Baobab Logo: Baobab tree

BAOBAB Sinai Coast to Coast focuses on the culture and history of the Sinai desert, which goes back thousands of years. Three major religious traditions, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, know the Sinai as a holy land, traversed by prophets, saints, pilgrims and warriors. The Sinai is most familiar to many as the "great and terrible wilderness" through which the Israelites wandered for 40 years. It was also the path by which Amr swept down into Egypt bringing Islam. Many of the great conquerors have passed through the Sinai, amongst others Alexander the Great, Ramses II, and Napoleon Bonaparte. The more recent Arab-Israeli conflicts also took place here, still evident in the ghostly wreckage that marks certain parts of the Suez coast.

This jeep safari reveals some of this story to the interested traveller and starts on the Gulf of Aqaba. You will visit St. Catherine’s Monastery with the legendary burning bush, the Mount Sinai area where Moses received the Ten Commandments, Wadi Feiran where he struck a rock with his staff, bringing forth a spring so his people could drink, and the famous turquoise mines at Serabit - just to name a few. This trip bursts with historical and cultural interest to give you a true insight into this ‘great and terrible wilderness’.

Itinerary
Prices & Dates
Ethical & Environmental Principles

Activities



relax on the beach

camel safari

Itenerary Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival at Sharm el-Sheikh (or Taba) airport, where you will be picked up and transferred to Dahab situated approximately 100km north of Sharm. In Dahab, you will check into Coral Coast Hotel, on the northern side of Dahab's seafront. Coral Coast Hotel is designed with a Bedouin ambience, offering clean rooms with en suite bathrooms, balconies and fantastic sea-views. Coral Coast Hotel is Bedouin owned and employs a nearly all Bedouin and Egyptian staff.

 

Day 2
On your second day, you will be introduced to Embah Safaris, a unique team with almost 20 yrs of safari experience within the Sinai area. You will start this Coast to Coast safari on the Gulf of Aqaba with a one-day camel trek. You will have the opportunity to explore the fantastic coral reef environment snorkelling and spend the day in the company of local Bedouin and their camels. Overnight in Coral Coast Hotel.

Day 3
On day 3, a jeep will take you to the region’s White and Narrow Canyons. These rocky canyons provide wonderful walks - and occasional scrambles – before emerging back into the open desert. At every turn the landscape changes as white sands become bright red and rocks reveal yellow and purples hues. Your path will lead to an oasis for lunch with local Bedouin people. Despite the heat of the desert it is surprising how refreshing a glass of traditional tea can be. Overnight Camping in the desert – Bedouin style.



Days 4 & 5
This jeep safari will take you to St. Catherine’s Monastery, set beneath Mount Sinai, where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments and the site of the biblical Burning Bush. You will spend some time exploring St Catherine’s Protectorate, set in the middle of the desert but offering a surprising ecosystem with many freshwater pools and even some streams! We avoid the overused paths up Mount Sinai and therefore take you to up a more challenging trail with superior views across the Sinai, e.g. Gebel Katherine. Night of day 5 you will stay in Hotel Danielle.

Day 6
The trail moves west through Wadi Feiran, where Moses is believed to have struck a rock with his staff, bringing forth a spring so his people could drink. You will stop at the Seven Sisters and Wadi Mukattab – ‘the Written Valley’ holding inscriptions relating to the Nabataean traders (3rd & 4th Century) – before reaching Serabit el-Khadem, where once again local Bedouins are your excellent hosts.


Day 7
Day 7 starts with a 3 hours walk into a ‘grand canyon like’ sandstone mountain landscape. Serabit is famous for its turquoise, already mined by the Pharaohs 2,000 years ago. The beautiful blue-green stone, which adorns so much of the jewellery and building work of the early Egyptian empire, can still be found in these hills. At the summit, the ruins of a temple dedicated to the God Hathor stands proud.

Return to Dahab, overnight in Coral Coast.

Day 8
After a good night’s rest in Coral Coast Hotel, this last day can be spent in whatever fashion you like. Whether it is just relaxing in one of Dahab’s many Bedouin style restaurants, shopping in its bazaar or walking along the beach, one thing is for sure, the Sinai and its people will leave an everlasting impression.

Transfer and return to Sharm El-Sheikh airport.

  

Dine at one of the many bedouin restaurants

Trip length A private taxi will pick you up from the airport in Sharm El-Sheikh and take you to your accommodation in
Dahab and return you a week later. This trip will take approximately 1¼ hour.

Prices and dates

Price: 8 days Sinai Coast to Coast Safari starts from £515 per person

Price includes 1 day camel safari, 5 days jeep safari (FB), 3 nights camping, 3 nights Coral Coast Hotel (B&B), 1 night Hotel Danielle, National Park fees & all land transfers and is based on 2 people sharing. International flights to Sharm El-Sheikh are not included, however we can assist you in booking flights through our preferred, fully ATOL bonded flight agent.

This trip can also be run throughout the year on a tailor-made basis for small groups. Please note that July/August is somewhat hot and January/February nights quite cold. Contact BAOBAB for prices and availability.

Embah Safaris

Embah Safaris is a unique team with almost 20 yrs of safari experience within the Sinai area, combining a complete understanding of Western needs with Eastern knowledge and culture. An integral part of their safaris are the traditions of the Bedouin lifestyle with regards to tented camps, camel handling, food preparation & bread making, herbal medicine, healing and star gazing.

Over the years, Embah Safaris has built up special relationships with many local Bedouin families and helped them with issues such as medical care, building of animal water troughs, contruction of an eco-lodge run by local Bedouins and employment.

Many Bedouin families choice to live a traditional desert dwelling life-style. However, in the present day they also need an income, which can be provided through tourism. All BAOBAB Sinai trips help local Bedouins by giving them regular work, either as jeep driver or camel guide, and paying them a fair daily wage.

While based in the desert, special care and attention will be given to issues such as fresh water usuage and waste disposal. Water is a scarce resource in the desert but a necessity for cooking, drinking and washing. Sufficient fresh water will be available at all time, but we ask all people to take great care to avoid wastage. Any waste decays extremely slowly in desert environments and will therefore be burned on a daily basis rather than burried.

Coral Coast is Bedouin owned and has a nearly all Bedouin & Egyptian staff.