Week-end on top of Mount Moses

Day 1

Morning Pick-Up in Cairo and beginning the day with a drive across the Sinai to the city of St. Catherine, 520 km east of Cairo  28°34’11N 33°56’04E. On the way, the first stop will be the Suez Canal–the Egyptian man-made water passage that links the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. Students will learn about the importance of the Suez Canal to the world, and will visit the control room of the only tunnel that links Africa with Asia, called the “Shahid Ahmed Hamdy Tunnel”  30°02’34N 32°34’23E. They will then ride to Wadi Firan,  28°43’07N 33°37’03E, one of the most beautiful valleys of Sinai, and drive  through its date palms and colorful mountains, where they will stop for  lunch and talk with the Bedouin tribes there to know more about their culture, food, and daily life. After that, they will drive until they reach the city of St. Catherine before Sunset. Check-in will be in the Monastery Shelter. Dinner will be provided in the Shelter and students will sleep and rest for the “tough work” that will come for them the next day.

Day 2

Students will be woken up 02.00 AM and begin hiking up Mount Moses (also known as Mount Sinai) which is believed to be the place where Prophet Moses received the Commandments from God. It is one of the highest mountains in Egypt (2,285 meters from sea level). Students will reach the top  28°32′23N 33°58′24E – in about 2 hours; a challenge indeed, especially for one who doesn’t normally work-out, but is well worth doing, at least once in one’s lifetime. On the way to the top the group will have short rests for hot chocolate or tea to keep warm. Once on top, everyone will get their eyes and cameras ready for one of the most beautiful sunrises that one has ever seen. After sunrise, students will start hiking down the mountain and back to the shelter.

After breakfast, students will visit the Monastery of St. Catherine, which lies at the foot of Mount Sinai, and will learn the story of Catherine of Alexandria. They will also see the many attractions of the Monastery: the Burning Bush; the Well; the Church; and the Mosque.

After all of this, students will drive back to Cairo, having lunch en route, until they arrive to Cairo before Sunset.