Jebel Berqa

Trek 22

Seen from far distances across the region towering above lower ranges, Jebel Berqa is a tough mountain to climb. You can see the sea at Nuweiba and a big part of the desert and mountain ranges of South Sinai from the top, but the last ten metres or so to the summit is potentially dangerous. If you are not up for this climb, you could only go as far as the top of the small canyon from where the more difficult path starts to get a nice view. You also find other attractions around the mountain that are easier to reach, including a maze of little canyons, ancient inscriptions and simple stone structures, and across a little pass the Tarabin region’s highest sand dune, El Breqa.

Other names/spellings: Jabal, Gebel, Gabal, Djebel, Djabal – Barga, Barqa

  • Jebel Berqa: the focal point of the area, with its massive dome and flat top visible from far away.
  • El Breqa: a high sand dune piled up between the walls of a long wadi, separated from Jebel Berqa by a little pass over a rocky hill.
  • Wadi Zalaqa: the main thoroughfare in the region, a long and wide wadi that connects Jebel Berqa to Ein Umm Ahmed and then Wadi Watir in the east, and the plain of Elu el Ajramiya in the centre of South Sinai.
  • Hlel el Waar: a narrow wadi that connects Jebel Berqa to Wadi Zalaqa, accessible only on foot, with a cluster of Nawamis buildings at its mouth.
  • Zalaqa-Berqa pass: a sandy-rocky pass between Jebel Berqa and Wadi Zalaqa, easily accessible on foot and for camels.
  • Mabar Garib: a sandy plain with rock outcrops south of Jebel Berqa, on the way on foot to Naqb el Muahis and the Wadi Rum area.
  • Naqb el Muahis: the pass that connects Mabar Garib to the Wadi Rum area.

See: Trek 22 



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