Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula — a 61,000 sqkm triangle wedged between the Mediterranean to the north, the Red Sea to the south, the Gulf of Suez to the west and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east — is one of Egypt's most singular destinations. More than a simple tourist region, it is a geographical, religious and cultural crossroads of major historical importance: the peninsula bears the traces of the biblical Exodus (the Israelites led by Moses from Egypt to Canaan, around the 13th century BC), of the Decalogue given to Moses on Mount Sinai, and of primitive Orthodox monasticism with Saint Catherine's Monastery (6th century, the oldest Christian monastery still active in the world).

The southern coast of Sinai, on the Gulf of Aqaba, has become since the 1990s one of the best beach and diving destinations in the world. Sharm el-Sheikh (75,000 inhabitants), created ex nihilo in the 1980s, is now the flagship resort — 300+ hotels and resorts, international airport, world-class diving at Ras Mohammed (national park, one of the most beautiful diving spots in the world) and at the Strait of Tiran (four reefs Jackson, Woodhouse, Thomas and Gordon, vertical wall to 100 m depth, sharks, manta rays). Further north, Dahab (15,000 inhabitants), an ancient Bedouin village turned international diving and kitesurfing spot, charms with its backpacker atmosphere and its legendary Blue Hole (vertical gulf of 130 m depth, one of the most mythical and dangerous diving sites in the world). Nuweiba and Taba, on the Israeli border, are quieter and host a niche tourism (Bedouin seaside camps, paddle, meditation).

The interior of Sinai is dominated by red and black granite mountains — Mount Sinai (Jebel Musa, 2,285 m, where according to tradition Moses received the Tables of the Law) and Mount Saint Catherine (Jebel Katherina, 2,642 m, highest point of Egypt). At the foot of Mount Sinai, Saint Catherine's Monastery (founded in 548 by the Byzantine emperor Justinian) is an invaluable heritage treasure — library of 3,300 ancient manuscripts (the second largest in the world after that of the Vatican), Basilica of the Transfiguration with exceptional Byzantine mosaics, Chapel of the Burning Bush (place where according to tradition Moses saw the divine apparition). The monastery is UNESCO-listed and belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church.

Important: since late 2023, access to Saint Catherine's Monastery and Mount Sinai is restricted and generally requires going through an accredited operator with escort. Egyptian authorities have carried out since 2024 controversial development works around the monastery (construction of hotels and roads by the 'Great Transfiguration' project), creating tensions with the Orthodox Church. Check access conditions with your operator before planning this visit. The areas of Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba (south Sinai) remain accessible with a free 15-day Sinai visa issued on arrival at the airport — but this visa does not allow visits to Giza, Luxor or the pyramids.