I made so many MISTAKES traveling to Mount Sinai. I give you my account of what happened so you can laugh at my pain but more importantly not make the same dumb mistakes I made if you plan to make this trip yourself.

The Beginning

Egypt is a really big, diverse country and people often take “Weekend Trips from Cairo” to explore other parts of it. I received an invitation from my friend at school to accompany a group of people on a trip to Mount Sinai. Without asking any questions I agreed to go with them. Since my partner had injured his leg a month prior, this was obviously not something that he could be a part of. So he stayed home. I didn’t ask any questions, I didn’t say anything, I just was like “Oh Travel yeah sure I’ll go!” That was a MISTAKE, but we will get to that later. I, for sure, need to ask more questions before just saying YES to everything.

Prior to Leaving Cairo

An Egyptian woman who works at the school organized the tour for us. Luckily she had been to the Mount Sinai region in Saint Catherine quite a few times. She organized everything including lodging, transportation, and everything else, which was great. I didn’t know much but I knew three things for certain.

• We were going to climb Mount Sinai; the mountain where Moses received the 10 Commandments (Bible: Exodus 19-20; Torah: Exodus 19-20; Qu’ran: Al-A’raf 7:142-145)
• Mount Sinai is near the St. Catherine Monastery where you can find the Burning Bush
• It would be cold where we were going.

Since I didn’t know anything else about the trip I assumed that we would be camping. I packed quite a few layers of clothes due to the weather and some essentials for camping. Everything else I left behind. I did not ask any questions about the actual Mount Sinai or what getting to the top of this mountain would entail. I was just like yeah I’ll go. Looking back, I know not doing proper research was a MISTAKE!

Getting to Mount Sinai

Around 4 pm on Thursday, we had a van meet us outside the school. The driver was aptly named Moses and promised he wouldn’t get us lost for 40 years (Bible: Numbers 14:26-38; Torah: Numbers 14:33; Qu’ran: Al-Ma’idah 5:26). Even though it kind of felt like it. haha

The best part about driving vs flying was being able to see the various landscapes throughout the countryside. We went from golden flat deserts to majestic bodies of water that were impossibly crystal clear to intimidating expansive red mountain ranges. I couldn’t even take a nap until it was dark out. The movie playing outside of the car window was much more intriguing.

We passed through the Suez Canal which allowed us to cross into Asia. Egypt is mostly in Africa but the Sinai Peninsula is in Asia. The walls of the canal contain intricately decorated mosaics and murals of ancient Egypt.

The worst part of the drive was the constant stopping at security checkpoints. Every time I fell asleep we were stopping at another one. I lost count after 15. We didn’t have to get out of the van but presenting passports for a group of 9 people took some time. Some stops were quick some took up to 20 minutes. From Cairo to our camp in St. Catherine it took us 6 hours and 40 minutes. According to Google Maps, it should have only taken 5 hours. So if you plan to drive make sure you take the checkpoint stops into account.

Other options for reaching Mount Sinai include flying to Sharm El Sheik and driving 2+ hours from there.

Lodging

We stayed at the Desert Fox Camp which is at the basin of St. Catherine Monastery. This was a really cute spot that made you feel like you were truly camping under the stars.

They have a few options for ways to stay on this property. You can rent a room, that comes with a bed and a nightstand or you can bust out your sleeping bag and stay outside. Although the bedrooms do not have bathrooms inside there were 4 communal bathrooms. Good thing I prepared for camping, so I had been ready for all scenarios including the lack of bathroom products.

I ended up shacking up with another girl in our group. Our room had two comfy twin-sized beds and a decent amount of space to move about the room. My friends had a different account as to their liking of the accommodations but I think we could all agree that our host Hamdi was great. He was very accommodating to our group. Hamdi was a true joy and you can tell he loves what he does, his land, and his people.

If this type of stay isn’t for you there are other accommodations available in St. Catherine but the options presented online are very limited. You might want to reach out to a travel planner to find something suitable for you.

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St Catherine Monastery

The miniature hike from our camp to the monastery wasn’t very far and was mostly a steady incline on smooth pavement or cobblestone. There were a few sights on the way such as the tomb of Aaron, Moses’ brother, and the place where the Israelites worshiped the Golden Calf (Bible: Exodus 32-34; Torah: Exodus 32; Qur’an: Al-A’raf 7:148).

I won’t lie this hike probably took 30 minutes. I was already winded before we even reached the entrance. The views were beautiful though. Nothing but towering burnt orange mountains and a few goats to see along the way all while the sun is beating down on you.

The Burning Bush, where God spoke to Moses (Bible: Exodus 3:1-22; Torah: Exodus 3; Qur’an:  Taha 20:9-85), is inside St. Catherine’s Monastery. The compound includes the bush, a small museum, and a church. It kind of reminds you of someplace in Italy.

After we finished our visit to the monastery we returned to our camp to rest until dinner. They had a Bedouin-style tent set up where we watched the sunset and had our dinner family-style. Sitting out in nature around a campfire gives off unmatched vibes. If you are someone who truly enjoys nature you would enjoy it here. After dinner, we should have gone to bed but it was only 7 pm. There was no way we could sleep. A small group of us stayed up playing cards way too loud for like an hour then attempted to go to bed.

Where my problems began

Once I got back to my room sleep evaded me. We had to wake up at 12:15 AM to start getting ready so we could hit the road by 1 AM. On a regular night, I do not usually fall asleep until after midnight so my brain would not turn off. I think it took me until like 11 something to fully fall asleep (MISTAKE) and even then I had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind that I would oversleep. When the alarm rang I told myself another 15 minutes wouldn’t kill me. It didn’t help. I was tired before we had even left camp.

Starting the Trek

We left the camp at 1 AM. It was pitch-black outside and the only thing we had as support was a guide and some baby flashlights. We also randomly had this dog that knew its way up the mountain. It easily was the fittest dog I’ve ever seen with its super-toned leg muscles. We found out that the mountain we would be hiking was not actually called Mount Sinai but Mount Moses.

From the beginning, I tried my hardest to stay in the front of the pack. That way once I started to fall behind I wouldn’t be too far back. This method worked for a while but the pace I was keeping was too slow for anyone to really stay behind me.

After about 30+ minutes we reached the security checkpoint at the monastery. By the time we reached the gate, there were so many people waiting in line because everybody wants to go to the mountaintop for sunrise. We waited in line for about a good 15 to 20 minutes. As we stood there I thought to myself, how it was already pretty cold at the base. As if on cue people started to approach us selling ponchos, scarves, hats, and gloves, warning us that it would be cold at the top. We didn’t listen thinking we were wearing enough layers.

Getting Up The Mountain

After we passed through security we started making our way towards Mount Sinai. The path we choose no one else is on. The group that I’m with is fairly fit so from the start I know this is another MISTAKE. I’m falling behind from the beginning. My group is starting to get so far away from me that all I can see is the twinkle of their little flashlights in the darkness. My shoes are wrong, my clothes are wrong, everything is just wrong. So many MISTAKES. My body is hurting so badly after walking for about an hour and 45 minutes.

Then appearing seemingly out of nowhere, a man with a camel is telling me you’re not gonna make it to the top by sunrise if you don’t get on this camel. Personally, I didn’t want to get on the camel because I thought “Oh I could do this myself.” So I kept walking for a little while and then I realize NOPE I can’t do this. Especially when the man with the camel told me I have so many MILES left to walk.

My body was screaming at me to stop. I’m thinking, “I should really just give up now. I really should have done some research before agreeing to come. I really should have worn different clothes.” So many shoulds. So many MISTAKES. Just as I’m thinking about turning back to the camp, the woman who organized everything encourages me to get on the camel. They said that the camel will take me all the way to the top. So I negotiated a price with this man and I got on.

Gentle Giants

This camel’s saddle was very far forward, so the “driver” has me seated almost all the way on the neck. That was a MISTAKE. I’m way too big but I decided to stay on anyway. There’s a metal plate on the saddle somehow. It is rubbing against my inner thighs as we’re going up the mountain. If you have ever been on a camel you how much back-and-forth rocking they do. It was extremely painful. I tried desperately to adjust the way I’m sitting. Nothing was working, so I just decided to close my eyes and ignore the pain.

After about 15 to 20 minutes the guy who is guiding the camel decides that the camel knows its way up and just stops guiding him. With a “Yallah” and a slap on the butt this camel is off, making his way up the mountain independently. I learned that camels can actually see really well in darkness. When I tell you it was amazing that this camel did not slip on one rock or miss one step. He was picking up his feet perfectly. If I had seen this mountain in the daytime there is no way I would have been comfortable enough to let this camel lead me up this zigzagging path by itself with no guide.

The good thing about riding the camel was that now I had the time to look up at the stars. I have always been really into astronomy so this was exciting for me. It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Way better than the star projector my parents bought me in 4th grade and all those trips to the observatory in elementary school. The number of stars visible seemed like something photoshopped. I found it really difficult to look away.

 

How much further?!?

I’m at the point where I get off the camel and I’m thinking this is the top. I am sitting at this point, with some Bedouin men, waiting for my group and they asked me why I’m stopped. I’m confused, remembering how they told me the camel would take me to the top of the mountain. So I ask, isn’t this the top? They share a hearty laugh and point through the canyon. The man seated closest to me says the steps!

Apparently, the camel takes you up the 4 miles of mountain, which is all great and dandy. BUT what they failed to mention was the 750 steps you need to climb to get to the very top. Shocked is probably the only way I could describe my feelings at this point. I thought to myself, “SHIT I’m almost here, I can’t go back now! I have to keep going.”

The Last Push

When my group arrives, they get me a guide to basically push me up the steps. I feel bad because this man is old, at least 65-70. He’s really trying to help me, so at first, he’s pulling me by my hands and then he gets behind me and is pushing me from my back. If you could just imagine someone in almost a complete back-bend and a little old man underneath them pushing them up a set of steps. Kind of like Weekend At Bernie’s. Unfortunately for him, I was Bernie hahaha.  My back was hurting, my feet were hurting, and my inner thighs were hurting from the camel ride.

The man kept telling me you have to walk faster because you’re going to miss the sunrise. At this point, you can see the sun in the distance. The problem was the higher we got the colder it got and the colder I got the more my muscles started to lock up. How I wish I had listened to those people selling hats in the beginning.

Another reason I felt bad was that there were so many elderly people on the mountain. This is a pilgrimage site and a lot of people don’t get to do their pilgrimages until they’re very old. The elders were really struggling to get up the stairs and then here I am fairly young and I’m struggling to get up just like them. All I keep thinking is how I will never do this again.

We FINALLY made it!

When you reach the final step at the top of the mountain there’s a monastery. Although it’s no longer in use it’s still really nice. It has both a cross and the crescent moon at the top representing both Christianity and Islam. Walking past the monastery there is a cliff edge that juts out that you can sit upon. We watched the sunrise from this point. I would’ve missed the sunrise, for sure, if I had not ridden that camel. I made it to the spot with less than five minutes to spare.

We sat in awe of the impressive mountain range. Once the sun started to rise the golden rays highlighted different hues of purple, red, orange, and blue. The mighty rocks seemed to appear right before our very eyes. The view was truly breathtaking. In reality, I couldn’t fully enjoy it because my breath is already taken from the hike. I couldn’t focus on the beauty of everything that I was seeing because I was so focused on what I was going to do to get down from up here. In my mind, I was thinking I’m going to have to live on this mountaintop for the rest of my life because there’s no way that I’m going to make it back down.

We stayed at the top of the mountain for about an hour just soaking in the view. There was an inexplicable calmness up there. Some people took the time to pray and meditate. Others walked around taking pictures to get different angles of the surrounding views. I, on the other hand, just sat there. I needed that rest. Moses had to be an extremely fit man to make it all the way up here.

Returning To The Base

When we came down the mountain I tried to stay close to the front of the pack. We descend the 750 steps. If you ask me calling them steps was a generous term. More like a bunch of rocks stacked on top of each other. Each step was barely wide enough to fit the balls of your feet and a lot of them were wobbly once you stepped on it. Going up it wasn’t really noticeable (although I was probably a little distracted at that point) but going down you either have to walk on your tippy toes or take each step sideways making the trek that much more difficult. Once we reached the bottom of the steps we sat there for a bit. After everyone caught their breath we were off again.

The return to the base was comical for me because random men who I am certain I never met on the way up knew my name. I’m not sure if they called ahead and told their friends to look out for a black girl named Victoria. Her lazy ass is probably going to need help getting down the mountain. Random men continued to accost me. Saying things like “Victoria ride my camel.  You know you need help down the mountain. I’ll be your guide.” Which was hilarious because I kept thinking I don’t know you but clearly, you have heard about me. 

Although the descent was much easier than the ascension I still fell to the back of the group. The woman who organized the trip stayed with me, which was nice of her considering the type of shape she was in. Luckily, I wasn’t super far behind like going up. I am proud to say I was at least able to walk down the entire mountain by myself. By this time the sun is shining in full force, and you can see the mountain for the behemoth it truly is. I can guarantee, that if I had seen that from the beginning there is no way in hell that I would have even bothered to climb up this mountain. The walk in total took me 7 hours and 34 minutes. 

Heading Home

When we got back to Saint Catherine’s Monastery we took a van to get us back to the camp. I felt nothing but relief at the revelation that I can finally stop walking. I just don’t think I could’ve continued the extra 30 to 45 minutes on foot. Once we got back to the camp we had breakfast, showered, and then we got on the road. It took us 5 1/2 hours to get back to Cairo. Due to fewer security stops, we shaved about an hour off the amount of time it took to get there.

The Aftermath

After returning to Cairo we made our way back to our homes. Unfortunately for those of us that are not in that good of shape, our bodies would hurt for three or four days after this trip. My inner thighs were bruised for about a week, making it difficult to walk.

Many people kept asking if I would recommend taking this hike. The honest answer is if you’re in shape and like physical challenges, such as hiking, go for it. If you’re really religious, go for it. If you are neither one of those things I say leave it alone. LOL, You will be in so much pain. I could never imagine doing it again.

All The Mistakes

I realize that I made quite a few mistakes and they might have gotten lost within the story so let’s have a quick recap so you can continue to laugh at my pain.

• Not asking enough questions about the destination before agreeing to go
• Not doing enough research once I knew where we were going
• Did not get enough sleep
• Going with a group of people who are actually in shape
• Not wearing proper shoes
• Not wearing enough layers
• Did not turn back when I had the chance
• Riding the camel (could be both good and bad)
• Not being in shape

If you learned anything from this post, learn from my mistakes and do some research before agreeing to travel to random places.

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