* . *
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Earth-News
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Beyond the Stage: 8 Performing Arts Centers Driving Entertainment and Education – Livability.com

    Beyond the Stage: 8 Performing Arts Centers Transforming Entertainment and Education

    Row K Entertainment Emerges as Major New Hollywood Buyer With Splashy TIFF Shopping Spree – TheWrap

    Row K Entertainment Emerges as Major New Hollywood Buyer With Splashy TIFF Shopping Spree – TheWrap

    Charlie Hunnam Reflects on Playing a Serial Killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story – Yahoo

    Charlie Hunnam Reveals the Dark Challenges of Playing a Serial Killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story

    “Reba” cast, then and now: See the stars 24 years later (and who’s reunited for another show) – Yahoo

    “Reba” cast, then and now: See the stars 24 years later (and who’s reunited for another show) – Yahoo

    Why Taylor Swift Name-Dropped Elizabeth Taylor in Her New Album – Yahoo

    Here’s Why Taylor Swift Dropped Elizabeth Taylor’s Name in Her New Album

    Al Roker Gives Olivia Dean an Unexpected ‘New Job’ on the ‘Today’ Show – Yahoo

    Al Roker Shocks Olivia Dean with an Exciting New Role on the ‘Today’ Show

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    US and investors gambling on unproven nuclear technology, warn experts – Financial Times

    US and investors gambling on unproven nuclear technology, warn experts – Financial Times

    Is Light-Speed Analog Computing the Future of Technology? – BIOENGINEER.ORG

    Could Light-Speed Analog Computing Transform the Future of Technology?

    ARM Institute opens technology project call to speed submarine manufacturing – The Robot Report

    ARM Institute Unveils Cutting-Edge Technology Project to Revolutionize Submarine Manufacturing

    Forget Cowbells. Cows Wear High-Tech Collars Now. – The New York Times

    Ditch the Cowbells: Discover the High-Tech Collars Transforming Cattle Care

    What the Recent Price Surge Means for Figure Technology Solutions After SEC Settlement – Yahoo Finance

    What the Recent Price Surge Reveals About Figure Technology Solutions Following SEC Settlement

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Business
  • Entertainment
    Beyond the Stage: 8 Performing Arts Centers Driving Entertainment and Education – Livability.com

    Beyond the Stage: 8 Performing Arts Centers Transforming Entertainment and Education

    Row K Entertainment Emerges as Major New Hollywood Buyer With Splashy TIFF Shopping Spree – TheWrap

    Row K Entertainment Emerges as Major New Hollywood Buyer With Splashy TIFF Shopping Spree – TheWrap

    Charlie Hunnam Reflects on Playing a Serial Killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story – Yahoo

    Charlie Hunnam Reveals the Dark Challenges of Playing a Serial Killer in Monster: The Ed Gein Story

    “Reba” cast, then and now: See the stars 24 years later (and who’s reunited for another show) – Yahoo

    “Reba” cast, then and now: See the stars 24 years later (and who’s reunited for another show) – Yahoo

    Why Taylor Swift Name-Dropped Elizabeth Taylor in Her New Album – Yahoo

    Here’s Why Taylor Swift Dropped Elizabeth Taylor’s Name in Her New Album

    Al Roker Gives Olivia Dean an Unexpected ‘New Job’ on the ‘Today’ Show – Yahoo

    Al Roker Shocks Olivia Dean with an Exciting New Role on the ‘Today’ Show

  • General
  • Health
  • News

    Cracking the Code: Why China’s Economic Challenges Aren’t Shaking Markets, Unlike America’s” – Bloomberg

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Trump’s Narrow Window to Spread the Truth About Harris

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    Israel-Gaza war live updates: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh assassinated in Iran, group says

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    PAP Boss to Niger Delta Youths, Stay Away from the Protest

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Court Restricts Protests In Lagos To Freedom, Peace Park

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Fans React to Jazz Jennings’ Inspiring Weight Loss Journey

    Trending Tags

    • Trump Inauguration
    • United Stated
    • White House
    • Market Stories
    • Election Results
  • Science
  • Sports
  • Technology
    US and investors gambling on unproven nuclear technology, warn experts – Financial Times

    US and investors gambling on unproven nuclear technology, warn experts – Financial Times

    Is Light-Speed Analog Computing the Future of Technology? – BIOENGINEER.ORG

    Could Light-Speed Analog Computing Transform the Future of Technology?

    ARM Institute opens technology project call to speed submarine manufacturing – The Robot Report

    ARM Institute Unveils Cutting-Edge Technology Project to Revolutionize Submarine Manufacturing

    Forget Cowbells. Cows Wear High-Tech Collars Now. – The New York Times

    Ditch the Cowbells: Discover the High-Tech Collars Transforming Cattle Care

    What the Recent Price Surge Means for Figure Technology Solutions After SEC Settlement – Yahoo Finance

    What the Recent Price Surge Reveals About Figure Technology Solutions Following SEC Settlement

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    MAC Brings iPad Technology to Football Sidelines Across All 13 Member Schools – Sports Video Group

    Trending Tags

    • Nintendo Switch
    • CES 2017
    • Playstation 4 Pro
    • Mark Zuckerberg
No Result
View All Result
Earth-News
No Result
View All Result
Home Science

What it’s like trekking with the Bedouin on Egypt’s Sinai Trail

May 9, 2024
in Science
What it’s like trekking with the Bedouin on Egypt’s Sinai Trail
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).

Not long after leaving the town of Nuweiba, in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, the old-school white Datsun truck parts ways with the pavement, an abrupt final farewell to civilisation. My Bedouin driver barrels into the wadi, a dry valley with sheer, dark walls of towering granite mountains formed by long-extinct volcanoes that press ever closer the deeper we go. When we come to a halt, the cloud of dust that had been trailing the truck follows Newton’s first law of motion and carries on obliviously without us.

The place where we stop seems monumental, but no signs mark the start of the Sinai Trail we’re about to embark on. I stumble out of the truck, and Musallem Abu Faraj, my guide, hands me a plastic-wrapped red-and-white chequered keffiyeh. I drape it over my hair, and Musallem gingerly takes the folded edges of the square cloth and folds it in proper Bedouin style behind my head, nodding with fatherly approval at his work. Now that this essential ritual is taken care of, our journey can begin.

The Sinai Trail, Egypt’s first long-distance hike at 340 miles, cuts in from the Red Sea to the peninsula’s lofty mountains, including the country’s highest peak of Mt Catherine at 2,629m. Launched as a community tourism project in 2015 by three local Bedouin tribes, the Sinai Trail has more than doubled from its initial 135 miles, and now eight tribes in the region lead hikers through their territories. In Egypt, where much of the tourist experience comes tightly pre-packaged, a locally run initiative such as this is a brilliant exercise — literally — in slow, immersive travel that preserves and places great importance on Bedouin heritage and knowledge.

A picture of a Bedouin style lounge overlooking the Red Sea in Egypt.

The Sinai Trail was launched as a community tourism project in 2015 by three local Bedouin tribes.

Photograph by iStockphoto, Getty Images

Musallem, one of the trail’s founding fathers, is part of the Tarabin tribe and has been guiding hikers in Sinai for nearly as long as the 35 years I’ve been alive. His expertise is unparalleled and widely known in the community. For several hours, we walk through wide, camel-coloured wadis, that spread through the mountains like lines on the palm of my hand, following a track invisible to my eyes but deeply engrained in Musallem’s mind. His light blue jellabiya is rolled up slightly and tucked into the straps of his Osprey rucksack, showing the bottoms of his immaculately white and seemingly dust-free trousers. Musallem reads the landscape as if it were his favourite book, eagerly pointing out the geology of the mountains and the names of medicinal plants with an infectious, child-like enthuasiasm. He hands me a tiny leaf of super-sticky samwa, which has a strong scent like a cross between lilac and marijuana and is used by the Bedouin to treat bee stings and clean infections.

We pause for tea under a lone spiny acacia tree, and Musallem sings merrily while coaxing a small fire from sticks he’s picked up off the ground. In a world of eight billion people, it’s a surreal luxury to be where no one else is. This landscape feels so rugged and raw, as if I’m the first person to set foot on it. But many have passed before me. Even Moses allegedly spent more time here than I will, called to the mountains over 3,000 years ago. I don’t consider myself a religious person, but there’s certainly something magic in the mountains of Sinai.

Back en route, my mind wanders, but never too far. Hiking forces me to focus on the physical and the immediate — the strong Sinai sun on my back, the whisper of the wind urging me onwards, the swirls of stones on the ground put in place by water’s now-invisible hand — leaving little space for anything else in my brain: ‘trail therapy’ perhaps. Walking is one of the first gravity-defying movements we master as babies, and especially out here in Sinai’s raw, elemental hinterlands, it still feels like the most foundational of actions.

The sun has shifted to the other side of the sky by the time we reach Coloured Canyon. The concave rock walls of this narrow ravine swirl with a rainbow of hues — reds, yellows and even purples, which I’ve never encountered elsewhere in the natural world — as if an artist playfully swiped her paintbrush across a palette. The route twists and turns, and some parts of the slot canyon are so narrow that my hiking boot doesn’t fall fully to the floor, necessitating some scrambling and squeezing, transforming the canyon walls into nature’s climbing frame.

After about nine miles of hiking, we stop to make camp for the night, eating a surprisingly hearty dinner — given our limited supplies — and swapping tales around the fire. As the dancing flames diminish into glowing embers, I decide it’s time for me to call it a night too. I curl up under heavy blankets, gazing at a starry sky so clear that it feels like a hallucination. With the lights extinguished, night descends like a curtain, and Sinai’s silence is so deafening that it takes me longer than usual to fall asleep. We’re certainly a far cry from the car horns of Cairo.

The following morning, Musallem and I pack up and move onward, one foot in front of the other, as all the generations before us have done and will continue to do after we’ve gone.

How to do it:
The entire Sinai Trail takes 54 days to complete, but it’s possible to experience just part of it on a day hike if that’s all you have time for. Bedouin guides are required for all sections of the trail. Check the website to get in contact with the organisation regarding guide availability and route recommendations based on your specific interests. The trail technically begins near the town of Nuweiba, but it’s possible to start and end elsewhere. 

Published in the May 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).

To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : National Geographic – https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/egypt-trekking-with-bedouin-sinai-trail

Tags: BedouinscienceTrekking
Previous Post

Police close case on bodies found under Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair

Next Post

Bunions are a failure of evolution. Here’s why—and how to treat them.

Blackwater photos suggest new symbiosis between fish and anemones – EurekAlert!

Breathtaking Blackwater Photos Unveil an Unexpected Alliance Between Fish and Anemones

October 8, 2025
WATCH LIVE: The winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry is… – PBS

Breaking News: Unveiling the Latest Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry!

October 8, 2025
Soar through a 1,000-mile-long maze on Mars in this mesmerizing new satellite video – Live Science

Discover a Breathtaking 1,000-Mile-Long Maze on Mars in This Mesmerizing New Satellite Video

October 8, 2025
Video: Dog Sighs in Different Situations Like ‘He Works 9-5′ – Yahoo

Watch This Dog’s Hilarious Sighs That Perfectly Capture Everyday Life Moments

October 8, 2025
US and investors gambling on unproven nuclear technology, warn experts – Financial Times

US and investors gambling on unproven nuclear technology, warn experts – Financial Times

October 8, 2025
Wings, booze and heartbreak – what my research says about the hidden costs of sports fandom – The Conversation

Wings, Booze, and Heartbreak: The Untold Price of Being a Devoted Sports Fan

October 8, 2025
Create Your Own Private Garden and Escape the World – Signals AZ

Design Your Own Private Garden Sanctuary and Escape the Everyday

October 8, 2025
Rethinking New York City’s Economy: “The Menace Of Prosperity” – Forbes

Rethinking New York City’s Economy: Confronting the Hidden Challenges of Prosperity

October 8, 2025
Beyond the Stage: 8 Performing Arts Centers Driving Entertainment and Education – Livability.com

Beyond the Stage: 8 Performing Arts Centers Transforming Entertainment and Education

October 8, 2025
Eagles Host Towson Wednesday for Mental Health Awareness Game – aueagles.com

Eagles Face Towson Wednesday in Impactful Mental Health Awareness Showdown

October 7, 2025

Categories

Archives

October 2025
M T W T F S S
 12345
6789101112
13141516171819
20212223242526
2728293031  
« Sep    
Earth-News.info

The Earth News is an independent English-language daily published Website from all around the World News

Browse by Category

  • Business (20,132)
  • Ecology (857)
  • Economy (877)
  • Entertainment (21,750)
  • General (17,474)
  • Health (9,919)
  • Lifestyle (890)
  • News (22,149)
  • People (879)
  • Politics (888)
  • Science (16,088)
  • Sports (21,378)
  • Technology (15,858)
  • World (860)

Recent News

Blackwater photos suggest new symbiosis between fish and anemones – EurekAlert!

Breathtaking Blackwater Photos Unveil an Unexpected Alliance Between Fish and Anemones

October 8, 2025
WATCH LIVE: The winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry is… – PBS

Breaking News: Unveiling the Latest Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry!

October 8, 2025
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

No Result
View All Result

© 2023 earth-news.info

Go to mobile version