Memorable tour
Mohammad Nabil provided a wealth of knowledge of Sharm el sheik and St Catherine’s Monastery. His service was professional and smooth- our best experience yet of a tour guide during our stay in Egypt. We had one participant who was unable to walk much, and Mohammad accommodated for them so they too could enjoy the tour.
He also shares deep love for his country and city of Sharm it was refreshing to speak with him, and we enjoyed his company that we were saddened when the day ended. We look forward to returning to Sharm to spend more time with Mohammad exploring the area. Thank you Mohammad for your kindness and a memorable experience.
Marina M · يناير 2023 · عبر Tripadvisor
a cultural asset worth seeing
We were still on the road, you have already asked several times, that annoys!
The trip worked well and we liked it very much. The monastery, the countryside, getting to and from the monastery an experience.
115roswithag · ديسمبر 2022 · عبر Tripadvisor · مترجم
Excellent tour
Our guide Nabil was knowledge, funny, and patient with our group. Pick up was very timely. Lots of interesting information on the drive with a short gas station break for coffee and toilets. St. Catherine's itself was beautiful and the best parts don't allow photos so I can't prove it to you but it is well worth the visit whether you are a believer or not. Lunch in Dahab was fantastic both the food and the ambience on the water. We did a little shopping before hopping back in the van for the drive back to our hotel. We were especially grateful to be in a small group because inside the monastery the passage ways and iconography museum can be a bit small. Great tour that exceeded all of our expectations.
Rosann_M · نوفمبر 2022 · عبر Viator
Ten Commandments Experience!
Our day trip to St. Catherine's and Mount Sinai, was one of my favorites on our trip to Egypt. Our guide, Nabil, was an expert on the history of the Monastery, and extremely knowledgeable about the importance of the mountain for the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions. We opted to hike to the summit. It was more difficult than anticipated, so we rented camels, which was the way to go. I would give this tour and our tour guide Nabil, a 10 on a scale of 0 - 10.
John and Sue
John_L · أكتوبر 2022 · عبر Viator
Fascinating place.
Lovely experience. Knowledgeable guide and we had a great time exchanging Egyptian and English history.
Catherine monastery has some amazing and very ancient relics and manuscripts. The setting is also impressive.
deanlp2017 · سبتمبر 2022 · عبر Tripadvisor
Excursion from Sharm to St. Catharina Monastery: friendly polite and service oriented operator
Having planned an excursion from Sharm el Sheik to the St. Catharina Monastery and Mount Sinai, for the selection process, I approached 4 operators that were highly ranked in Tripadvisor. My request was to provide their best quote for a private tour for 4 people. Mohammed Nabil of Sharm Smile Tours was the only one to directly provide a competitive quote where no further tedious negotiations were necessary. He was very reliable in promptly responding to the questions and he delivered what he had promised: comfortable transportation and an excellent tour (guided by Muhammed himself) in the St. Catharina Monastery. The night excursion to Mount Sinai (guided by one of the Bedouins who are in line to escort visitors upon arrival of the tourists) with arrival at the top one hour before sunrise is really worth.
Finally Mohammed proved to be a great entertainer, full of anecdotes on Egyptian history, culture and uses.
Separately, Sharm Smile Tours further arranged for transportation from our resort to the old market in a clean car with a polite driver and for a competitive price.
For a private tour from Sharm el Sheik to St Catherina Monastery I would recommend the services of Sharm Smile Tours with the specific involvement of Mohammed Nabil
Dutchfamily131 · أغسطس 2022 · عبر Tripadvisor
A day well-spent!
We actually started the tour from our hotel in Dahab, not Sharm El Sheikh. (There was no option for me to select "Dahab".) A friend had recommended Nabil and he turned out to be an awesome guide. First, I was impressed with the spacious van that collected us from Le Meridien Dahab. It had a/c and was very comfortable. Nabil and the driver were very organized for all the check points. I'm so thankful we didn't do this trip on our own. Nabil spoke English perfectly and was very knowledgeable about the Sinai region and St. Catherine's. What I liked the most was that he has relationships with the monks there and he was able to introduce us to one in particular that was from the U.S. Another point was that he always knew the perfect spots to take photos. Many times I travel and I don't get any photos of us unless we do selfies! It was nice that he offered and I love those photos! St. Catherines is a beautiful spot. It was an effort to get there, but a very well-spent day. In fact, we still had time to sit by the pool after our tour and swim in the Red Sea. We were dropped back in Dahab by 2:00 p.m. So easy! Great tour! I highly recommend Nabil!
Cavi · مايو 2022 · عبر Tripadvisor
Just great! / Everything's just great
To sum up: the monastery is definitely worth visiting. The area is beautiful, and the monastery is super old and interesting to see. Sharm Smile are extremely professional, experienced and yet make you feel special.
It was really great! the coordinator Nabil speaks English fluently, he is very attentive, communication was great. Nabil answered all my questions in great detail, was very helpful before and during the trip as well.
We got a Russian speaking guide - Halim. He was very knowledgable, funny, entertaining and flexible/accommodative. Halim works as a guide for 15 years. There are several police stops along the road to monastery, and tourist cars are supposed to wait for a specific time to pass through the point. But because Halim knows all the policemen (in seems like), we didn't have to wait and drove right through without any delay. Halim also helped a lot with communication with local people. In case anything unexpected happened, Halim was right there and would take care of it right away. It made the trip truly stress free. The driver (unfortunately forgot his name) was so very nice. He drives very carefully, I didn't get car sick. He brought his 10 years old daughter Ivana on a trip with us, it brightened our day, and it felt like we were visiting distant family.
The van was new, spacious (I was sleeping there laying down very comfortably). The van is clean, doesn't smell of anything. Air conditioning works very quickly - it was a pleasurable ride to and from the monastery.
In Dahab we went to a restaurant Ali Baba. It has a terrace right above the sea, the view and sound of waves was amazing. The food is very tasty. They also have several cats, which I personally appreciated, as I miss my pet when I travel.
The monastery itself is very impressive, in my opinion it is worth the travel. There is a working Orthodox chapel, and kind of a museum with very interesting old artefacts. The monastary has been open for 1,500 years and they have quite a collection of books, clothes, silver/gold items, etc.
There is also an opportunity to ride a camel right outside the monastery. It costs $1. I enjoyed it so much I paid the owner of the camel $5, as I thought $1 is a ridiculous price for such wonderful experience. And the owner of the camel is a very nice and positive old man.
There are some people (mostly kids) that want you to buy souvenirs, rocks, etc. But it wasn't too bad. If you let them know you are not interested, they stop asking.
Overall: we really liked the monastery. It was interesting to see ancient buildings and a collection of ancient exhibits. The monastery is active, you can touch the relics of St. Catherine, and leave notes for health/rest. It was a pleasure doing business with Sharm Smile. You can see they've been in this field for years, taking care of customers.
Everything was great from the beginning to the end. Coordinator Nabil speaks excellent English, is attentive to detail. Explained everything in detail. He's on the phone all the time, which is convenient.
My mom doesn't speak much English and we were offered a Russian-speaking guide. Halim has been a guide for 15 years, speaks excellent Russian. It was interesting to listen to him, he jokes, asks questions, answers questions – it was very interactive. Despite his early rise, he did not want to sleep during his stories. On the way to the monastery there are many police checkpoints. Theoretically, the police should recruit some cars and escort this convoy as a convoy. But Halim talked to them and all the posts let us through for nothing, so we didn't have to wait. Halim seemed to know these police officers, as he's been a guide for a long time, and they know him and they don't stop him. Halim also communicated with Bedouins, shopkeepers, etc. – which is very convenient since few of them speak English. A separate case that was remembered was that one of the Bedouins who worked at the monastery was dissatisfied with something in the autumn. Halim allowed all this, calmed this man down – I don’t even know what happened there. It was nice to have Halim take care of things, and we relax and relax.
Great minibus driver. Very kind. He also took his 10-year-old daughter, Ivanka, on a trip with us. We all really liked her, brightened the journey. It felt like we were visiting relatives or friends. The driver drives very neatly, I didn't get sick in the car. The minibus itself is spacious, clean, smells nothing. The air conditioning works perfectly and very quickly.
In Dahab, we went to Ali Bab's restaurant. The restaurant terrace is directly above the sea. It was nice to have lunch to the sound of the waves. The food is delicious! They also have a few cats, which made me happy.
The monastery is active, Orthodox Christians (like my mother) will love it. The monastery has never stopped work since it was built (6th century). The place is praying, there are relics of St. Catherine, and various ancient icons. The bush of the scorching bath is alive and growing beautifully. In addition, there is a museum with handwritten books from the 6th century, ancient clothing, silver and gold jewelry.
You can ride a camel near the monastery. It costs only $1 to drive about 10 minutes. I personally really liked the camel and its Bedouin master.
Souvenirs, stones, etc. are sold on the premises of the monastery. The sellers (mostly children) are very much asking to buy something. But it's tolerable, and it's everywhere in Egypt, not just in the monastery. If you know about this feature, they do not interfere with the enjoyment of the journey.
VGalashina · أبريل 2022 · عبر Tripadvisor · مترجم
A wonderful trip - we learned loads!
We had a great day at St Catherine’s monastery by Mount Sinai. It’s a long old drive from Sharm but the time flew by as our guide Nabil passed on a wealth of information about Sharm itself, the Sinai Peninsula and its history, the Bedouin, Moses and the history of the monastery. He made sure we stopped to take photos of the beautiful scenery - he took some great ones! - and when we got to the monastery, the history and explanations kept coming. He also gave us time on our own to experience this amazing place. So a big thank you to Nabil for making this special day even better. Sharm Smile were responsive to our last minute late night request and the driver was very good too. All round, highly recommended.
J,M and E
johnpC3941KU · أبريل 2022 · عبر Tripadvisor
Amazing tour! A must do in Sharm!
The private tour of St. Catherine with Sharm Smile was an amazing experience. The whole day was extremely well structured and we got to see and experience a lot. Nabil is an amazing guide, who provides a wealth of information in a very engaging manner. His very nice and open personality made for very comfortable interactions. We did the private tour with two small children and it was also great for them. Lunch in Dahab was delicious! Our driver Ehab drove very safely and smoothly, ensuring a very comfortable ride. All around a wonderful experience, definitely a must do in Sharm!
Amadeus303 · مارس 2022 · عبر Tripadvisor
