Sinai Trail podcast

Inspiring stories along the way: Let’s Talk podcast explores the Sinai Trail and the topics of sustainable tourism and empowerment

June 27, 2022

In recent years sustainable hiking trails in the Middle East have become more and more popular. This is where, besides the Jordan and Red Sea Mountain Trails, one can also find the Sinai Trail.

The Sinai Trail is regarded as Egypt’s first hiking trail. It originally ran from the Gulf of Aqaba to the top of Gabal Katrine, Egypt’s highest peak. The concept, which came from Bedouins, was so successful that they developed it to show people more of the Sinai. Today the trail runs over 550 km, takes 54 days to walk and is populated by eight tribes. There is close cooperation between the Bedouin tribes – and as such it is a genuine community project.

It is an inspiring story about hiking in the Middle East, about how a region experiencing change can succeed with sustainable tourism, and about the role played by women in that context. In Let’s Talk, moderated by Rika Jean-Francois, CSR commissioner for ITB Berlin, Ben Hoffler, co-founder of the Sinai Trail, and Marinel de Jesus, an activist campaigning for sustainable tourism who has completed the trail, offer an insight into their fascinating experience. Click here for the full podcast episode.