Travel
Preparing for climbing Mount Sinai: Part II
Part II – If you missed Part I please click here.
How safe is it?
You may wonder about safety. Climbing at night if you have never done it before, may sound a little bit dangerous or adventurous. Go at your pace, look down and bring your flashlight on both sides to see where you step. The camel path is wide enough for camels and hikers.
our bedoin going back down to St Catherine – credits Vivamost
We read somewhere: If you want to make sure to meet God, take the Penitence path. If you take it at night, you may break a leg or worse. The camel path is safer.
Should you trust your bedouin?
Bedouins are there to guide and help you. Ours was very trustworthy and did everything he could to help us with.
How well do the bedouins and café owners speak English?
Bedouins and café owners speak understandable English, better than we expected it.
Plants on the rocky path, Mt Sinai – credits Vivamost
What shoes do I need to wear?
Wear good shoes. We had some good trekking shoes. Midway through the steps, an Hindu lady, in sandals, fell down near me. She tried passing me too quickly. If we had been worried my hiking shoes were too old, some didn’t have the same worries, taking anything available. We even saw a girl going down to the monastery with very slippery summer sandals. We don’ t recommend it!!! Better safe than sorry!
Which coats and clothing do I need to wear?
This depends on when you hike Mount Sinai. Know that the temperature at the top is about 5 degrees cooler. Wear layers of clothes at the top and see how you feel. We hiked with a tee shirt beginning of May. It was a bit windy at some time but it was too hot with a jacket.
Before we reached the top, we put a fleece and a winter coat on. For the way down, starting at 7:00 a.m. it starts being hot. You will need again only a tee-shirt.
How big should my backpack be?
It depends on what you are planning to bring. If you plan on buying food and drinks at the cafés on the way and are not bringing a full camera and video equipment, then you need a small one. We brought a medium size backpack.
Arabic sign at the St. Catherine monastery in the Sinai – credits Vivamost
What would I need to carry?
You need your passport with you. Bring some food, water, a warm jacket, a winter hat, batteries for your cameras, a flash light, your breakfast box and some sun cream.
If you wear contact lense, we recommend you bring glasses in case you need to remove your contacts. You never know when you may need them if a sand storm comes your way.
Do I need to bring my own flash lights?
We had read something about lights that it was better to bring your own with extra charged batteries. And it was a good idea as our lights were much lighter than the ones given to us by our guide. Plus, we could attach them to our head, which made it easier.
Do I really need to rent a blanket?
When bedouins recommend a blanket each, they are not trying to sell you something you don’t need. You will be happy you got it. Even if we were told, there would be none at the top and to buy them at the last café (2-3 minutes) before the top, there were salesmen at the top. You need to bring them back down when you are done watching the sunrise. The blankets are quite heavy.
waiting for the sunrise on top of Mt Sinai – credits Vivamost
What cameras, video cameras and batteries do I need?
Knowing how much wind there is a the top, we would not bring too many electronics at the top. We damaged two cameras when sand dusts came into our lenses. Bring some extra batteries and memory cards.
We would not bring a video camera if your camera has a built in one. We brought a pocket camera, easy to pull out at any time and a nicer one with two lenses for better quality pictures. We don´t recommend changing lenses at the top of the mountain due to the sand storms.
Desert flower-credits Vivamost
Is sleeping in the afternoon the day before important?
If you have had a couple good night sleeps the nights before, you probably will be ok. A nap can’t hurt.
What should I eat the night of?
Try eating things that won’t make your sick like spicy Egyptian food. Best would be pasta, rice or potatoes.
What food should I bring with me?
On the camel path, you will find drinks and food. So don’t overload yourself as we did! Nuts and raisins and power bars are good to bring. If you take the Steps of Penitence on the way down, you will not find any rest area with food and drinks.
sunrise on Mt Sinai – credits Vivamost
Alternatives:
If you think that visiting the monastery and climbing Mount Sinai is too much in one day or you would rather visit the monastery alone, it is possible.
When we came back to the monastery we were totally exhausted and could not focus on the guided tour. We returned another year just for the tour of the monastery.
Good luck and don’t hesitate to contact Vivamost if you have any questions.
