El Tor

This El Tor travel guide covers the best things to do in El Tor: kitesurfing beaches, the Hammam Musa hot springs and trips to Ras Mohammed and St Catherine. Below you will also find the best time to visit El Tor, how to get there and around, and a choice of hotels in El Tor.

El Tor (also written At-Tur or Tur Sinai) is the capital of South Sinai governorate, on the Gulf of Suez coast of the peninsula about 100 km north-west of Sharm El Sheikh. It is an administrative and fishing town rather than a resort, with a palm-fringed shoreline and the high mountains of southern Sinai behind it. Most travellers pass through on their way between Cairo and Sharm, though the town is worth a short stop.

History

In antiquity the town was known as Raithu. It was an early centre of Christian monasticism, and the Byzantine emperor Justinian is credited with building a monastery here in the 6th century. For centuries El Tor was a port on the sea route between Egypt and the Hejaz, and from the 19th century it served as a quarantine station for Hajj pilgrims returning from Mecca; the El Tor strain of cholera was identified here in 1905.

What to see and do

• Monastery of Raithu: a dependency of St Catherine’s Monastery, on the site of the early monastic settlement; it is listed on Egypt’s UNESCO tentative list. Ask locally about access.
• Hammam Musa: warm sulphurous springs a few kilometres from town, which tradition links with Moses and the Exodus; locals bathe there for the water’s reputed healing properties.
• The seafront: a calm corniche and beaches on the Gulf of Suez, with kitesurfing on windy days.
• Gateway to South Sinai: the governorate’s main sights, including Ras Mohammed National Park, Sharm El Sheikh, St Catherine’s Monastery and Mount Sinai, Dahab’s Blue Hole, Nuweiba and Taba, are all reachable from here.

Practical tips

A half-day stop or a single night is enough for El Tor itself. Buses between Cairo and Sharm El Sheikh pass through, and taxis are the easiest way to reach the springs. Facilities are modest compared with the resorts, so it suits independent travellers. Carry your passport for checkpoints on Sinai roads, and dress conservatively in town.

Last checked October 2026. Sources: en.wikipedia.org, sinaimonastery.com, whc.unesco.org, www-lonelyplanet-com-6c06.imagizer.com.