St Catherine's Monastery ToursSharm el-Sheikh: Mount Sinai and Catherine's Monastery Tour
The Mount Sinai sunrise tour Sharm El Sheikh operator Dunas sells is the one listing in this catalogue with a guide who works in Spanish as well as English. It runs 13 hours, includes admission to the monastery, and states in plain words what the others leave you to discover: the monastery is closed on Fridays and Sundays, and the breakfast is a picnic box you ask your hotel to prepare. It costs $151, takes children from 6, and is rated 5.0 from 4 reviews. It sits on the other St Catherine sunrise tours and prices as the Spanish-language option.
About This Tour
13 hours; about 2.5 hours each way by bus
$151 per person; monastery admission included, meals and drinks not
5.0 from 4 GetYourGuide reviews, the latest in June 2026
Shared bus; Spanish and English speaking guide
Sharm El Sheikh hotels; the exact time is confirmed by the operator the day before
Free up to 24 hours before; reserve now and pay later
Check Dates and Availability
Live dates and prices for the Dunas sunrise tour. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.
Quick answer $151 for a Spanish-speaking climb, the monastery admission paid, and the closed days stated up front
Dunas sends a bus to your Sharm hotel at a time confirmed the day before, drives two and a half hours into the Sinai mountains, and climbs the 750 steps to the summit of Mount Sinai for sunrise with a guide who speaks Spanish and English. The descent is followed by the breakfast picnic box you ordered from your hotel, then the monastery: the Basilica of the Transfiguration, the Burning Bush and the well where Moses met his wife, with admission included in the $151. The listing states that the monastery is closed on Fridays and Sundays, which no other shared tour here says outright, and excludes children under 6, pregnant women and anyone over 95.
Key takeaways
- Spanish speakers: this is the only listing on the site with a guide in the language; the comparison table shows the others
- The picnic breakfast is not in the price: ask your hotel the afternoon before
- Pickup time is approximate on the voucher and confirmed by phone the day before
What Dunas Puts in the Price and in Writing
A short listing that states more of the awkward facts than the long ones do.
Included and excluded
Three items are in: pickup and return transfer to the hotel, the Spanish-speaking guide, and admission to Saint Catherine's Monastery. Two are out: meals and drinks. The listing does not mention the St Katherine Protectorate fee either way, so carry pounds for it as you would on the OceanAir tour.
The monastery admission it includes is the visit itself and, since the church is free, in practice the sacristy museum ticket; on a Friday the sacristy is shut regardless.
| Item | Dunas | Sun Pyramids | OceanAir |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $151 | $51 | $76 |
| Guide languages | Spanish, English | English, Arabic | English, Russian, Arabic |
| Monastery admission | Included | Not stated | Not stated |
| Protectorate fee | Not stated | Included | Not stated |
| Minimum age | 6 | None stated | 14 |
| Reviews | 4 at 5.0 | 119 at 4.3 | 848 at 4.3 |
The closed days, said plainly
The full description ends with an important note: the ascent requires climbing 750 steps, bring water, comfortable footwear and suitable clothing; on Sundays and Fridays the monastery is closed, preventing access to its interior; and you will need to ask your hotel for a breakfast picnic box, as it is not included. Three sentences, and they cover the three ways this day goes wrong. The homepage hours table adds the Orthodox feast days the note leaves out, and the monastery's own visitor page is the source for the rules inside.
What four reviewers say
Four reviews at 5.0 is a small base, and the price is nearly three times the cheapest shared tour, so weigh the language against the money. A Romanian traveller in April 2026 described a dedicated Bedouin guide on the night hike and a multilingual tour guide named Sallam whom he called a living encyclopedia. A Spanish reviewer in July 2025 praised a guide named Ahmed for his English and Spanish and for looking after the group the whole trip.
Two more, from Costa Rica and the United Kingdom in 2026, left five stars without text. Nobody complains about the bus, which at four reviews means little either way.
The Monastery Stop
The courtyard, the Well of Moses and the basilica exterior, in the order a guided group walks them after the descent.
The Picnic Box, the Pickup Time and the Steps
Three practical points the listing makes, each of which affects the night before.
Order the picnic box the afternoon before
Dunas says it in the description and again in the exclusions: meals and drinks are not included, and the breakfast eaten on the descent is a picnic box from your hotel. Sharm hotels prepare these routinely for excursion guests, but only if asked before the kitchen closes, so tell reception at check-in or by mid-afternoon on the day. Carry water too; the tea huts on the mountain sell hot drinks for cash, not always water.
The pickup time is set the day before
The time shown on the booking is approximate. The local provider contacts you one day before to confirm the exact pickup, which on a sunrise tour from Sharm falls in the evening. Keep the phone number on the voucher reachable and answer the WhatsApp message; a missed confirmation is the usual reason a bus leaves without someone.
The 750 steps and who is excluded
Dunas describes the climb as the 750 steps to the summit, which is the last section of the route after the camel path; the homepage climb section has both routes with distances. The listing excludes children under 6, pregnant women and anyone over 95. Comfortable shoes, water, comfortable clothes and weather-appropriate clothing are the four things it asks you to bring; add long trousers and sleeves for the monastery gate and a headtorch for the dark.
- Bring: comfortable shoes, water, comfortable clothes, weather-appropriate clothing
- Add: headtorch, long trousers and sleeves for the gate, Egyptian pounds
- Not suitable: children under 6, pregnant women, people over 95
- Not included: meals, drinks, the picnic box
Thirteen Hours, Step by Step
From the operator's description. Pickup is confirmed the day before; the times below assume an evening departure from Sharm.
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Evening
Pickup
The bus collects at the time confirmed by phone the day before. Picnic box and water on board.
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+2.5 h
Into the mountains
Desert giving way to granite ranges, in the dark.
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Night
The climb
The camel path and then the 750 steps with the guide; sunrise from the summit.
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Sunrise
Summit
Where, by tradition, Moses received the Ten Commandments.
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After sunrise
Descent and picnic
Down to the monastery; the hotel breakfast box on the way.
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Morning
The monastery
Basilica of the Transfiguration, the codices second only to the Vatican's, the Burning Bush and the well where Moses met his wife. Admission included.
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Late morning
Return
About 2.5 hours to Sharm.
Where the Tour Goes
About 230 km and two and a half hours from Sharm El Sheikh into the interior of the peninsula.
Every start point, with distances, is on the homepage.
Dunas Sunrise Tour: Questions About This Listing
Does the Dunas tour have a Spanish-speaking guide?
Yes, the guide speaks Spanish and English, and it is the only listing on this site that offers Spanish. Reviewers in 2025 and 2026 named guides who worked in both languages.
Is the picnic breakfast included on the Dunas tour?
No. The listing says you will need to ask your hotel to prepare a breakfast picnic box, because meals and drinks are not in the price. Order it the afternoon before.
What is the minimum age on the Dunas Mount Sinai tour?
Six years. The listing also excludes pregnant women and people over 95. The Sinai Hikes private tour takes children from 5; OceanAir from 14.
Does the Dunas listing include the monastery ticket?
Admission to Saint Catherine's Monastery is included. The listing does not mention the St Katherine Protectorate area fee, so carry Egyptian pounds in case it is collected on the bus.
When is the pickup time confirmed for this tour?
The day before. The time on the reservation is approximate; the local provider contacts you one day prior with the exact time. Keep the number on the voucher reachable.
What Travellers Said About This Tour
Very well organized. A dedicated Bedouin guide on the night hike to the summit. A true living encyclopedia, multilingual. Thank you once again, Mr. Sallam.
Ahmed is the best guide ever! Very good English and Spanish. He took care of us the whole trip. 10/10.
Five stars, verified booking.
Excerpts from verified GetYourGuide reviews of this listing, with the reviewer's country and travel month. Full reviews sit on the operator's listing.
Page last reviewed September 2026. Price, rating and review count read from the listing on September 2026. Prices, availability and terms are set by the operator and confirmed at checkout.
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