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The Jeballaya – or Mountain People – are the tribes that live in the High Mountain region of Sinai. Guides and Cameleers are drawn from this tribe. The area is full of gardens which their families have tended over the centuries for various fruits and crops. These are the gardens in which hikers stop for tea breaks or to spend the night, and the garden owners are paid accordingly. Hikers give a big boost to the local community which is less and less dependent on the produce of its fruit trees and more and more dependent on tourism revenue.
We do not use jeeps or any other motorized vehicles for this trek. The entire program is on foot and camel leaving the least possible impact on the environment. Having hikers stay in Mountain Gardens also gives the local community incentive to keep their trees watered and tended maintaining the beauty of the region as it has been for centuries.
As much as possible, all of the food-stuff and other supplies needed during a trip are bought locally in the town of St. Catherine's directly benefiting local store owners. Every trek booked through us contributes to our community development fund. These monies are then used for specific development and health needs in the community.
Ecolodges:
- Ecolodges are built in or near communities further removed from the usual tourist track, thus spreading income generated from tourism away from the main hubs.
- Lodges are built with all natural materials.
- Ecolodges use solar power, composting toilets and grey water recycling.
- Ecolodge locations are subject to an environmental impact assessment.
We invite every traveller who books a holiday via us to send in a review. Because we don't run the holidays they're completely independent and unedited... remember to read between the lines though, as two people on the same holiday can have different views!
