Red Sea Mountain Trail

Plunging gorges and craggy mountain-sides are not all that separate mainland Egypt’s first long-distance hiking trail from the beach resorts in the nearby vacation town of Hurghada. Inspired by the success of a sister trail on the Sinai Peninsula, which opened in 2015, the new route is a community tourism initiative managed by the local Maaza tribe and dedicated to preserving Bedouin heritage and empowering nearby communities. Over the 10 days or so it takes to walk the trail’s 105 miles, hikers are accompanied by Bedouin cameleers who provide traditional food and insight into their culture. An extension is already in the works. —Joseph Hincks