If anyone has traveled recently in the Sinai, I'd welcome your thoughts/experiences regarding safety/security. My interest is in St. Catherine's monastery, in the southern Sinai. Looking at various national websites, it seems that countries differ in their assessment of the safety of travel in the southern Sinai. I've spent a fair amount of time in Egypt, and also visited Israel… With visits to both countries being in times of political instability. So I'm not usually paranoid about travel, but some of the things I'm reading about traveling the Sinai concern me a little. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16895 posts
Sorry, Sherry, we don't have any detailed travel info on this area. Rick's early 2103 travels in Egypt (before the uprising) are described in his blog posts at https://ricksteves-cms.herokuapp.com/watch-read-listen/read/egypt. He has not yet returned for official TV filming as he had planned.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15794 posts
Where are you thinking of starting from? Israel issues travel advisories not to go to the Sinai whenever there is a serious threat - often around the spring (Passover) and fall (New Year through Succoth) holidays. The dangers are usually along the coast of the Gulf of Eilat/Aqaba and not in the area of St. Catherine/Jebel Musa. Other than when there is a credible threat, the border at Taba is open and people pass through all the time. If you are flying ( to Sharm and then overland to St. Catherine's ??) it is more likely that you would avoid the likelihood of terrorist activity.
My advice is based on what I hear on the news here in Israel. There are companies that operate tours. You could contact them as well. Desert EcoTours is a well-regarded company based in Eilat. They offer several tours to the southern Sinai on a regular basis. I and friends of mine have traveled with them to Jordan over the past 3-4 years and have found them to be excellent. They are a small outfit and will respond to your inquiries.