• Regions
• Cities
• Other destina...
• Understand
• Talk
• See
• Do
• Eat
• Drink
• Sleep
• Stay safe
• Get out

Moonscape inside the Machtesh Ramon crater

The Negev [1] is a large desert that covers the entire southern half of Israel. The least populated area in Israel, it is a home to (among others) the nomadic desert people known as the Bedouin. The Negev offers some truly breathtaking scenery and is home to some fascinating sites and places.

[edit] Regions

[edit] Cities

• Arad — lively modern town on the edge of the Negev.
• Beer Sheva (Beersheba) — the Biblical City of Abraham and de facto capital of the Negev.
• Dimona — the third largest city in the Negev
• Eilat — the southern-most Israeli city, located on the Red Sea coast, a major centre for domestic and international tourism
• Mitzpe Ramon — a small town overlooking the Machtesh Ramon crater
• Netivot — small city, home (and now gravesite) of the Baba Sali, a famous rabbi
• Ofakim
• Rahat — a Bedouin city
• Sderot — small city, known for its contribution to the Israeli music scene, and more recently as a target for Palestinian rocket attacks
• Tel Sheva — a Bedouin town
• Yerucham — settlement located near the Large Crater

[edit] Other destinations

• Avdat — the largest ancient Nabataean city in the Negev, now a National Park
• Yotvata, a large open Natural Reserve north of Eilat and a Kibbutz with the same name.

[edit] Understand

The Negev is the southern region of Israel, covering 55% of the state's territory and inhabited by some 379,000 Jews and 175,000 Bedouins (Bedouin is an ancient word reffering to the term Desert Man). Contrary to the usual view of a "desert," the Negev is not covered with sand. Rather, it is a melange of brown, rocky, dusty mountains interrupted by wadis (dry riverbeds that bloom briefly after rain), and deep craters. The area was once the floor of a primordial sea, and a sprinkling of marine snail shells still covers the earth here. Aside from the natural wonders, the Negev plays host to a great number of ancient sites, displaying the rich history of this crossroads of trade between Asia, Africa, and Europe.

[edit] Talk

[edit] Get in

[edit] By air

Domestic flights to Eilat fly from Ben Gurion airport or Tel Aviv's Sde Dov airport. There are seasonal charter flights to Eilat from several European cities.

[edit] By train

Frequent trains connect Tel Aviv, Haifa and Ben Gurion airport to Beer Sheva, with an extention to Dimona, but no further.

[edit] By bus

Be'er Sheva is served by bus from Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. Buses to Eilat travel from Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. Towns and villages throughout the Negev are connected by bus to Be'er Sheva, but service could be infrequent.

If you're flying into Ben Gurion Airport and want to head straight to Eilat, you would better get on a short train ride to Tel Aviv Hagana station and board a bus to Eilat from nearby Tel Aviv central bus station. Advance reservation is available on buses to and from Eilat, and there are also night buses.

There are no laws concerning the number of people allowed on buses, so drivers will often pack the bus as full as possible, and you may end up with a young soldier sitting on the floor next to you, with his large semi-automatic poking you in the leg. It is recommended that you call and book your seat in advance in order to avoid standing for your whole ride. Booking is also available by internet [www.egged.co.il].

You better avoid the busiest travel times, in particular Sunday mornings and Thursday afternoons (when soldiers travel to and from weekend vacation).

[edit] Get around

[edit] By car

Three main highways cross the Negev from north to south:

• The eastern Jordan Valley route (Route <90>), from Jerusalem past the Dead Sea to Eilat
• The central route (Route <40>), through Beer Sheva and Mitzpe Ramon, merging with the eastern route near Yotvata
• The western route (Route <10>), running along the Egyptian border from Gaza to Eilat, built primarily for military purposes and the least used of the three

The two-lane highways are generally in good shape. The distance across the Negev from Tel Aviv to Eilat is around 360 kilometers, covered by Egged express bus in 5 hours.

[edit] See

• Ein Avdat - spectacular desert gorge, accessed by trails, and preserved as a National Park
• Mamshit Ruins - Nabatean ruin, more accessible and well ordained then Avdat, also a National Park
• Machtesh Ramon - largest erosional crater on earth, near the town of Mitzpe Ramon
• Sde Boker - large Kibbutz north of Mizpe Ramon on Route 40, has several attractions, and also the "Field School of the Negev" hostel and tourist information center, which advises on trails and tours in the area.
• Midreshet Ben Gurion (also known as Midreshet Sde Boker) - large midrasha (educational center) with Institute for Solar Energy Studies, a trail to Ein Avdat, The Ben Gurion Heritage Institute and the tomb of Ben Gurion, Insitute for Desert Research, High School for Environmental Education and a pre military Mechina (preparatory program) - Mechinat Hanegev.

[edit] Do

[edit] Eat

[edit] Drink

[edit] Sleep

Most of the kibbutzim on Highway 90 have guest houses and offer inexpensive and charming rooms, and meals in their common dining rooms.

[edit] Stay safe

Nearly all of the Negev is an extremely arid desert that sees rainfall at most a few times a year. While winters can be pleasant, with temperatures hovering around 20°C, summers can be fierce with temperatures commonly over 40°C. Bring a large amount of water and register your plans at the nearest police station before going offroad for your own safety, as flash floods are likely to happen if rain does fall, and some parts of the Negev serve as the IDF's main training area.

When hiking in the Negev dehydration can be a problem, this is a hot arid area, Drink at least 1L of water per person per hour.

[edit] Get out