Sinai Trail hiking guide: route map, stages & where to stay

The Sinai Trail (Darb Sina, درب سيناء in Arabic) is Egypt's first long-distance hiking trail. Three Bedouin tribes opened it in 2015 as a 12-day route from the Gulf of Aqaba to the top of Jebel Katherina, Egypt's highest mountain. It has since grown into a 550 km circuit run by eight tribes, but the original classic route is still the best-known section: about 210 km from the beach camps of Ras Shetan, north of Nuweiba, to the town of St Katherine below Mount Sinai. You walk with Bedouin guides and camels and sleep in wild camps.

Travel advice in 2026: read this first

The UK Foreign Office (FCDO, updated 4 August 2026) advises against all travel to North Sinai, and against all but essential travel to the northern part of South Sinai beyond the St Catherine–Nuweiba road, except the coast. The first four days of this route, from Ras Shetan through the Coloured Canyon to Ein Hudera, are north of that road; the trail crosses it just south of Ein Hudera, and days 5 to 12 are outside the warning area. Many insurers do not cover areas under an FCDO warning, so check your policy. The US State Department (Egypt Level 2, updated August 2025) says do not travel to Northern and Middle Sinai, and be cautious in Southern Sinai, including St Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai. If your cover excludes the northern days, ask the team for a shorter trip that starts at Ein Hudera or Nawamis.

The route

The trail crosses the lands of three tribes, and the guides and camels change at each border. The Tarabin lead the first four days from the coast into the granite coastal ranges, through the narrow Coloured Canyon, past the palm spring of Ein Furtaga and out into the sandstone desert at Ras Ghazala, the badlands of Umm Hadabat and the small oasis of Mileihis. Over the Hamedat pass, with its old pilgrim graffiti, you reach the palm oasis of Ein Hudera (Ain Hudra). The Muzeina take over for four days past the prehistoric Nawamis tombs, Jebel Mutamir, the pierced peak of Jebel Makhroom and Jebel Barqa, then west through low rocky hills and acacia wadis to Wadi Matura and Wadi Fara. The Jebeleya lead the last four days across the El Sened plain and the Blue Desert into the high mountains: up Wadi Shreij to the summit of Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa, 2,285 m) for sunset, a night at Farsh Eliyas, down past the old monastery of Deir el-Arbain and up Jebel Katherina (2,642 m) for a night at the top. On the last morning you descend Wadi Ahmar and cross the Abu Jeefa pass to St Katherine.

This guide splits the route into the 12 official days, about 14.2 km each on the mapped line. The line follows tracks and paths on OpenStreetMap and is about 170 km long; the official programme counts about 210 km because the guides wind through wadis and climb side peaks. On Jebel Katherina the last 2.5 km to the summit is walked up and back on the same path, so it is not in the line.

Highlights

• The Coloured Canyon: a slot canyon of red, yellow and purple sandstone on day 1
• Ein Hudera: a palm oasis among white sandstone canyons, said to hide a buried treasure
• The Nawamis: prehistoric round stone tombs on a sandstone plateau
• The Blue Desert: rocks painted blue by the Belgian artist Jean Verame in the 1980s to celebrate peace and the return of Sinai to Egypt
• Mount Sinai: sunset from the holy summit and a night in Farsh Eliyas, the hollow below it
• Jebel Katherina: sunrise from the roof of Egypt over the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba

When to walk the Sinai Trail

Walk in spring (March to May) or autumn (September to November). Summer is very hot, often above 37 °C. From November to March nights are cold, the high mountains drop below freezing and snow is not unusual on Mount Sinai and Jebel Katherina. Rain can fall in any month and can cause flash floods in the wadis.

How many days do you need?

The classic route takes 12 walking days, usually 10 to 25 km and 3 to 8 hours a day. Add a day at each end for transfers; shorter trips on any part of the route can be arranged.

Guides, permits and booking

A Bedouin guide is compulsory: the tribes do not allow hikers to walk alone. Book through the Sinai Trail team (sinaitrailenquiries@gmail.com; Arabic: sinaitrailcommunity@gmail.com), which organises guides, camels, food and transfers, or join one of its group trips. Your guide arranges the Ministry of Interior desert permit. Tipping 5 to 10% of the trip cost is customary.

You need a full Egyptian visa: the free Sinai-only stamp does not cover the trail. Buy it on arrival at the airport (US$30 cash in 2026) or as an e-visa at visa2egypt.gov.eg. Drones are banned without military permission.

Getting there and logistics

Sharm El Sheikh airport is the usual gateway, with international flights and domestic flights from Cairo; Ras Shetan is about 3 hours away by road. A daily ferry runs from Aqaba in Jordan to Nuweiba, and East Delta buses link Cairo, Sharm El Sheikh, Nuweiba and St Katherine. At the Taba border with Israel no visa is sold and there is a US$120 tax to travel beyond Taba; the crossing can close at short notice. Carry your passport for checkpoints.

Sleep in a beach camp at Ras Shetan or in Nuweiba before the hike, and in St Katherine after it. Money: bring Egyptian pounds in cash from Sharm, Dahab or Nuweiba; there are no shops on the trail. Phone and power: there is signal only at a few points, and no electricity, so carry a power bank or solar charger.

What to pack

Camels carry your tent, sleeping bag, mat and a soft bag of clothes; you carry a 28 to 32 litre daypack. Bring a waterproof tent, a sleeping bag rated to −5 °C, warm layers, a waterproof jacket, broken-in shoes, long trousers (not shorts), a sun hat, bottles for 3 to 4.5 litres, purification tablets and a first aid kit.

Difficulty and safety

The first eight days are moderate desert walking on sand, gravel and rock. The last four in the high mountains are hard, with long climbs, loose paths and some scrambling. Dehydration is the most common reason hikers need hospital care, so drink to a schedule. There is no mountain rescue service: help can take a day or more, and evacuation is by camel, jeep or helicopter. Carry a satellite messenger and insurance with air evacuation, and do not start within 48 hours of your last dive.

History

The trail links old trade and pilgrimage routes to St Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai. It is run by the Sinai Trail Bedouin Cooperative: every day of walking pays Bedouin guides, cooks and cameleers and keeps their knowledge of the desert's paths, wells and place names alive. In 2016 it won the British Guild of Travel Writers' award for the world's best new tourism project.