or a visa on arrival paid at the airport kiosk before immigration.
The visa on arrival is US$30 in cash at most airports. From 1 August 2026 Cairo switched to a digital version at US$36 including a service fee, card only, through self-service machines. Kiosks sit before passport control, so sort it on the way in rather than discovering the problem at a checkpoint on the road to Saint Catherine.
If you booked a Mount Sinai tour from a Sharm hotel on the free stamp, raise it with the operator before you travel.
Where is Mount Sinai?
Mount Sinai is located in the southern part of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula in the city of Saint Catherine.
This is an inland high mountain region in the South Sinai Desert, approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the Red Sea. The closest tourist cities are Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh.
Mount Sinai is one of the most prominent peaks in this range, sitting beside Mount Catherine (2,629 m), the highest mountain in Egypt.
Google Maps Pin: "Jabal Mousa"
Getting to Saint Catherine Independently
The advisories draw a hard line between north and south, and it is worth reading them properly before you write the trip off. The US State Department tells travelers not to visit northern and middle Sinai for any reason, then names Saint Catherine’s Monastery and Mount Sinai among the southern areas its own embassy staff are cleared to visit. The UK FCDO advises against all travel to North Sinai and against all but essential travel to South Sinai only beyond the Saint Catherine to Nuweiba road. Australia’s DFAT flags North Sinai alone. So the mountain itself sits outside the restricted zone in all three, though only the Americans say so by name.
However, if you're in a large group and don't want to join in on the group tour above, then it is possible to pay a taxi driver for a private tour. I can't comment on the cost, since I haven't taken this option.
Note that you will also need to pay a professional Bedouin guide to take you up the mountain. I can't see this option being worth the extra effort or money.
Tip: If you stay at the very popular and epic backpacker hostel My Hostel in Dahab, my friend Medhat can arrange this transport for you very cheaply!
What’s Changed at Saint Catherine
Saint Catherine is not the place I hiked into. Three things have shifted since, and all of them affect what you can plan.
Multi-day trekking is suspended. The Sinai Trail, a 200 km Bedouin-run route built by guides from several tribes, stopped operating in October 2024 after permits became effectively unobtainable. The Red Sea Mountain Trail had already stopped in 2022. Overnight permits are still not being issued as far as I can establish, and the summit climb at Mount Sinai is the one walk that remains open. If you came here planning a multi-day Sinai trek, that is why you cannot find anyone to book it.
A megaproject has reshaped the valley. The Great Transfiguration Project, called the Great Revelation Initiative in UNESCO’s own paperwork, has put hundreds of hotel rooms, a mountain hotel, a bazaar, an expanded airport and new roads into the basin below the monastery. Egypt’s housing ministry put it at 97.5% complete in June 2026. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee found the already-built parts could cause permanent damage to the site’s integrity, and Egypt suspended further work by presidential directive in September 2025 pending a heritage review. Jabaliya families lost homes, and a cemetery was excavated and moved to make a car park. One local guide put it plainly: the Saint Catherine they knew is gone.
The monastery’s legal status is unresolved. An Egyptian court ruled in May 2025 that the land is state property and did not recognise the monastery’s ownership. The monks shut the gates in protest and it stayed closed for months. Greece and Egypt have since negotiated a settlement guaranteeing the monastery’s religious character, and as of August 2026 they were still working out a dual-ownership formula, with a Court of Cassation decision pending. The monks are there and the monastery is open to visitors, confirmed by people who went in April and May 2026. It has closed at no notice once already, so treat it as a bonus on your trip rather than the reason for it.
None of this stops you climbing Mount Sinai. The sunrise hike runs as it always has, and it is still worth doing.
Is Mount Sinai Really the Mountain Moses Climbed?
Mount Sinai, the 2,285-meter (7,497-foot) granite peak between Egypt and Israel is the most famous and the most agreed upon location for the biblical Mount Sinai (Mount Horeb).
The majority of followers from the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam accept this Egyptian mountain as the Mountain of Moses (Mount Moussa), where according to the Bible and Quran, Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.
In fact, this has been the case for thousands of years. The mountain became a significant pilgrimage site for Hermits quite early on, with the earliest recorded pilgrimage taking place around 381 AD.
Other significant sites include the burning bush in the Saint Catherine Monastery, the supposed cave of Prophet Elijah, and the rock the devout consider to be the source of the biblical Tablets of Stone.
Religious people also call the plateau beneath Mount Sinai Elijah's Basin, where they say he traveled 40 days and 40 nights to speak with god.
Note: I am not a religious person but trying to summarize the information from various sources across the web.
How High is Mount Sinai in Egypt?
Mount Sinai stands 2,285 meters (7,497 feet) above sea level.
It is not Egypt’s highest peak, and it is not the second-highest either. At least ten Egyptian mountains beat it, most of them within sight of the summit you are standing on. Mount Catherine takes the title at 2,629 m (8,625 ft), with Jabal Abu Rumayl at 2,623 m and Jebel Umm Shawmar at 2,588 m behind it. Mount Sinai earns its crowds on religious significance, not altitude.
How Long Does it Take to Climb Mt Sinai?
For most active travelers, climbing Mount Sinai is quite easy, only taking around 1.5-2 hours to reach the summit. That's because the track is very well-graded, wide, and with a gentle incline for most of the climb.
Climbing Mount Sinai in Egypt: Complete Guide
- Hiking Distance: 11.5 km (7.15 mi) return
- Duration: 3-4 hours return
- Elevation: 700 m (2,296 ft) total elevation gain |
2,285 m (7,497 ft) max elevation - Difficulty: Easy-moderate
- Route info: My Strava
The climb up Mount Sinai in Egypt is one of the best easy hikes in the country, if not in the Middle East! While the difficulty is a hard metric gauge objectively, this hike is accessible to anybody with a general level of fitness.
The view at sunrise runs clear across the South Sinai range, with Mount Catherine standing higher than you to the southwest.
Most trips depart from Dahab or Sharm el-Sheikh at around 10:00 pm, arriving at Saint Catherine in the middle of the night. This means you will have more than enough time to make it to the summit by sunrise.
Below I'll give you a rough recap of my Mount Sinai hike to help you better prepare for this incredible experience.
The Two Routes to The Summit
Two routes reach the summit: the Steps of Repentance and the Camel Path. Most tours take the camel path, a gentle winding track that switchbacks most of the way up.
The Steps of Repentance is the steeper route, cut by monks as a penance and usually quoted at somewhere between 3,000 and 3,750 steps. Nobody seems to have an authoritative count. Worth knowing before you plan around it: hikers have been reporting the full Steps route closed to tourists with checkpoints turning them back, and recent trip reports have people descending the same camel path they came up. Ask your guide on the day rather than counting on it.
Both of these routes meet at a small site with the name Elijah's Hollow, or the Seven Elders of Israel. From here, it's a steep 750 steps to the summit of Mount Sinai.
We took the Camel Path (which yes, you will share with camels), so this is what I will cover in this guide.
Don't miss my comprehensive guide to the Dahab Blue Hole for information on how to get here and what to expect.
1. Arriving at Saint Catherine
Tours from Dahab and Sharm will usually carry passengers to the base of the mountain in a shuttle van. The trip from Dahab takes roughly two hours and roughly 2.5-3 hours from Sharm.
However, there are several military checkpoints along the high mountain region. As a result, this trip can take longer.
We arrived at roughly midnight, where we were greeted by lots of enthusiastic Bedouin kids who were eager to sell us their wares.
If you want a torch or warm clothes and don't yet have any, it's a good idea to buy them once you arrive, since these kids really appreciate the money.
Shortly after arriving and taking a quick toilet break, our driver introduced us to our local Bedouin guide. Next, he escorted us through a very thorough military screening area, where a soldier turned our bags inside out.
After a rather lengthy process, we were finally off on the path of Moses to the summit of Mount Sinai!
2. Saint Catherine's Monastery
The first section of the dark trail follows a wide road to the base of Saint Catherine's Monastery. This is a 6th-century monastery built by Roman Emperor Justinian (Justinian the Great) and is said to house the biblical burning bush. Keep in mind there is a modest dress code for both men and women, requiring shoulders and knees to be covered, and women should cover their heads.
If you're hiking Mount Sinai for sunrise, then you'll likely visit the monastery after the summit.
Tip: The monastery publishes hours of 08:45 to 12:45, cut to 10:30 to 11:30 on Fridays, and it is closed all day Sunday. Visitors in 2026 report the doors opening nearer 08:00 with the last tourist out by noon, and only a small part of the complex open to the public. Confirm with your guide the day before, because the monastery has closed at short notice before.
3. Hiking the Camel Path to Mount Sinai Summit
Soon after passing the monastery, you'll arrive at the start of the camel trail to the summit. This track is wide with a gentle incline and features a series of switchbacks as you make your way up the mountain.
Also, once you start gaining altitude, you'll notice large stacked rocks on the edge of the track, forming a safety barrier.
Furthermore, you'll likely pass local Bedouins offering to take you on a camel ride to Elijah's Hollow. This is the easier option but you will have to still hike the final 750 steps to the summit by yourself.
Along the way, hikers will pass several Bedouin tents where they can sit and rest. All of these tents offer hot drinks like warm tea, coffee, and hot chocolate, as well as snacks. However, we chose to push on so that we could enjoy a longer rest while waiting for the sunrise at the peak.
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4. 750 Steps to the Top of Mount Sinai
After passing a large cut-out section of the mountain, you'll arrive at the final ascent point. This is marked by a very dated sign indicating the 750 steps to the top of Sinai Mountain.
Similarly to the other sections of this hike, the final ascent covers easy, leveled steps but is much steeper than the Camel Path.
We arrived at the top of the mountain approximately 1.5 hours after departing from the base of Mount Sinai. As a result, it was still very early (around 2:30 am). So, our local guide pointed us towards one of four small teahouses near the peak.
Since we had a while to wait, we bought a delicious hot chocolate and a couple of snacks, as well as an old pillowed mattress to sit on. This was a little expensive but we were happy to pay a little more considering the remote location.
5. Sunrise at the Summit of Mount Sinai
At the first sign of light, we quickly climbed up the last few steps to the very peak of Mount Sinai. Here at the Holy Summit, there are a couple of significant landmarks, including a Greek Orthodox Chapel (beside a large rock they call the Rock of Moses), the ruins of the Justinian Basilica (6th-century church), and a small mosque still used by Muslims.
We climbed one of the large, slippery rocks beside the small chapel and watched the sunrise to the east.
While I'm not religious, it was still a very powerful moment and one of the best sunrises I experienced in Egypt.
6. The Descent
After spending roughly an hour and a half at the summit, we started making our way back down. The track down is much easier, due to the fact that a number of rather obvious shortcuts start to appear on the camel trail.
7. Exploring Saint Catherine Monastery
Unfortunately, we decided to visit on a Friday and therefore a guided tour of the old monastery was not available. However, after convincing our guide, we could still explore this significant site on our own.
If you're forced to do the same, here are a few highlights from the monastery at Mount Sinai in Egypt.
- Church of the Transfiguration - the dominant church tower and main focal point of the monastery.
- The Sacred Sacristy - an open museum containing many treasures and collections including the Ladder of Divine Ascent and pages from the Codex Sinaiticus, said to be the oldest bible in the world.
- Monastery Mosque - an 11th-century mosque built during the Fatimid period.
- The Burning Bush - legend says this is a descendant of the Old Testament's burning bush.
8. Returning Back to Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab
After exploring the monastery, it was finally time to return back to our hostel in Dahab for a well-earned and hearty Egyptian breakfast. We met our driver (who was still sleeping in the van) in the large parking lot where he dropped us off earlier that morning.
What to Pack for the Mount Sinai Hike
Due to the elevation, the weather in the mountain region of Saint Catherine gets much cooler during the night than in coastal areas like Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh.
So, if you're hiking up for sunrise (highly recommend), then it's a good idea to prepare accordingly. Here are a few things you'll want to bring on your ascent to the Mount Sinai summit in Egypt.
- Sturdy shoes - runners or hiking boots.
- Warm clothes - this is a must.
- Water - you can purchase water at the tea houses but it's always a good idea to bring your own.
- Snacks - as above.
- Sleeping bag - useful while waiting for the sunrise (optional).
- Camera - trust me, you'll want to bring it. Read my guide to the best camera gear for travel here.
- Sunscreen - for the harsh morning rays on the descent.
- Head torch - you'll likely be hiking up in the dark.
More Photos from My Hike to Mount Sinai
I hope that you've enjoyed this comprehensive hiking guide to climbing Mount Sinai in Egypt!
While you're here, make sure to check out some of my other articles below.
- My Epic Egypt Itinerary - follow my full travel route to explore the best of Egypt
- Aswan Travel Guide - discover the secrets from of my favorite regions on the River Nile
My Egypt Accommodation Guides
Plan your stay in Egypt with my guide to the best areas, hotels, and hostels for every budget, or pick a regional guide from the list below.
Mckay
Sunday 1st of June 2025
Is that Night picture near the base of Mount Sinai Natural lighting or mostly natural lighting.
Olly Gaspar
Monday 2nd of June 2025
Hey yes these are all handheld shots with my Canon R5 and 15-35mm f/2.8L lens. Any artificial lighting is power sources from the locals
Tom Zeller
Tuesday 25th of February 2025
"while I'm not religious"??? I am not religious either but I am, by the grace of God, a Christian.
Babatunwase Samuel
Wednesday 22nd of January 2025
Very good experience ,I was there in 2011 December
Olly Gaspar
Wednesday 22nd of January 2025
Awesome!
Emma
Wednesday 21st of February 2024
thanks for the super detailed hiking guide! definitely inspired to add this on my list. did you do the tour with a group or just with the hostel people? cheers!
Olly Gaspar
Wednesday 21st of February 2024
Hi Emma, it was the organized tour that I linked above from Dahab. But I went on a few trips with the hostel and I'm sure that would also be a great bet if you stay there.
Olly
Reef
Monday 25th of December 2023
Great!!! Thank you