Page 7 - Discover Israel Magazine - UK edition 2018

state-of-the art industry and some highly
unique and interesting social features. Here
are some ideas for a memorable vacation in
the friendliest desert in the world:
Timna Park - A beautiful national park,
home to many unique geological formations,
scores of trails for walking and bike riding,
a host of ancient archaeological remains
from biblical times, including the world’s first energy - The Arava desert area is part of
copper mine - for this is the place where
our ancestors discovered the secrets of
metallurgy, beginning with copper, the first
ever metal smelted by man. The park has
a modern visitor centre, a great area for
outdoor activities like archery and zip line,
and above all a wide variety of walking trails
suitable for every fitness level.
You can choose from over 25 various
walking, driving and mountain-bike riding
trails, including The Mushroom, The Arches,
Solomon’s Pillars, The Pink Canyon (Canyon
of Faces), Timna Single and more.
Kibbutz Lotan - Where spirit and earth
meet, an eco-village filled with workshops,
outdoor activities and programs in practical
ecology. Guests will enjoy a tour through
the village, with houses built of earth,
home appliances that work without being
connected to the power grid, eco gardens
and an Eco Fun Zone, built entirely built from
recycled materials, where you can also enjoy
vegetarian and vegan foods from the veggie
patch nearby.
Neot Semadar - A desert kibbutz
combining arts and organic agriculture,
This unique place offers a fascinating tour,
with a walk around an Arts Centre built in
the heart of the kibbutz, as well as a glimpse
at some of its special organic features. You
can visit the clean and aesthetic goat pen,
taste the products of the organic winery and
take a peek at the blossoming paradise the
kibbutz members have planted as a labour of
love in this arid environment.
Walks and bike rides in the Eilat
Mountains Nature Reserve - The
Eilat Mountains afford some gorgeous
landscapes, with rocky outcrops millions
of years old, in rich earth colours, and
much younger sedimentary soil in lighter
tones. The reserve boasts an impressive
range of wonderful walking trails, with
some challenging bike-riding trails as well.
Dotted around the area are a number of
accommodation options catering to the
many visitors who come here to ride or walk
the many trails inside the reserve.
Birdwatching, agriculture and renewable
the Jordan Valley, which in turn is part of the
Great Rift Valley, a geological rift stretching
from Turkey into East Africa. Due to its
unique geographical makeup, the Arava
serves as a gateway for millions of migratory
birds, making their way each year from Africa
to Europe. It’s a birdwatchers’ paradise.
In addition to birds, the Arava is home to
many successful kibbutzim, spearheading
the sphere of renewable energy. Guests are
invited to check out the latest technological
advances in renewable energy, as well as
some of the great innovations in desert
agriculture technology.
The Negev Highlands, well above the warm
Arava, harbour a very different landscape
and environment. This is Crater Land, a
most impressive and totally different desert
landscape. The Negev Highlands are the
epicentre of Israeli desert tourism, with loads
of attractions bringing tourists from around
the world.
At the top of the list is by far the spectacular can reach some of the villages by car, we
Makhtesh Ramon. This geologically unique
area includes soaring cliffs above a huge
and gaping crater in the surface of Earth.
The breathtaking craters of the Negev desert
are a big draw for Jeep tours, bike rides,
walking trails and camel rides, recreating
the caravans of yore that crossed these very
landscapes on the ancient spice routes of
the Nabataeans more than two thousand
years ago.
Avdat National Park - Impressive ruins
of a Nabataean city stand here today as
silent testimony to the wealth and might of
these ancient people, who ruled the Middle
Eastern deserts 2200 years ago, until the
Roman Empire took the area by storm.
Sandboarding in Shivta - A golden sand
dune close to Shivta National Park offers
one of the greatest attractions of the Negev
Highlands. Dror BaMidbar is a tour operator
offering a special adventure, sandboarding
on pristine and soft sands that blew here
straight from the Sahara desert in North
Africa.
R&D in the Negev Highlands - This
research and development complex offers a
visit to a state-of-the-art solar power station
owned by General Electric. The tour includes
a powerful presentation and a walk through
the site, showcasing some of the most
brilliant achievements of Israeli agriculture.
The development of such prosperous and
innovative agriculture in extreme desert
conditions and against all odds, on loose
sand and using brackish water, is certainly
an incredible feat. The tour includes the
hothouses and various crops, where
experiments are conducted and new durable
stains are developed. The second part of
the tour takes visitors to the cutting-edge
thermo-solar power station, with a glimpse
of the largest project of this kind in the world.
Authentic hospitality at Bedouin villages
- Just a few minutes away from the main
roads, you can go back in time and
experience first-hand the traditional and
ancient way of life of desert nomads. The
Bedouins settled in this desert hundreds
of years ago and still uphold their unique
traditions, which are much different from
those of Arab villagers in Israel. While you
highly recommend combining a trek on
the new and beautiful Negev Highland
Trail. It provides a wonderful ethnic trek
going through some Bedouin villages with
authentic characteristics. The Bedouins are
well known for their hospitality and will gladly
offer very affordable accommodations and
meals, allowing you a rare and memorable
experience you won’t get at any hotel.
These are but a few of the opportunities
the friendly Israeli desert offers, but it
beckons you for so much more as well:
leisure and sightseeing, with a wide range of
accommodations - from the most luxurious
hotels to the most basic camping.
A wealth of information awaits at these two web-
sites: www.negevtour.co.il / https://en.aravaway.co.il
DISCOVER ISRAEL 7