Egypt Guide
Sinai
Mount Sinai
While some archeologists question whether Mount Sinai was really the Biblical mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments, it's hard not to agree with the nineteenth-century American explorer John Lloyd Stephens that "among all the stupendous works of Nature, not a place can be selected more fitting for the exhibition of Almighty power". Its loftiest peak, a craggy, sheer-faced massif of grey and red granite "like a vengeful dagger that was dipped in blood many ages ago", rises 2285m above sea level. Strictly speaking, it's only this that the Bedouin call Jebel Musa ("Mount Moses"), though the name is commonly applied to the whole massif. Some Biblical scholars reckon that Moses proclaimed the Commandments from Ras Safsafa, at the opposite end of the ridge, which overlooks a wide valley where the Israelites could have camped.
Neither of the two routes to the summit requires a guide, but you shouldn't attempt the walk at night without a torch, and certainly not in winter - accidents are not uncommon. The longer but easier route is via the switchback camel path, starting 50m behind the monastery. It's possible to rent a camel (£E40; £E15 at midday; 2hr), but it's really worth the effort of walking, which takes around two to three hours. You can stock up on water at the monastery shop before setting off, and there are refreshment stalls along the way. Prices rise the higher you go, but restocking on the mountain saves you carrying extra weight right at the start. Bedouin entrepreneurs at the peak rent out blankets and mattresses for the night (£E5-10).