Mount Sinai, two hours by road north of Sharm el-Sheikh, is the great obligatory side trip from the resort. The classic itinerary leaves Sharm around 23:00, reaches the foot of the mountain at 01:00, and climbs by torchlight in time for sunrise on the summit. Two routes go up: the gentler Camel Path, which can be walked or ridden (Bedouin camel handlers wait at the trailhead), and the much steeper Steps of Repentance, around 3,750 stone steps carved by a single monk as an act of penance.
The summit is a bare granite ridge with a small chapel and a mosque. On clear mornings the view extends in all directions across the Sinai mountains — pink, ochre, and grey, with the deep V of the Gulf of Aqaba away to the east. Bring a head torch, warm layers (the summit is well below zero in winter), and water. Descend in daylight via the Camel Path for the easiest route down to St. Catherine's monastery.