Thru Hike 2023
Part 1: from Ras Shetan to Ein Kidd
Part 2: from Ein Kidd to St. Katherine
Part 3: from St. Katherine to Serabit
Part 4: from Serabit to Ras Shetan
The Sinai Trail is getting ready for its first ever thru hike of the complete route this coming autumn. If you haven’t heard of it before the Sinai Trail is Egypt’s first ever long-distance hiking trail: a 550km-long hiking route traversing the Middle East’s greatest wilderness & the territories of eight Bedouin tribes along the way. Founded in 2015, the Sinai Trail has grown into Egypt’s leading community tourism initiative, creating legitimate jobs & opportunities in some of its most remote desert regions; especially those of a kind that help keep the region’s traditional Bedouin knowledge, skills & heritage alive in modern times.
The Sinai Trail is divided into FOUR separate parts of which each last 12 days each & this time we’ll be walking the entire trail end to end. PART 1 runs from Ras Shetan on the Gulf of Aqaba coast to Ein Kidd, where a pretty oasis nestles in the mountains. This section will be guided by the Tarabin & Muzeina tribes. On PART 2 the route continues from Ein Kidd to the highlands of St. Katherine, traversing narrow wadis, rugged passes & Egypt’s highest peaks, with the Awlad Said & Jebeleya tribe taking the lead. PART 3 runs from St. Katherine to Serabit el Khadem via some of the Sinai’s most remote wadis & mountains, with the Jebeleya, Awlad Said, Gararsha, Hamada, Sowalha & Alegat tribes all taking part. PART 4 involves a Gulf-to-Gulf crossing, going from the deserts just inland of the Gulf of Suez coast back to the Gulf of Aqaba, via the biggest sand desert in the Sinai. The Alegat, Muzeina & Tarabin tribes will guide this section.
You can join a single part or more parts together
For hikers joining 1 PART ONLY: The cost of each PART (12 day trip) is 1500€.
PART 1: RAS SHETAN to EIN KID, 12 DAYS – 20.10 / 31.10.2023
1. Accommodation in twin room in Nuweiba, on the 19th of October, evening meal and breakfast the following morning. Drinks are not included.
2. 12 days of hiking from the 20th till the 31st of October including Bedouin guides, cameleers/pick-up for baggage, support crew on-trail, permission fees.
3. 3 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinking water & Bedouin tea. The first day includes only lunch and dinner. Last day only breakfast and lunch.
4. Jeep and minibus transfer from Ein Kidd to Dahab on the 31st of October
1. Jeep transfer from/ to Dahab to Ein Kidd on the 1st of November.
2. 12 days of hiking from the 1st till the 12th of November, including Bedouin guides, cameleers/pick-up for baggage, support crew on-trail, permission fees,
3. 3 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinking water & Bedouin tea. The first day, the 1st of November, includes only lunch and dinner.
1. 1 night accommodation in twin rooms with private bathroom in St. Katherine, Fox Camp on the 13th of November plus an evening meal and breakfast the following morning.
2. 12 days of hiking from the 14th till the 25th of November including Bedouin guides, cameleers/pick-up for baggage, support crew on-trail, permission fees,
3. 3 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinking water & Bedouin tea.
4. Accommodation in a single hut in Serabit el Khadem, Barakat Camp on the 25th of November plus an evening meal and breakfast the following morning. Barakat camp is a basic Bedouin camp with simple rooms and communal bathrooms.
5. Transfer from Serabit el Khadem to Abu Zenima in the morning after breakfast of the 26th of November. Hikers joining part 4 will spend the 26th of November in Barakat Camp.
PART 4 – SERABIT EL KHADEM to NUWEIBA, 12 DAYS – 27.11 / 08.12.2023
2. 12 days of hiking from the 27th of November till the 8th of December including Bedouin guides, cameleers/pick-up for baggage, support crew on-trail, permission fees,
3. 3 meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinking water & Bedouin tea.
4. Accommodation in twin room in Nuweiba on the 8th of December plus an evening meal and breakfast the following morning. Drinks are not included.
Please note that the price ONLY includes what is listed above: anything extra like transfers to/from the starting/finishing point of any given part (except from/to Ein Kidd), food and accommodation before/after the trip, hiking gear etc. are NOT included.
A deposit of 300€ is required to confirm your place on the thru hike. For Egyptian Citizens or non-Egyptian the deposit is 7500EGP. Without payment of a deposit we will not be able to hold your place. The remaining payment must be made in cash on the day of the trip. We will send all payment details by email when we have accepted you onto the trip.
If you cancel your participation to the trip, this deposit will be NON refundable and it can’t be used for future trips, unless you find a suitable substitute hiker to take your place at least two weeks before the hike begins. This hiker must be accepted by the Sinai Trail Team, whose decision will be final.
First, please remember this is a wilderness trip. You will walk a long way from settlements. There will be no toilets, beds or easy conveniences. We will walk & live the Bedouin way; sleeping in the sands, under the big desert skies, eating food cooked on a fire. If you’re not used to it, this can be difficult; but there are many things to love about it too.
To join email sinaitrail@gmail.com answering the Qs below in full.
1. Name and Family Name
2. Which PART would you like to join?
3. Nationality & Date of Birth
4. Mobile number (+ WhatsApp if possible)
5. Place of residence
6. Facebook profile (if any)
7. Fitness. Please tell us about your current lifestyle and level of fitness: how physically fit would you say you are on a scale of 1-5 (5 = the best, a total pro).
8. Hiking experience. Please tell us a bit about your existing hiking experience – e.g. have you hiked in the Sinai before? If so, where? Have you ever done a multi-day trek, and how long did it last? How often do you hike and when was the last time you hiked? Do you have any experience in any other outdoor activity, like scrambling, rock climbing etc?
9. How regularly do you exercise & what are your favourite activities e.g. walking, jogging, workouts?
10. What weight class best describes you from the following: a: 60-70kg b: 70-80kg c: 80-90kg d: 90-100kg e: 100-120kg f: 120kg +? How tall are you?
11. Do you have any health conditions/ injuries that could be relevant on a long remote mountain hike? E.g. asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, allergies, mental health conditions of any kind etc? Could any of these be aggravated over a 12 day hike far from medical help in the wilderness?
12. Why do you want to hike the Sinai Trail? Do you have a special goal? Is it the challenge, solitude, or adventure? Or the chance of meeting new people or just seeing more of Egypt?