Al Karm Ecolodge - High Mounatin Range Sinai
Situated in the high mountain range of Sinai at an altitude of 1100 meters, and in the St. Katherine 
Protectorate near Sheikh Awad and Wadi Tarfa, the ecolodge is managed by members of the Jebeliya tribe. Forefathers of the Jebeliya tribe are of East European origin. They arrived to Sinai, perhaps from Yugoslavia, as construction workers and servants to the Monastery of St. Catherine in the 6 th century. Though they soon adapted to a Bedouin lifestyle, they are loyal to the monastery until today. Gebeliya means mountaineers, people who live in the mountains, as they truly do.
Funded by the EU and supervised by the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency through St Katherine National Park, Al-Karm Ecolodge was built using natural resources and modeled in the same architectural style and techniques the local Bedouins employ for building their own houses. The lodge was built on the ruins of original Bedouin houses in Wadi Araba. It acquired its name "Al-Karm" meaning the "Grapes Garden " in Arabic, from the fact that this area was known for grape cultivation. Today water is scarce in the high mountains. The area did not see any rains for the last 9 years, hence the ground water levels sank dramatically damaging ecosystem heavily.
AlKarm has no electricity and mobile phones don't have coverage here. It is the perfect place to recharge
your batteries, relaxation and nature are the ultimate delights. Its location is secluded, away from the nearest form of urban settlement. In addition, the place is not surrounded by any walls or fences, yet the natural form of the valley, where it is located with sky-high mountains, produces a feeling of security.
One, two or three- day hiking treks are available. A two-day trip can take you to the famous Galt AlAzrak, a natural pool of water amidst the mountains. It has never been recorded as dry despite the long and extensive periods of drought the area has endured.
A three-day treks goes out to the notorious Jebel Abbas. Infamous for the palace built on its top, it belonged to Abbas Helmi Pasha, Mohamed Ali's grandson and Egypt 's viceroy between 1849 and 1854. The palace was built as a health retreat and for Abbas Pasha, who suffered of serious astma to live a reclusive life.
Nabateans, the builders of the Red Rose City Petra in Jordan, and great traders left their marks all over 
Sinai. In Wadi Saf'a, a Nabatean village can be found. The Nawamis are also abundant in Sinai. Though archaeology knows little about these building sites, it is assumed that the rooms are burial chambers of the Early Bronze Age and some 6000 years old. One of these mysterious sites is found in Wadi Slaf.
And if you are not a great hiker a perfect day in Al-Karm may involve nothing more than reading a book, going for a sunset stroll or contemplating nature. You won't need anything else.
Email us for information and itineraries: tourism@exceltrvl.com
published May 31, 2007
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