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Climb Mount Sinai at night with a Bedouin guide to catch sunrise from the 2,285-metre summit, then visit the historic Saint Catherine Monastery. Most tours run 12–18 hours with hotel pickup from Sharm El Sheikh or Dahab.
Free Cancellation 16-hour night tour from Sharm El Sheikh: guided 2,285m Mount Sinai climb, sunrise, and St Catherine Monastery visit.
Free Cancellation 14-hour night tour from Sharm El-Sheikh: night climb of Mount Sinai for sunrise, then a 2-hour visit to St. Catherine's Monastery.
Free Cancellation Night climb of Mt. Sinai for sunrise, then a 40-minute visit to St. Catherine's Monastery, from Sharm el-Sheikh.
Free Cancellation Late-evening pickup from any Sharm El Sheikh hotel, night climb up Mount Sinai for sunrise, then a 2-hour visit to St. Catherine's Monastery.
Free Cancellation Overnight climb of Mount Sinai for sunrise from Sharm El Sheikh, then a visit to St. Catherine Monastery. Roughly 15 hours.
Free Cancellation Overnight bus tour from Sharm el-Sheikh: guided 2,285m Mount Sinai climb, sunrise, then St Catherine Monastery. About 15 hours.
Overnight trip from Dahab: guided night climb of Mount Sinai for sunrise, then a visit to St. Catherine's Monastery. 12 hours.
Free Cancellation Night climb of Mount Sinai with a Bedouin guide, then a 30-minute visit to St Catherine's Monastery.
Free Cancellation Overnight coach tour from Sharm El Sheikh: night climb of Mount Sinai for sunrise, then St. Catherine's Monastery.
17-hour night tour from Sharm el Sheikh: climb Mount Sinai by 01:00 for sunrise, then visit St. Catherine's Monastery.
Read what travelers share about their experience visiting Mount Sinai — from practical tips to personal highlights.
You'll be picked up from your Sharm el-Sheikh or Dahab hotel in the evening, drive two to four hours through military checkpoints, and start climbing Mount Sinai between 1:00 and 2:00 AM with a Bedouin guide from the Jabaliya tribe. After sunrise near 6:00 AM on the 2,285 m summit, you descend and finish with a 30-60 minute visit to Saint Catherine's Monastery, the 6th-century fortress at the mountain's foot. The whole excursion runs 12-18 hours door to door.
You reach the top in darkness around 4-5 AM and wait in the cold for dawn near 6:00, when the granite ridges of the Sinai massif and Mount Catherine turn gold. The summit plateau holds a small chapel and a 12th-century mosque. Pilgrims have been climbing for this view for some 1,700 years.
Most groups take the Camel Path, a well-graded switchback trail that takes 2.5-3 hours up, unlit except for your headlamp. Bedouin tea huts along the route sell mint tea, coffee, chocolate and instant noodles, and rent blankets when you stop moving and the cold bites. Skies here are free of light pollution.
Camels stop at Elijah's Basin, leaving a steep stone stairway clamped between granite walls for the last stretch. You pass the Gate of Stephen and the Gate of the Law, two arches flanking the ancient Path of Moses, before the summit plateau opens up. Allow 30-45 minutes.
After descending, most tours stop 30-60 minutes at the monastery built by Emperor Justinian I between 548 and 565 CE. You'll see the basilica (shoes off) and the Burning Bush enclosure; roughly 3,500 manuscripts and 2,000 Byzantine icons are kept on site. It's a short visit, so move fast.
Every climb is led by a licensed guide from the local Jabaliya tribe, who have guarded the mountain for centuries — unguided hiking isn't permitted. Guides are assigned and checked at the visitor centre. Some tours add an Egyptologist guide for the drive and monastery.
It's 230 km from Sharm el-Sheikh (about 3 hours each way) and 130 km from Dahab (about 2 hours), with passport checks at multiple military checkpoints — one visitor counted twelve. Coaches are air-conditioned, and most operators pick up at hotel main gates, not reception. Bring your physical passport.
Almost every tour here is the same overnight format — late-evening pickup, night climb, sunrise, monastery stop, morning return — so the real differences are price, group size, and what's included. Here's what to check before you pay.
All ten tours currently listed are guided group trips by coach or minibus; there's no audio or self-guided option, and independent hiking is banned — a licensed Jabaliya Bedouin guide is compulsory. The premium Memphis Tours version ($199) runs the same itinerary with a private vehicle. Most tours also cover the monastery visit after the descent.
Book 2-4 weeks ahead in peak months (March-May, October-November), and avoid Egyptian public holidays, when crowds surge. Weekday departures are quieter than weekends. Some operators run only on fixed days — Sun/Mon/Wed/Fri with one Sharm operator — so check the schedule before committing to dates.
Entrance fees are the trap here. Several cheap tours ($27-36) exclude the St. Catherine National Park fee, and one collects €10 per person on the spot for the Mount Moses area. Mid-range and premium options ($48-199) bundle park entrance, hotel pickup and the Bedouin guide. Gratuities are excluded almost everywhere.
The mountain itself has no ticket, but the compulsory Bedouin guide runs about EGP 800 flat per group, camels EGP 250 to Elijah's Basin, and monastery entry is free per most recent reports — though a 2026 fee list prices it at EGP 200, and some tours cite €10. Carry up to €10/EGP 500 per person in cash to be safe.
Check this one carefully: most tours offer a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours ahead, but two — the Dahab departure and one 17-hour Sharm trip — are final sale with no refund at all. Given the 1 AM start and winter summit temperatures of 0-5°C, illness happens. The 24-hour-refund tours are worth a few extra dollars.
Standard operators list the excursion as not wheelchair accessible, and the final 750 steps to the summit must be climbed on foot. Fit seniors regularly manage the Camel Path at 2.5-3 hours, and children around 8-10 do the night climb — families with younger kids should book private tours to set their own pace. Most tours flag the trip as unsuitable for pregnant travellers or anyone with spinal injuries.
Sharm el-Sheikh tours (from $27) involve a 3-hour drive each way; the Dahab tour ($50) is the shortest transfer at about 2 hours. One operator includes flashlights and a 30-minute rest stop in Dahab on the return leg — worth having if your tour doesn't. Bring your own headlamp regardless.
Guided commentary runs in English and Russian on every tour, with Arabic, Italian and German on some departures. Pickup is from hotel main gates (not reception) with most Sharm operators, and several ask for your room number at booking so security lets the driver in. Exact pickup times come via WhatsApp the day before.
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| Budget group coach tour (Sharm) | Mid-range group tour (Sharm) | Premium private tour (Memphis Tours) | Dahab departure tour | 16-hour classic (Sharm) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | 14-18 hours | 15-17 hours | 15 hours | 12 hours | 16 hours |
| Price from | $27-36 per adult | $35.97-55 per adult | $199 per adult | $50 per adult | $78 per adult |
| Includes | Bedouin guide, hotel pickup, air-conditioned coach; park entrance often excluded (one adds €10pp on the spot) | Bedouin guide, park entrance fees, hotel pickup, Egyptologist or English-speaking guide, bottled water on some | Private air-conditioned vehicle, all park entrance fees and taxes, Bedouin guide, bottled water and soft drinks | Bedouin guide, park entrance, hotel pickup in Dahab, air-conditioned vehicle | Hotel/port pickup, park fees, Bedouin climb guide and Egyptologist guide |
| Cancellation | Full refund 24+ hours before on most; two operators are final sale | Full refund 24+ hours before on most; the $55 trip is final sale | Full refund 24+ hours before | All sales final — no refund | Full refund 24+ hours before |
| Best for | Travellers who want the sunrise climb cheap and don't mind a big group and add-on fees | First-timers who want entrance fees bundled and a smoother pickup (exact time sent via WhatsApp) | Anyone who wants the same sunrise without a 40-person coach — the only tour listing 'suitable for all fitness levels' | Dahab-based travellers: 11 PM departure, 2-hour drive, shortest night of any option | Cruise passengers and anyone needing port pickup — the only tour offering it |
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Mount Sinai is open around the clock for guided climbs. Standard sunrise ascents start hiking between 1:00 and 2:00 AM to reach the summit by 4-5 AM, with sunrise around 6:00 AM. Sunset climbs are also offered.
Saint Catherine's Monastery accepts visitors Monday-Thursday and Saturday, roughly 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon (some sources say 9:00-11:30 AM). It closes on Fridays, Sundays and major Greek Orthodox feast days, and can shut at short notice — check before you travel.
Most visitors arrive on an organized tour, and given the military checkpoint system, that's the sensible choice. One 2024 traveller counted twelve routine passport checks between Sharm el-Sheikh and Saint Catherine.
Free parking with 24-hour security is available at the visitor centre for self-drivers. Independent travel to Saint Catherine is discouraged — stick with licensed tours.
March-May and October-November are the sweet spots: daytime temperatures of 22-35°C, nights at 10-20°C, minimal rainfall and clear skies for sunrise.
December-February also works — crisp 15-25°C days and the year's clearest skies — but summit temperatures hover around 0-5°C on night climbs, with occasional snow on the high peaks. Manageable with layers, hat and gloves. Miserable without.
June-August are punishing: 37-45°C at the base and zero rainfall. Climbs then require very early 10 PM starts, and the monastery visit is uncomfortable. Skip it if you can.
The summit is not wheelchair accessible — both routes are steep stone paths and the final 750 steps must be climbed on foot. Standard tour operators list the excursion the same way.
Wheelchair users: the monastery valley is difficult too — the car park lies more than a quarter mile from the church along an uneven, centuries-old cobbled road. Security staff will permit wheelchair-accessible vehicles to drive directly alongside the monastery if you explain the situation.
Seniors: fit climbers in their 70s and 80s have completed the ascent. Take the Camel Path (2.5-3 hours at a relaxed pace), use a camel as far as Elijah's Hollow for all but the final 750 steps, and consider a daytime private climb. Travellers 65+ should consult a doctor first.
Children: kids around 8-10 can manage the night climb; children as young as 6 do daytime ascents with frequent breaks. Book a private tour with young children to set your own pace. Note most tours list the trip as unsuitable for pregnant travellers or anyone with spinal injuries.
Bedouin tea huts line the Camel Path, selling mint tea, coffee, chocolate and instant noodles at inflated mountain prices, and renting blankets for the cold summit wait. Bring Egyptian pounds in small notes — cash solves forgotten gear.
Card payment is increasingly required for official tickets, so carry both cards and cash. There's no wheelchair-accessible infrastructure on the mountain itself.
Documents: carry your physical passport — it's checked at multiple military checkpoints on the road and at the trailhead, and a photo copy won't do. Note the visa trap: the free 15-day Sharm el-Sheikh entry stamp covers only Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba. Saint Catherine lies outside it, so you need a full Egyptian visa (US$30 cash on arrival, or US$36 digital in Cairo from 1 August 2026).
Dress: modest dress at the monastery — shoulders and knees covered, long trousers or below-knee skirt, sleeved tops; some sources advise women to carry a headscarf. Shoes come off at the basilica and the Burning Bush. On night climbs, wear warm layers, hat and gloves even in summer.
Guards enforce the dress code and access rules, and non-compliant visitors can be refused entry.
Tours from Sharm el-Sheikh pick up between 7:00 and 10:30 PM depending on the operator — most around 8:00-8:30 PM — for the 3-hour drive to the trailhead. Dahab tours leave around 11:00 PM. Pickup is from hotel main gates, not reception, and most Sharm operators ask for your room number at booking so security lets the driver in; exact times usually come via WhatsApp the day before.
Yes. The free 15-day entry stamp issued at Sharm airport covers only Sharm, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba — Saint Catherine is outside that zone, and you can be refused at the checkpoints en route. Buy a full Egyptian visa before you leave the airport: US$30 in cash on arrival, or US$36 through the digital system (in Cairo from 1 August 2026).
Yes, nearly every tour stops at Saint Catherine's Monastery after the descent, but the visits are short — 30-40 minutes with most operators. Entry is free per most recent visitor reports, though a 2026 Egyptian fee list prices it at EGP 200 and some tours collect €10 per person, so budget accordingly. The monastery is open Monday-Thursday and Saturday, roughly 9:00 AM to noon, so tour timing lines up with your morning descent.
The standard Camel Path ascent takes 2.5-3 hours over well-graded switchbacks with 700 m of elevation gain — most tours list it as needing moderate fitness, though a couple flag a high level. The final 750 stone steps after Elijah's Basin are the steepest part. You can hire a camel for about EGP 250 to carry you (or just your bag) most of the way, but everyone climbs the last steps on foot.
Winter summit temperatures (December-February) sit around 0-5°C with wind, even when the base is 15-20°C during the day. Summer nights are milder at 20-25°C, but the cold bites the moment you stop moving after the climb. Pack layers, a hat, gloves and a windproof jacket year-round, or rent a blanket from Bedouin vendors at the summit rest areas.
Most tours offer a full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure — check the listing, because at least two operators (including the Dahab departure) are final sale with no refund. Tours operate in all weather conditions, so there's no weather-based cancellation. Given the 1 AM start, paying a few dollars more for a 24-hour-refund tour is worth it.
The southern Sinai sites sit outside the do-not-travel zone covering North Sinai, and the US State Department confirms its embassy staff are cleared to visit the mountain and monastery. Expect many routine military checkpoints — one visitor counted twelve — with mandatory passport checks. Travel with a licensed tour rather than independently, and don't photograph checkpoints.
Yes, a locally licensed Bedouin guide from the Jabaliya tribe is compulsory, assigned and checked at the visitor centre before you start — unguided hiking is not permitted. Tours include a Bedouin mountain guide, and if you're going independently, hiring one at the entrance costs about EGP 800 as a flat fee for your whole group.
Children around 8-10 regularly complete the night climb, and kids as young as 6 manage daytime ascents with breaks — book a private tour with young children so you set the pace. Fit seniors in their 70s and 80s have done it via the Camel Path, and camels can carry riders to Elijah's Basin, leaving only the final 750 steps. Travellers 65+ should check with a doctor first; most tours exclude pregnant travellers and people with spinal injuries.
A headlamp or torch (the path is unlit), your physical passport, warm layers, hat and gloves, and Egyptian pounds in small notes for tea huts and blankets. Hiking poles help on the descent, when tired legs meet 750 steep steps and loose gravel. Carry at least two litres of water in summer, and note that at least one tour provides flashlights while most don't.
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A bus tour that leaves Sharm El Sheikh hotels in the late evening, climbs Mount Sinai overnight, and tours St Catherine Monastery before returning. It runs about 16 hours door to door, with pickup and drop-off from your hotel or the port included. At 02:00 you start the climb with a guide — roughly three hours up the 2,285m mountain, following the long path to the 700 steps that finish at the summit. After sunrise you descend, and your guide meets you at the monastery gate for a visit covering the Transfiguration Church, the Burning Bush, and the Well of Moses. St Catherine National Park fees, all transport, a local climbing guide, and a qualified Egyptologist guide are all included; gratuities are extra. Guides work in English or Russian. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Russian, English
This 14-hour tour leaves Sharm El-Sheikh at 20:00 and reaches Mount Sinai by coach after roughly 3 hours. The climb starts in the dark and takes about 4 hours to the 2,285-metre summit, where you wait for sunrise over the surrounding ranges. Descent toward St. Catherine's Monastery takes 2-3 hours, followed by a 2-hour guided visit. You're back at your hotel around 13:00. At the monastery you'll see the 11th-century mosque inside the walls, the Greek Orthodox church with the reliquary of Saint Catherine, and the area known as the holy valley. A professional guide accompanies the whole trip; guiding is available in Arabic, Russian, English and Italian. Entry permissions and air-conditioned transport for the round trip are included, while gratuities are not. Pickup is from your hotel's main gate (not the reception gate), with exact times set by hotel location, and the operator confirms your room number to avoid mix-ups. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Arabic, Russian, English, Italian
This tour climbs Mt. Sinai (2,285 m) at night with a Bedouin guide and times the summit for sunrise. You spend about six hours on the mountain itself. After descending, the group stops at St. Catherine's Monastery at the mountain's foot for roughly 40 minutes. Pickup runs from about 19:30 to 21:00 at the main gate of any Sharm el-Sheikh hotel; no pickup at the bus station, port, or airport, though pickup from Dahab, the airport, or Royssat bus station can be arranged for an extra charge. The day ends around 14:00. Guides speak Arabic, Russian, and English. Hotel pickup and drop-off, the Bedouin guide, and air-conditioned transport are included; entrance fees are not. Bring warm clothes — gloves, hat, jacket — for the cold summit, plus a thermos and snacks, since prices on the mountain are steep. A camel can be rented for most of the climb, but the final 750 steps to the top are on foot. Note the microbus has no luggage space, so leave suitcases behind. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Arabic, Russian, English
This 17-hour tour starts with a late-evening pickup from your hotel anywhere in Sharm El Sheikh — the transfer is included at no extra cost, and you get the exact pickup time once you provide your hotel name. You travel by air-conditioned coach to Mount Sinai and begin the climb at night with a Bedouin guide, ascending roughly 750 steps to reach the 2,285-meter summit before sunrise. The mountain portion takes about 8 hours in total. After descending, you spend 2 hours at St. Catherine's Monastery at the foot of the mountain, including the Holy Valley. The coach then returns you to your Sharm El Sheikh hotel around 1:00 PM. Included are the tour guide, the Bedouin guide for the climb, hotel pickup and drop-off, air-conditioned transport, and a bottle of water per person. Guides operate in Arabic, Russian, English, and Italian. The St. Catherine National Park entry fee is not included. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Arabic, Russian, English, Italian
A Memphis Tours representative picks you up from your Sharm El Sheikh hotel at 10:30 pm for the three-hour drive to St. Catherine, in a modern air-conditioned vehicle. A Bedouin guide leads the nighttime climb up Mount Sinai — the mountain stop runs about 540 minutes — timed so you're on the summit for sunrise. After descending, the tour visits St. Catherine Monastery, one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world. Total duration is around 15 hours, so expect to be back in Sharm by early afternoon. Included: hotel pickup and return, all transfers, a Bedouin guide for the ascent, entrance fees to St. Catherine National Park, all service charges and taxes, and bottled water plus a soft drink on board the vehicle. Guiding is in English. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund. Bring warm layers — the summit is cold before dawn, even after a warm night in Sharm.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This is a 15-hour overnight bus trip from Sharm el-Sheikh. Pickup from your hotel comes in the late evening, and you'll need your hotel name and room number at booking so security lets the driver in. The exact pickup time is sent via WhatsApp before departure. Round-trip transfer is free from Sharm hotels. At 2:00am the climb starts. A Bedouin guide leads the roughly 3-hour ascent of the 2,285m mountain, first along a long path, then up 700 steps to the summit, where you wait for sunrise. Getting back down takes you to the monastery gate, where an Egyptologist guide takes over for about 3 hours: the Transfiguration Church, the Burning Bush, and the Well of Moses. Included are the Bedouin climbing guide, the Egyptologist guide, air-conditioned transport with hotel pickup and drop-off, and entry to Mount Sinai and St Catherine Monastery. Guides speak Russian, English, or Italian. Two extras aren't covered: a camel ride for part of the climb, and an entry fee for the Mount Sinai area of 10 EUR per person, paid on site. Cancel at least 24 hours ahead for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Russian, English, Italian
This tour leaves Dahab at 23:00 and drives two hours to the base of Mount Sinai, climbing with a Bedouin guide from 01:00 to reach the summit before dawn. You'll wait out the last stretch under the stars, then watch sunrise from the top. After dawn, the descent takes you straight to St. Catherine's Monastery, built around the site of the Burning Bush, for a two-hour visit. The mountain portion runs about seven hours; the monastery stop, two. Total trip length is 12 hours, and the guide speaks English. Hotel pickup and drop-off from any hotel in Dahab is included, along with the Bedouin climbing guide, the St. Catherine National Park entrance fee, and transport in an air-conditioned vehicle. Note the cancellation terms: all sales are final, with no refunds.
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
English
This is a night climb up Mount Moses with a Bedouin guide who accompanies you to the top, followed by a 30-minute visit to St Catherine's Monastery after the descent. The transfer runs about 8 hours round trip, so on the way you'll stop for roughly 30 minutes to rest in Dahab. An accompanying guide stays with the group for the whole trip, in Russian, English, or Italian. The transfer is by air-conditioned vehicle. Flashlights for the night lighting are provided, and there's a stop in St Catherine where you can buy holy icons. Pickup is at your hotel — wait for the guide in front of the main gate. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund. Bring comfortable shoes for the climb.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Russian, English, Italian
This is an 18-hour overnight trip. A coach leaves Sharm El Sheikh at 8:30 PM, picking up at hotel main gates (not reception), and covers the roughly 4-hour drive to the base of Mount Sinai. The climb starts in the dark — around 750 steps with a Bedouin guide — and takes about 5 hours to reach the 2,285-metre summit for sunrise. After descending, you get about an hour at St. Catherine's Monastery, a working monastery and UNESCO World Heritage Site at the foot of the mountain; stops include an eleventh-century mosque, the Orthodox Greek church said to hold Saint Catherine's remains, and views over the Holy Valley. The return coach reaches your hotel around 2 PM the next day. Included are a professional guide, air-conditioned transport both ways, and the Bedouin guide for the ascent. Guide languages: Arabic, Russian, English, and Italian. Gratuities are not included. Bring your passport (plus a copy) — it's required for the checkpoint. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Arabic, Russian, English, Italian
The bus leaves Sharm el Sheikh at 19:00 for the 2-3 hour drive to the mountain. You start climbing at 01:00 with a Bedouin guide, reach the top in the dark, and wait out the last hours before dawn — about four hours on the mountain in total, with time under a star-filled sky while you wait. After sunrise you walk back down to St. Catherine's Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage Site built around the Burning Bush and generally considered the world's oldest working Christian monastery. The visit runs about two hours, and you're back in Sharm el Sheikh around noon. Total tour length: 17 hours, door to door. Included are hotel pickup and return, all transfers in an air-conditioned vehicle, an English-speaking guide, a Bedouin guide for the climb, and entrance fees to St. Catherine National Park. Guides also work in German, Russian, and Italian. Bring a valid passport — it's required on the day of travel — plus comfortable walking shoes; you'll need to confirm your exact pickup time with the local operator beforehand. Note that all sales are final: no refunds for cancellations.
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
German, Russian, English, Italian