Usually, hikers make W.Isla starting from Katrina though Um-shumar mt. all the way till El-Tour city. Then they might have to go back to where they started in case they had left their cars in Katrina. And that's what some friends from Sahara Safaris once did two years ago in an interesting 4-day hiking trip.

Also it'd be a must to take guides and camels for such a trip. 

Reading that interesting book called "History of Sinai" written by "Naoum Shokeir" at the year 1916, you would find him describing W. Isla as the most beautiful wadi in Sinai. And that's what most of those who made it, agreed upon, though I'd put w.Nasb to the same level.

However, what i did with Ahmad to hike the wadi, was typically the reverse of that traditional route. It was one-day hike without guides or camels starting from El-Tour directly to the wadi and back again in the same day.

It's almost 6 km from the mouth of the valley to where nothing much you would see after. The wadi has a rich flora and that's due to all-year falling water. In some of its parts, it's more like a canyon rather than a valley.

The distance from the asphalt till where we started the hike is 23 km. A large stretched sandy/stony plain that we made it by 4x4car.

We met a German group with Bedouin guides and camels resting under the shade of palm trees as it was an hour after midday. It was incredibly hot that day, and we were the only two crazy creatures walking at this particular hottest time of the day. But we had no choice unfortunately. Yet it was a test for our stamina and endurance. At least we know now what exactly heat-stroke does to body :)

We met them again after almost 3 hours while going back (and they were still resting), the Bedouins asked if we were researchers. Two independent hikers without guides off the beaten road, didn't seem familiar for them...Yet i felt they didn't quite take it we are just hikers!

And that was another main aspect of that trip. To independently plan a hike (wherever), plotter it and go for it. That way you can make more short hikes or rather dividing long hikes into segments. Different scenarios and other options are always a plus i believe.

After that hot hike we did deep in the wadi, we were craving for the big blue now. Being in El-Tour town which lies on the gulf of Suez made us anxious to explore for a nice isolated spot on the sea. We decided to drive along the costal track parallel to sea and find out.

On all coast lines of Egypt whether on the Red sea or on the Med. You'll meet several  check points every few Kilometers. Some places are allowed  to get in and stay around, and some are not. We headed south on the coast line, then we reached the first point which is a fishermen village called "Gibil". They didn't allow us to pass, instead they told us about another better place few more kilometers to the south called "Raya" or "Sheikh Raya". Another coast guard point, but it was ok to get in.

We kept driving on the coast line after getting around the first point anyway. Till we reached Raya. We were blessed to see that white soft sand getting deep (tongue-like shape) into cheerful light blue water forming a calm and peaceful lagoon. Few small rowing boats that belong to fishermen were scattered along the lagoon. But there was no *real* fishing anymore due to the pollution caused by ships passing the gulf to Suez Canal and vise versa night and day. And not to mention the petroleum fields into the gulf itself.

Without any hesitation we decided to spend our last day of the trip watching those pretty seagulls flying around, while crabs are making crowds on the shore. The water is shallow for long distance that you may have to experience hiking in it walking on white soft sand while tickling your bare feet. What a feeling after hiking on a rocky terrain in a hot day. It was exactly what we were looking for...we deserved our little prize in a way.

Hany el Zorkany.