My first trip within Egypt went to St. Catherine, a small and charming village in the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula surrounded by beautiful rocky mountains. If it wasn’t because a friend mentioned it, I might never have thought of going a place like this, however she did and I’m grateful. St. Catherine truly is incredible, and today I would definitely consider it one of my favorite places in Egypt.

We, me and a friend, left Cairo on the 9th of April in the morning and arrived in St. Catherine in the evening by bus (ticket costs 55 LE at Cairo Gateway). We got a room (150 LE for a double with fan, balcony and bathroon) at the Bedouin Camp and Guesthouse which included a lift from the busstation, though it’s only within walking distance of the camp. I went here two times during my stay in Egypt because of a great staff, reasonable prices and their clean and cozy rooms.

Next day I went hiking with one of the village’s bedouins, Ahdallah, to the mountain of Abbas Basha (around 300 LE, 4 hours). Ahdallah was among the older bedouins and dressed in a jalabiya, long brown jacket, a blue warm cap with a white scarf wrapped around his head and a loose and out worn pair of black trainers. Not quite suited for hiking, I thought, after all, it was four hours walk upwards. But as we started, and I was stumbling over the rocks, Ahdallah just folded his hands on his back and walked, untouched.

Most of the time we walked in silence. Ahdallah didn’t speak any English besides a few words, and to my own surprise it suited me fine. Once in a while he would pick up a plant to show it to me or, as I lagged behind, stop for a while and shout “Eeeeeeasy easy!”. But the silence and the cosy attitude of Ahdallah somehow reinforced this experience of merging into the rocky orange scenery of the peninsula, of finding peace. Among other things, this is exactly what makes St. Catherine such a unique place to visit.

Back in the camp, we met and gathered with a few other visitors from Cairo in the lounge. In the evening one of the bedouins would light a bonfire here while making us a cup of tea. Some came here just to take a break from the hectic daily lives in Cairo, they said, while others did it to visit Mount Sinai which is said to be the place where Moses received the ten commandments. Like Jerusalem, the mountain as well as the whole area is sacred to both Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

That same evening, around midnight, I walked to Mount Sinai with my friend to catch the sunrise from the top. Since you are not allowed to climb the mountain on your own, we had to be accompanied by a local worker (you will find and pay them at the end of the mountain), and I honestly doubt I could have done it without. At this time most of the climb happened in darkness, in other words, I couldn’t see a thing. At the same time I was too focused on the pain in my legs and my lungs to stay oriented. Getting lost would have been easy.

As we reached the top, we passed a couple of shelters offering hot tea, coffee, snacks and, the best part, blankets to rent and wrap around you as you climb the last part and wait for the sunrise at the top. At this time, the shelter was packed with tourists taking a nap while resting their legs and getting ready for the final stage. Many of them from other places than St. Catherine, which unlike Mount Sinai appears rather deserted despite its sights.

Then you reach it, the icing on St. Catherine’s cake, and for every minute that goes by and every cloud that pass away, it gets more clearly. Shadows take shapes and turn into silhouettes and as silhouettes turn into mountains, new shadows emerge in the distance, until the sun finally arises and casts its light over the peninsula turning black and grey into yellow and orange and finally revealing the infinite beauty of Sinai.