Journey 1 – Mountain and Desert Journey and Dam Build
Wilderness is not a luxury, but a necessity of the human spirit.
Journey No: SJHC April 2026 Dates: 14 to 25 April 2026
Only in solitude can we attend to the work of “soul-gathering” that is so important in a world of endless activity and anxiety over other people’s opinions
Journey 2 – Mountain and Desert Journey and Dam Build
Journey No: SJHC Oct 2026 Dates: 10 to 20 October 2026
Cost: £900 (flights not included)
Project Materials: Costs for the dam materials and labour to be raised by the group
Status: OPEN
Description:
The journeys will be led by Helen Cranston, Project Manger of the Makhad Trust for 10 years and now a Director of the Trust; Sinai Journeys Ltd is a sister organisation to the Trust. Helen has been involved with the Journeys since 2008, leading groups on a regular basis. In addition, her work with the Makhad Trust, has given her a deep knowledge of the landscape, the history, the people, and their customs of Sinai and the Bedouin people.
The journeys are by nature, adventurous retreats. We will be away from electrical distractions and experiencing a digital detox, so this is an ideal opportunity to ask yourself difficult questions about who you are, where have you come from and where are you going – if you wish. Wisdom seekers have been coming to Sinai for over 2000 years, including the prophets of the world’s three major religions, finding spirit in the landscape and in themselves. You can accept this invitation or you can come purely for the adventure, the choice is yours.
The Groups will meet in Sharm el Sheikh and stay overnight in a Bedouin Resort on the coast. After breakfast and swimming over the coral reef, we will travel to St Katherine by minibus and spend the first night at Fox Camp. The next day we will walk up into the high mountains to Wadi Gibal. Here we will camp in a bedouin garden where our Bedouin guides and hosts will prepare our meals for us. For the next three days we will work with a team of Bedouins building a small dam. This dam will stop the flash floods and preserve the water for the Bedouin gardens and wells lower down the valley. Once the work is completed we will trek down the mountain and up Mt Sinai before returning to St Katherine for the night. In the morning we will have the opportunity to visit the famous fortified monastery of St Catherine, and in the afternoon, we will travel out to the desert to Mattamir for two days desert exploration and an opportunity for spending a little quiet and silent time in the footsteps of the Desert Fathers.
For the trekking and dam building a moderate level of fitness is required, and some experience of walking in mountainous areas would be useful, but no particular skills are necessary.
The Dam The journey cost does not include the costs of building the dam. These costs include hiring builders, buying cement, buckets and tools, transport of all the materials by camel (no road access). Participants are expected to raise the dam costs by sponsorship or donation. A typical dam costs around £1800, with this cost being split between the participants.
