St Catherine's Monastery ToursMount Sinai: Sunrise Hike & St. Catherine Private Tour
The Mount Sinai sunrise hike private tour from Sinai Hikes is the one listing in this catalogue run from St Catherine itself, and the only one that prints the route in numbers: 850 m from the checkpoint to the monastery, a winding 4.15 km trail, then 750 stone steps to the 2,285 m summit. Your guide is a Jebeliya Bedouin who walks with you from the first step, the pace is yours, the St Katherine Protectorate fee is included, and children from 5 can come. It costs $134 per person and is rated 5.0 from 9 reviews. It sits on the catalogue of St Catherine climbs and visits as the private climb.
About This Private Hike
10 to 16 hours depending on where you are collected; about 2 hours down
$134 per person; protectorate fee and private Bedouin guide included
5.0 from 9 GetYourGuide reviews, the latest in May 2026
Private; your party only, one Jebeliya guide
Your hotel; the area is confirmed at checkout
Free up to 24 hours before; reserve now and pay later
Check Dates and Availability
Live dates and prices for the Sinai Hikes private sunrise hike. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.
Quick answer $134, your own Bedouin guide, the route measured out, and a breakfast add-on reviewers say to take
Sinai Hikes collects you from your hotel, drives you to the foot of the 2,285 m mountain beside the monastery, registers you at the Tourism Police office and hands you to a Jebeliya guide who is yours for the night. The listing prints the climb as 850 m to the monastery, 4.15 km of winding trail and 750 stone steps; camels can be hired to the foot of the steps, and the descent takes about two hours. The $134 includes the St Catherine National Park fee, the private guide and a bottle of water. A breakfast with tea at a local restaurant after the descent is an add-on that every reviewer who mentions it recommends. Minimum age 5, no climbing within 24 hours of a scuba dive.
Key takeaways
- The pickup area decides the length: the listing spans 10 to 16 hours because it collects from Dahab, Sharm and the village alike
- Take the breakfast add-on; a January 2026 reviewer describes the omelette, local feta, beans, olives and fruit
- The listing prints the monastery's hours itself: 8:45 to 11:45 on regular days, one hour on Friday, closed Sunday
The Route in Metres, and Why a Private Guide Changes It
Every group tour walks the same path. This listing is the only one that tells you how long it is, and the only one where the pace is set by you rather than by the slowest of eleven.
Three sections
From the mountain checkpoint, where the Tourism Police register each walker, it is 850 m to the monastery. From the monastery a winding 4.15 km trail climbs the camel path to Elijah's Basin, past Bedouins with camels for hire and a few coffee shops where you can stop. The last section is 750 stone steps cut into the mountain to the summit.
At the top the air is colder than in the town or on the coast; cafeterias sell hot drinks and rent blankets. The descent to the monastery is about two hours. Those figures are the operator's, and they match what reviewers of the group tours describe as a 7 km trek; Wikipedia's article on Mount Sinai gives the camel path as about 2.5 hours on foot and the Steps of Repentance as 3,750 steps.
| Section | Length | Camel | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checkpoint to monastery | 850 m | No | Registration at the Tourism Police office first |
| Camel path to Elijah's Basin | 4.15 km | Yes, hired on the spot | Coffee shops on the way |
| Final steps to the summit | 750 steps | No | Blankets and hot drinks rented at the top |
| Descent | About 2 hours | Optional on the path | Monastery follows, inside its hours |
What private means on this mountain
Sinai Hikes is based in St Catherine and the guide who meets you is a Jebeliya Bedouin, from the tribe that has guided this mountain for fourteen centuries. The reviews name one man repeatedly: Mohammed Moussa, described by an American in May 2026 as the reason she did not give up, by a Uruguayan in the same month as someone who set their own pace and shared his culture generously, and by a Briton in January 2026 as the guide who got him to the summit at 4 am ahead of the crowd and showed him the best viewing spot. On a group tour the guide manages eleven people; on this one he manages you, which is the difference for anyone slow, anxious or travelling with a child.
Who the listing excludes, and the dive rule
Not suitable for children under 5, pregnant women, wheelchair users, people with mobility impairments, heart problems or respiratory issues, or anyone over 95. The one rule that catches Red Sea visitors is printed here and nowhere else in the catalogue: climbing the mountain is not allowed until 24 hours have passed since your last scuba dive. The altitude gain to 2,285 m after a dive is a decompression risk, and the police post enforces it.
Plan the dive days around the hike night.
- Included: hotel pickup and return in a modern air-conditioned car, protectorate fee, private Bedouin guide, one bottle of water
- Add-on: breakfast with tea at a local restaurant after the descent
- Optional, paid on the spot: camel to the foot of the steps
- Not included: tips for the team, anything else
- Bring: passport or ID, headtorch, windbreaker, gloves, hiking shoes, snacks, cash, power bank
The Pace of a Small Group
A quiet film of the same trail at night, useful for judging what a private pace with one guide actually feels like.
Pickup Area, Duration and the Monastery Hours the Operator Prints
The listing is unusually specific on three points that other operators leave vague.
Why the duration is 10 to 16 hours
The tour starts with pickup from your hotel and transfer to the foot of the mountain, and the listing does not name a town. Sinai Hikes collects from St Catherine village, from Dahab about two hours away and from Sharm El Sheikh about three, and the duration stretches with the drive: a night from Sharm is close to the 16-hour end, a walk from a village lodge close to the 10. Confirm the pickup area at checkout and expect the operator to contact you beforehand; reviewers in April and May 2026 praised the communication before and during the tour.
The monastery hours, as this listing states them
Sinai Hikes writes that the monastery is generally open throughout the week except Fridays, Sundays and Orthodox holidays, that on Fridays it is open for one hour only, and that on regular days visiting hours are 8:45 am to 11:45 am. The monastery's own page and other operators give 11:30 as the close; the quarter-hour difference is not worth planning around, the closed days are. After the descent you see the Burning Bush tree, the Well of the Prophet Moses, the main church and the museum when it is open.
The breakfast
An add-on selected at booking: breakfast at a local restaurant with tea, eaten after the descent and before the monastery. A British reviewer in January 2026 listed the plate, an omelette with local feta, beans, olives, salad and fruit, and called the whole day a 10 out of 10; a Uruguayan in May 2026 also recommended it. The group tours from Sharm leave breakfast to a box from your hotel; this is the one listing where it is a sit-down meal.
The Night, Step by Step
From the operator's description and reviewers' accounts published in 2026. Start times depend on the pickup area; the summit target is sunrise.
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Evening
Pickup
From your hotel in St Catherine, Dahab or Sharm, in a private air-conditioned car. The operator confirms the time.
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Before the climb
Tourism Police registration
Names and passports logged at the office below the mountain, then through the checkpoint with your Jebeliya guide.
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Night
850 m, then 4.15 km
Past the monastery and up the camel path at your own pace; camels and coffee shops on the way.
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Before dawn
750 steps
To the summit. Hot drinks and blankets at the cafeterias on top; the cold is the one thing every reviewer mentions.
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Sunrise
The summit
One reviewer arrived at 4 am and was shown the best viewing spot to wait in.
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After sunrise
Descent, about 2 hours
Back to the monastery, and the breakfast add-on at a local restaurant.
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Morning
The monastery
Burning Bush, Well of Moses, the church and the museum when permitted, inside the 8:45 to 11:45 window.
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Late morning
Return
Back to your hotel; the drive sets the end time.
Where the Hike Starts
The checkpoint and the monastery sit at about 1,586 m; the summit is 2,285 m, roughly 700 vertical metres above.
Drive times from Sharm, Dahab and Cairo are compared on the homepage.
Sinai Hikes Private Tour: Questions About This Listing
Where does the Sinai Hikes private tour pick up from?
From your hotel, with the area confirmed at checkout; the operator is based in St Catherine and collects from the village, from Dahab and from Sharm El Sheikh. The listed duration of 10 to 16 hours reflects that range of drives.
Can children do the Sinai Hikes sunrise climb?
From age 5, which is the lowest minimum on this site. The pace is set by your party because the guide is private, and camels can be hired to the foot of the final 750 steps, which every child has to climb on foot.
Why can't I climb Mount Sinai after scuba diving?
The listing states that climbing is not allowed until 24 hours have passed since your last dive. Going to 2,285 m soon after diving is a decompression risk, and the police post below the mountain applies the rule. Schedule the hike before the dives or leave a full day between.
Is breakfast included on the Sinai Hikes tour?
It is an add-on you select at booking: breakfast with tea at a local restaurant after the descent. Reviewers in January and May 2026 recommend it; one described an omelette with local feta, beans, olives, salad and fruit.
Is the Sinai Hikes guide really private?
Yes. The listing is a private group with a private Bedouin guide during the climb, and the reviews describe one guide walking with one party, setting their pace and choosing their viewing spot at the summit.
What Travellers Said About This Tour
Our guide, Mohammed Mousa, led us at our own pace, treating us very kindly and sharing details about his culture very generously. I also recommend having the optional breakfast.
The best hike I have ever been on. We were one of the first people getting to the top around 4am so Mohammed showed me to the best viewing spot.
He was patient and allowed me to go at my own pace. Pack light but adhere to advice they give you, warm clothes and water.
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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