>> Call the office of the StKP (St Katrin Protectorate) in Katrina on 069/3470032 or 069/3470033 to make reservation under your name in the Ecolodge. You could do yourself a favour and call Jamil Atteya (AlKarm Manager) on his mobile 010/1324693 (if you found answer machine leave a message) and tell him about your reservation in the office (Arabic only). Call mornings or nights before 9:00pm. Inform them in the phone call of your method of transportation, expected date of arrival, and date of leaving. They will inform Jamil. If you're going by hiking you'll have to specify that clearly so that a Bedouin Ranger or other guides may guide your hike and arrange for camels to carry your luggage. You pay the guide an agreed sum of money (around LE60). If camels were used, you pay for it too per camel per day (around LE60).

>> Arrive in Katrina town in time. Go ahead with your choice of transportation as agreed with the protectorate. More details on that below. On busy days in the office, allow delay and follow-up to make sure Jamil Atteya is expecting you.

>> If you're using your car on-road and wish to park in AlTarfa then take a taxi (4x4 one) for the offroad leg, you may park it in the yard of Hagg Eid Husseing in Tarfa (069-3470040).

Most enjoyable of all methods. Very scenic route through Nagb Haawa surrounded by mountains.

>> If you're having a guide from the protectorate office, go visit them or meet up with the guide in the agreed place. If you haven't agreed with a guide you may wish to visit Sheikh Moussa's office to hire one 010/688.08.20. Guide fees should be around LE 60 daily.

>> Get your luggage ready on your backs or on camels or might be in a Peugeot Taxi and start the trail from AbuSeila (by end of Sahl elRa7a) through Nagb Haawa. It will take about 2-4 hours depending on your speed.

This method is very convenient for regular visitors but needs a guide. 4x4s are strongly advisable unless you're sure the clearance under your normal car can take the rough trail (for instance Beamers' owners except X5 shouldn't even dare to think of it :)

[If you're on your own, you should have your GPS loaded before you go on the trip--if you're not using a guide--with files downloaded from SaharaSafaris homepage as explained below.]

If you're coming from Cairo, head to the tunnel as if you're going to Sharm and keep going for about 200Km after the tunnel until you reach the cross-roads to Wadi Feiran (leading to Katrina). Turn left and keep going (don't exceed 80kph for very dangerous turns). Turn your GPS on and activate the 'From Cairo' route (if you have Garmin GPSs) After approximately an hour you should reach the XS1CAI waypoint which is the starting point to get offroad. Get off the road in wadi Sahab to the right and follow the route to the Ecolodge.

>> Use GPS waypoints downloadable from GPS-AlKarmSinaiEcolodge.txt (text file good for manual input. Go to GPS Safe Use for precautions). Email me (M. Mabrouk) if you need the Garmin one (.mps or .gdb).

There are two offroading tracks for the ecolodge. One is used when you're coming from Cairo and starts by XS1CAI waypoint at wadi Sahab through the Sn waypoints to AlKarm waypoint. The other is for those who are coming from Katrina town and starts by the XT1KTR waypoint at wadi Tarfa through the Tn waypoints.

>> You can also pick up a guide from town of Katrina who'll join you all the way off-road to the Ecolodge. They normally will find a way back. Don't worry about your way back. The management of the ecolodge will find somebody to guide you to the road again.

>> arrive at the bus-station of Katrina town. Ask for a Jeep Taxi to take you to AlKarm in area of Sheikh 3Awwaad. Before the Taxi leaves you in AlKarm agree on date and time of his return to pick you up back to the bus-station in Katrina town or where you left your car. Charges from Katrina might be around LE 80. If you take them from Tarfa (where the taxi gets offroad) you can pay around LE 50.

There's only one bus a day that goes from Cairo to St. Catherine and back. The one from Cairo takes off at 10:30 AM from Torgoman, 11:00 AM from Abbaseyya, and 12:00 from Almaza. The ticket is for EGP 28.5. As for the one from St. Catherine, it takes off from St. Catherine bus station at 6:00 AM, and it passes by Al-Tarfa around 6:20-6:30 AM in case you want to take it from there. The ticket is for EGP 26.5 (?). Al-Torgoman station phone numbers are: 025742814 / 025749084.
(thanks Khaled Reda)