Experience the best of Saint Catherine

Saint Catherine lies at about 1,500 metres among bare granite mountains in the south of the Sinai Peninsula, inland from the Red Sea resort of Dahab. Its monastery, founded in the 6th century at the foot of Mount Sinai, is one of the oldest Christian monasteries still in use and is listed by UNESCO. Its high walls enclose a basilica, a small mosque, a library of ancient manuscripts and a bush said to be the burning bush of the Bible.

Mount Sinai, known locally as Jebel Musa, rises to 2,285 metres behind the monastery, and many walkers climb it by a stairway of stone steps or by a camel path to watch the sunrise from the summit. Mount Catherine, at 2,629 metres, is the highest peak in Egypt. Bedouin of the Jebeliya tribe live in the valleys, tending walled gardens of fruit trees and guiding walkers across the mountains and dry riverbeds.

Meals follow Bedouin habits: flatbread baked on hot stones, stews, rice and sweet tea flavoured with mountain sage. The air is thin and dry, nights are cold even in summer, and winters bring frost and an occasional dusting of snow on the peaks. The clear sky makes the stars unusually bright.