Mt. Sinai (Jebel Musa) and the Safsafa basins - Discover Sinai

Located about the same distance from St. Katherine, Dahab andNuweiba, this region is a very stunning desert landscape with erodedsandstone ranges and rock outcrops, canyons and wadis, sand dunesand big sandy plains. It is very different from but just as diverse as theHigh Mountain Region – it’s another true trekker’s paradise, offeringmany shorter and longer treks. The area is also very good for camelsafaris as there are long stretches of sandy wadis and open plains. Onmany treks camels are needed even if you only want to walk, as wateris scarce and larger quantities have to be carried. Some sights arevisited regularly by 4x4 tours, but it is easy to avoid them in mostcases. Only the Muzeina tribe live in the region – they are the biggestBedouin tribe in South Sinai, their homeland stretching from southNuweiba to Sharm el Sheikh and almost to St. Katherine.The highlights of the region:Gunna Plateau, a flat range with vivid colours and great views;Arada Canyon;the ancient mystical Nawamis buildings;Jebel Matamir, a surrealistic sandstone mountain;Ein Khudra oasis and the White Canyon;Jebel Barqa and Jebel Makharum, surrealistic sandstonemountains;Haduda sand dune, the biggest in Sinai;Jebel Mileihis, a flat topped mountain with great views.The most convenient places to organise a trek to this region is Dahab,Nuweiba and St. Katherine, but you could get a guide and camels fromthe cafeterias and settlements along the St. Katherine road. RasGhazala, the Nawamis settlement and Wadi Arada would be the bestbet, but English might be limited. You could also get a guide in EinKhudra, if there wasn’t any at Cafeteria Joma and you found your wayto the oasis yourself. Sometimes camels are not freely available, asthey let out to roam the area and graze alone. While the shorter 1-daytreks can be organised on the spot easily, if you plan a multiple daytrek, it is better is to have a guide in advance who you can discuss theprogramme with before setting off.28