A blog from the mountains of the Sinai

Tag: Wadi Isleh

Old ways to St Katherine

Crucifix, Sinai, Go tell it on the mountain_resultStand by the Monastery of St Katherine today and look around – swivelling through the full 360 degrees – and you’ll see high mountains locking you in on every side. Leave the monastery behind and venture up these mountains, heading for the very highest tops, and another – even more spectacular – view unfolds. A vast desert wilderness stretches out all around you, merging into the haze of faraway horizons. Sometimes, you can even see the high places of Africa and Asia. It’s a view that gives a sense of the Sinai’s epic isolation – the great no man’s land between continents – and of the Monastery of St Katherine; which stands in the most isolated part of the Sinai itself. Visiting the monastery today is easy – you can drive right up to its front gate – but getting here once required a long, gruelling camel expedition through remote stretches of wilderness.

The monastery might have been isolated, but it was still accessible. Travelling routes converged on it from all sides; some from Cairo, others from El Tur – an important port – and others from Jerusalem. Pilgrims, traders, travellers, warriors and poets all followed these ways before. And you can do exactly the same today.

Here are my five favourites – the best hiking routes to St Katherine.

Wadi Isleh, Go tell it on the mountain_result1. WADI ISLEH One of three big wadis that cut through the gigantic chain of mountains that run down the Sinai’s west coast. It’s spectacular from the start – a canyon whose walls rise vertically to the sky. Waterfalls gush and palm trees stand buried to their heads by the sediments of old floods. This was the way from the old port of El Tur – (today’s capital of South Sinai) – and the main route upon which supplies reached the monastery. It became important after the Islamic Conquest, when other routes became difficult. It takes 3-5 days and is best done in spring, so you see the waterfalls at their fullest. Water in the desert always has a magic about it.

Wadi Sig Sinai, Go tell it on the mountain_result2. WADI MIR This gives an alternative way through the massive chain of mountains on the west coast. You soon get to a junction in the wadi where two routes diverge. One goes to Wadi Sig – my favourite wadi in the Sinai – whilst the other crosses a high pass known as Naqb Umm Seikha. This was the fastest, most direct route and as such the one along which post travelled to St Katherine (it was called Darb el Bosta – The Post Road). It’s another way in from El Tur – and to save your energy, you can even get a jeep a few kilos up the wadi. It takes 3-5 days to St Katherine but – be warned – it’s tougher than Wadi Isleh.

Naqb el Hawa, Go tell it on the mountain_result3. WADI HEBRAN The third of the big three wadis cutting into the Sinai’s huge western chain of mountains. It’s full of greenery and was the wadi through which Abbas Pasha – an old ruler of Egypt – planned a road to St Katherine. Today, talk of making a new modern road has resurfaced, which is all the more reason to walk it now. You have two options: you can exit the wadi on a route that connects to the old pilgrim route of Naqb el Hawa: Pass of the Winds. Alternatively, you can continue to Wadi Kabrin – a beautiful red rock wadi with Christian graffiti and hermit cells. Either way, give it 3-5 days start to finish.

Serabit el Khadem, Bedouin guide, Go tell it on the mountain_result4. DARB MUSA – the ‘Way of Moses‘. This is the legendary way to the Monastery of St Katherine from Suez, re-tracing the way it’s said Moses escaped the Pharaoh Ramses. It was the major route upon which travellers walked to the Monastery of St Katherine in times past and is recorded in several early guidebooks. Travellers would visit ‘Stations of the Exodus’ on the way – where it’s said Biblical stuff happened. Today, it’s best not to start in Suez; but in Wadi Gharandal, where Wadi Wutah gives a beautiful passage through the Wilderness of the Wanderings to Wadi Feiran and St Katherine. Give it 7-10 days all the way.

Ras El Qalb5. THE JERUSALEM ROUTE The route carried a steady flow of pilgrim traffic – connecting two major Christian sites in the Middle East. It entered the Sinai from the Negeb – the Sinai’s Bedouin sisterland to the north – and ran into Wadi Watir (which has a tarmac road today – but which is still beautiful). There were two routes into Wadi Watir – one down the coast from Taba – and another from further north. Thereafter the main route passed Ein Hudera; a green oasis with pilgrim graffiti. Today, a variation on this route is being re-made as the Abraham Path and will soon be ready. Give it 10-12 days to walk the whole thing end to end.

Remember all of these routes are walkable but they go through remote, isolated stretches of wilderness where help can be a long time coming if needed – so a good, experienced Bedouin guide is key to success. Going with the Bedouin is the smart move and it will add a whole new dimension to your trip. You won’t just get to know the way – you’ll really understand the desert and how to survive it. As well as a guide you’ll need to take a jeep to the beginning of most of the routes marked here. For the first three wadis the best place to start from is El Tur. For the fourth, you’ll need to get the jeep to Wadi Gharandal. Check out the best guides and jeep drivers in my Directory of the Best. Most of them will know the routes here and if they don’t they should be able to link you up with other trusted guides who will.

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The Sinai: five beautiful wadis

Jebel Naja, Sinai, Go tell it on the mountainThis blog is mostly about mountains. But wadis are a big part of the Sinai too. Whenever you do a mountain, the chances are a wadi will be part of it. Overall, walking in the Sinai, I’ve probably spent more time in wadis than on mountains. They’re the main routes between mountains. Most of the time you get water in them. You find gardens, food and shelter in them. There are beautiful wadis all over the Sinai but my favourites are on the west side of the peninsula. They have more water. Some even have streams and waterfalls. They’re a bit greener. They have more history too. Crumbling old paths and ancient hermit cells where you can sleep; plus chapels and ancient graffiti. If I have the time, I walk in them between towns, rather than take the bus. Anyway, here are my five all-time favourite wadis of the Sinai:

1. WADI ISLEH An old travelling passage between St Katherine and El Tur; I love to walk out of the mountains and down to the sea this way. Or go the other way, heading to the mountains from the coast. This wadi has dramatic narrow sections, including a spectacular gorge near its mouth; one of the Sinai’s great natural wonders. During flash floods, the Bedouin say this gorge fills to the brim with water. Long after the floods have gone, creeks and waterfalls still trickle. A spectacular pinnacle towers over the wadi half way along. There are lots of pretty little oases too; with palms and reeds. Look closely and you’ll see ancient paths and ruins. This is one of the few wadis in this list – and I’d argue the BEST – in which you can ride a camel almost all the way. I haven’t done it yet, but it’s on my to-do list. Further up, Wadi Isleh runs into Wadi Rimhan; which you can follow up to climb Jebel Umm Shomer: the Sinai’s second-highest peak.

Wadi Sig Sinai, Go tell it on the mountain_result2. WADI SIG One of the most little-known wadis of the Sinai, I didn’t do this until 2014, when I spotted it from the nearby peak of Jebel el Reeh; it looked beautiful, winding through the mountains. Simeans a sort of canyon in Arabic; so whenever you see a wadi’s called Wadi Sig, it’s a pretty safe bet it’s going to be good. Anyway, this begins at the foot of the Jebel Katherina highlands; then it becomes a narrow, winding canyon. Everywhere is dramatic. It doesn’t ever ease off. It has towering sides and overgrown stands of bamboo where it feels like you’ve walked into the jungle. There are ancient dwellings where you can sleep too. It’s NOT an easy walking route. But it IS an adventure. Wadi Zeraigiyeh connects it to Wadi Rimhan and Wadi Isleh too.

3. WADI SIGILLIA 19th century explorers were the first to mention this; and they made it sound magical. I first did it a few years ago, when I was exploring new parts of Jebel Serbal for my book Sinai: The Trekking Guide. It’s a big, gorge-like wadi that cuts along the southern side of Jebel Serbal: and it’s absolutely spectacular. It’s much harder to get to than any the other wadis here. The main way in is a crumbling Byzantine stairway – Abu Silim – that winds down a precipitous ravine. The steps are broken, so you have to go off piste. For something even harder, there’s a ravine called Wadi Baytheran. Or you can walk in from the coast from Wadi Jebaa, which has big, intimidating drops at the start. Anyway, Wadi Sigillia was once of the biggest Christian retreats in the Sinai: specifically because it was so hard to get to. You can still see the ancient ruins today. Plus beautiful creeks, waterfalls, pools and big stands of bamboo.

Naqb el Hawa, Go tell it on the mountain_result4. NAQB EL HAWA Naqb el Hawa is one of the first wadis I ever did: it’s still one of my all-time favourite spots. It means ‘Pass of the Wind’ and it’s the last leg of the pilgrim trail that came from Suez to the Monastery of St Katherine. It’s lined by rugged mountains on both sides – including the spectacular pinnacle of Jebel Zibb Rubi – but it’s an easy walk, with a gentle camel trail all the way along. It starts near an outlying village of St Katherine called Abu Seila; then runs down to a place called Sheikh Auwad. You can walk it either way, but going DOWNHILL, from Abu Seila, gives the best perspective on the surrounding scenery. You can even make it into a circuit with Wadi Madaman below. Whenever you do it, aim to get there for sunset, when it’s the most beautiful.

5. WADI MADAMAN A beautiful wadi near St Katherine and the place I escape the town. It has a faraway feel and is way off the main mountain trails. The only folks you’ll see here are the Bedouin. And meeting Bedouin in the wadis – who are always hospitable – only adds to the trip. It’s deeper than most other wadis around St Katherine and has the feel of a gorge, twisting around sharp bends; the gigantic peak of Jebel Naja towering up all the way. You’ll also see the little tomb of Sheikh Ahmed, an old saint of the Jebeleya tribe. Further up, the wadi runs into Wadi Tlah, with lots of Bedouin orchards. To get the best perspective, walk UP the wadi from the bottom. You start near the settlement of Sheikh Auwad and you can can tie it up with Naqb el Hawa – the wadi above too – which is best walked DOWNHILL. So the two work together. Go DOWN Naqb el Hawa, then back UP Wadi Madaman. It’s the best wadi circuit in the area!

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