The Sinai: five beautiful wadis

This 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.

2. 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. Sig means 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.

4. 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!