The Three Peaks Egypt Challenge is set in a high, remote and potentially hazardous mountain environment with no specialist rescue service. Safety must be at the heart of everything. You must plan your challenge carefully, and take responsible, safety-conscious decisions all the way. Only ever proceed with your challenge in as far as it is safe. Remember you are responsible for your own safety. Every hiker who enters the mountains and attempts the challenge does so at their own risk and must read our understanding of risk.
GENERAL PLANNING & ADVICE
USE OFFICIAL ORGANISERS – Official challenges are organised by the Sinai Trail, Egypt’s first long-distance hiking trail. The Sinai Trail works with the best, most experienced, trusted & highly trained Bedouin guides in the region. We suggest everybody organises through the Sinai Trail, who can be messaged via our contact page.
USE BEDOUIN GUIDES – Bedouin guides are compulsory and will help keep you safe. Good Bedouin guides know the Sinai mountains exceptionally well: how to navigate them by day, night, and in all kinds of weather and how to survive them. They know how to find water, they know the escape routes, if they’re needed; they watch the weather, they see how it’s changing, and they can make the safest plans. Always listen to the advice of your Bedouin guide – the Bedouin know the Sinai better than anyone.
BE PREPARED TO FAIL– Never let the desire to finish the challenge make you take risks that compromise your safety. Never be afraid to pull out. Or to finish slower than you wanted. You can always return to try it again, with the benefits of what you’ll have learned the first time. If you’re in a group, remember you’re in it together, as a team: don’t let personal ambition split the team ethos and go no faster than the weakest member of your team can manage. Remember, if you want to go entirely at your pace, you can always do the challenge independently.
LOOK OUT FOR YOUR COMPANIONS – Watch your companions as much as yourself. Never do something the weakest member of your group isn’t comfortable with and remember that if something happens to one of you in a group, it will affect all of you.
DON’T DIVE AND HIKE– Never attempt the challenge after diving. If you have been on a dive, wait at least 24 hours before you do the challenge. If you attempt it sooner you risk decompression sickness. People have died in the Sinai like this before.
IN AN EMERGENCY – As difficult as it is, stay calm and rational. This is the basis for making good decisions and these are ultimately what will get you out of trouble.
PLANNING & PREPARATION
TELL PEOPLE YOUR PLANS – As well as your challenge organiser, tell at least one other person of responsibility in St Katherine where you’re going and on what schedule.
KNOW THE ESCAPE ROUTES – The Three Peaks Egypt Challenge has five escape routes, each giving a short route back to a settlement in case of an emergency. These are spaced roughly evenly, with one between each of the three peaks.
ACCLIMATISE TO THE HEAT – If you’re new to Egypt, coming from a colder country, it will take your body a while to get used to the heat if you arrive in the hotter months. The process by which your body acclimatises to heat is known as heat acclimation, and it involves a raft of physiological changes: sweating starts sooner and is more profuse, you lose fewer vital salts in your sweat etc. It takes 10-14 days for these changes to fully set in and to activate them at the level you’ll need for the Three Peaks Egypt Challenge, you actually need to get out and exert yourself in the heat. The key is to build activity up, working up gradually, day by day after you arrive.
ALTITUDE– The town of St Katherine is elevated at 1500m and the highest peak 2642m. This isn’t too high in altitude terms, and you don’t usually stay at the highest elevations long. Altitude ilnesses are extremely rare; even so, the altitude can affect your body. Higher altitude means less oxygen, which makes exercise harder, until your body has acclimatised to the conditions. If you’re coming to the area straight from Cairo or another lowland region, expect it to be tougher.
ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY
WATCH THE WEATHER – Weather can change fast in the Sinai: rain, snow and fog are all potential hazards, especially in winter, late autumn and early spring. They can make the trail difficult to walk, they can reduce visibility, making navigation tricky, and can leave you wet, demoralised and in danger of hypothermia if you’re not wearing the right clothes. Always check weather forecasts before your challenge: YR is a forecasting site with a station in St Katherine, which is usually reliable. Don’t just rely on this: watch the weather when you’re on trail. Study the sky and the clouds. If there are signs the weather is about to turn for the worse, make a plan: think about getting to a safer place, finding shelter, or even abandoning the challenge altogether, getting back to town.
LEAVE WILDLIFE ALONE – Poisonous plants and animals are found, such as snakes and scorpions. Take care picking up dead wood, or rocks, or in putting hands in places you can’t see. Keep bags closed and shake them down if they have been on the floor. Keep tents zipped up. And don’t put sleeping bags down until you’re ready to sleep.
STAY HYDRATED – Dehydration is a danger, especially in hotter months. Early warning signs are a mild headache and darker urine. If you don’t drink, dehydration can worsen into heat exhaustion, a crippling sort of fatigue, and even to heat stroke; a medical emergency that can result in death. You must drink enough. Drink regularly, in short sips, even if you don’t feel thirsty, and remember it’s better to drink too much than too little. Know how much water you’re likely to drink and plan where you will re-fill. Always keep a half litre emergency supply in your bag and have a good drink whenever you pass a water source. Rehydration salts will help make you feel better if dehydrated.
EQUIPMENT
MOBILE PHONE – Sometimes, mobile phones are the quickest way of calling for help. You can get signals from a lot of high ground, including Jebel Abbas Basha, and parts of Mount Sinai and Jebel Katherina. Some GPS devices now have a messaging capacity which can be used without a telephone signal, which give another option. A SPOT device will also send out an emergency distress signal without a telephone signal.
WARM, WATERPROOF CLOTHES – Always carry a warm layer, as it can get cold in any season. Also carry a waterproof layer: even if it’s just a simple plastic poncho, you need something to stop you getting wet. As soon as your clothes get wet, you’ll lose heat five times faster and it can be – and has been – a killer in the Sinai. Read our What to take section for more information on essential kit.
EMERGENCY SHELTER – Carry an emergency hiking shelter in case of bad weather. Some shelters can fit several people inside – even upto 20 – and others are simple, sleeping-bag sized survival bags, usually made from tough plastic, that will block wind and rain. Every hiker should carry an emergency survival bag at the least. Tough plastic rubbish bags can be a substitute or a lightweight piece of plastic, 2m x 3m.
REPLACE LOST ENERGY – You will burn a lot of energy and it’s vital to top up. Your body needs a lot of energy to get round the trail. Check out the hiking superfoods from Mountain Rose, all of which are sourced from St Katherine’s Bedouin orchards.
