Sinai

01

About the region

Sinai is the only part of Egypt in Asia, a triangle of about 60,000 square kilometres that forms the land bridge between Africa and Asia. Armies have crossed it into Egypt for thousands of years, and it has a place in several religious traditions: the Exodus story, the route of the Holy Family into Egypt and the mountain revered as Mount Sinai.

For visitors, Sinai means the south. Sharm El Sheikh is a major resort beside Ras Mohammed National Park, whose reefs and walls are among the Red Sea’s best dives. Dahab is more relaxed, known for the Blue Hole, Bedouin camps and windsurfing, with Nuweiba and Taba further up the Gulf of Aqaba. Inland, the Saint Catherine Area has the 6th-century Greek Orthodox monastery at the foot of Mount Moses (Gebel Musa); walkers climb at night to watch sunrise from the summit, and Bedouin guides lead treks through the surrounding mountains. El Tor, on the Gulf of Suez, has the Hammam Musa hot springs.

Several valleys around St Catherine reopened to visitors in 2025, and the town is being redeveloped under a large government tourism project, so expect building work.

02

Highlights

• Diving and snorkelling in Ras Mohammed National Park
• The Blue Hole and the Canyon, Dahab
• Sunrise climb of Mount Sinai (Gebel Musa)
• St Catherine's Monastery, among the oldest working monasteries
• Bedouin-guided treks in the St Catherine mountains
• Hammam Musa hot springs near El Tor

03

Plan your visit

Best time: March to May and October to November suit both beaches and trekking; winter nights at St Catherine (about 1,600 m) can drop below freezing, and summer on the coast is very hot.

Getting there: Sharm El Sheikh International Airport has many direct flights from Europe and is about an hour from Cairo by air; by road it takes around 6–7 hours via the tunnel under the Suez Canal. Dahab is about an hour from Sharm by road and St Catherine about 2.5 hours.

Trip ideas:

• 7 days: Sharm El Sheikh diving with Ras Mohammed
• 4 days: Dahab and a night climb of Mount Sinai
• 3 days: St Catherine treks with Bedouin guides