Mount Sinai via the Steps of Repentance

Mount Sinai, known in Arabic as Gebel Musa, rises to about 2,285 m above the village of St Catherine in the mountainous interior of Egypt's South Sinai Governorate. The Steps of Repentance route is the shorter and steeper of the two classic ascents and starts behind St Catherine's Monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Trailhead access from Sharm el-Sheikh is by road, a drive of roughly three hours across the desert interior, so most visitors join an overnight bus or minibus tour that leaves Sharm hotels in the evening, reaches St Catherine around midnight and begins the climb in the small hours to arrive for sunrise. Independent visitors can base themselves in St Catherine and walk from the monastery area, and local Bedouin guides are customarily used for the ascent. The round trip is about 7 km with an ascent of roughly 750 m, which places it at the hard end of day hikes because of altitude, cold and the sheer number of steps. The lower section follows a wide, graded camel path of packed gravel and rock, and camels can be hired for much of this part. The path then reaches a flat area with a few tea stalls and a small chapel before the final stretch, where the Steps of Repentance, a long run of uneven hand-laid stone steps, climb steeply to the summit plateau. The surface is rock and stone throughout, with little shade, and the upper section is exposed to wind. At the top stand a small chapel and a mosque, and the summit offers wide views across the granite ranges of southern Sinai. Water and hot drinks are sold at seasonal stalls along the path, but prices rise with height, so carrying water is advisable. Ascents typically take three to four hours and descents about two hours. A common turn-around point for those who find the steps too demanding is the plateau below the final staircase, which still provides mountain views. Descending by the longer camel path is an option for people with tired knees. Temperatures near the summit before dawn can fall close to freezing in winter, so warm layers, a head torch and sturdy shoes are essential, and visitors normally return to the monastery area in the morning before the drive back to the coast.