Mountainbiking in the desert

I have been on the top of the Moses Mountain (like so many others) at sunrise, and really want to go back to the Sinai mountains and go hiking. It did not happen when I was in Egypt a few weeks ago. Instead I went mountainbiking in Nabq, a protected area, which is the largest coastal protectorate on the Gulf of Aqaba. Among other things you can see a mangrove forest, probably the most northerly mangroves in the world. Comming from a northern part of the world it was not much of a forest, only bushes on the coast, but really interesting plants of course. As was the arak trees and othe plant species. But since this is a desert, there were few plants, and a lot more sand.

The biking trips in Nabq are organized by Claus Mildenberger and his company Black Jack Bike. This german and former diving instructor has lived 12 years in Egypt and startet offering biking trips three years ago. He really knows the area and cooperate with the beduins that lives there, and it was a really great experience. I went with a group who was just normal bikers, but Mildenberger also take trained mountainbikers who likes to speed. Myself I prefer to experience the landscape and his knowledge and we really did. Since this is protected nature biking is the only way you can visit most of the area.

There is also a visitors center with a small museum in Nabq, made by donations from the European Union we were told. There are more pictures from the biking trip in my web gallery, and here is a link.