Most visitors to Sinai see the mountains, deserts, monasteries, and beaches, but few have the opportunity to meet the people who call these places home. One of the most rewarding cultural experiences we can offer is a visit to a remote desert school, where you can spend time with local students and gain a glimpse into everyday life far from the tourist centres.
Bedouin families live in small hamlets and settlements scattered across the deserts of Sinai. While many aspects of life have changed in recent decades, education has become an important part of community life, and children from even the most remote areas attend school. These schools are often small, with only a few teachers and a limited number of students, creating a close-knit and welcoming atmosphere.
Besides managing the website, Mohamed works as a teacher in a remote desert settlement some 30 kilometres from St Catherine. The settlement is home to only around two dozen families living in simple houses surrounded by desert and hills. The people here maintain a strong connection to nature and traditional Bedouin life and have little desire to exchange it for life in a large city. In fact, at certain times of the year many families leave even these permanent homes and move out to their grazing lands, living in tents while tending their animals.
A visit to the school is not a formal tour but rather an opportunity for genuine cultural exchange. You can meet the students, learn about their daily lives, and hear how they see the world around them. What is it like growing up in a remote desert community? What are their dreams and ambitions? What challenges do they face, and what do they enjoy most about life in Sinai? These are conversations that often prove fascinating for visitors and students alike.
If you wish, you can also participate in a simple English-language activity. The students are usually eager to practise and enjoy meeting people from other countries. There is no need to prepare a formal lesson or have any teaching experience. A few words about yourself, your home country, your work, hobbies, or travels can quickly turn into a lively and enjoyable exchange. The aim is not serious teaching but creating a fun opportunity for communication and learning on both sides.
If you would like to learn more about life in the Sinai desert and meet the people who live there, contact us and we will be happy to discuss the possibilities.
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