Middle East - Anthony Ham [255]
Sleeping & Eating
Isaac H Taylor HI Hostel ( 658 4349; fax 658 4650; dm/s/d from US$25/48/75; ) This hostel, near the Masada bus stop, provides excellent accommodation, with spacious dorms, attractive private rooms and even a swimming pool. Dinner costs an extra US$12, and guests get 15% off cable car fees. The hostel may let you pitch a tent in the garden; ask at reception.
Getting There & Away
There are around five daily buses (bus 444 or 486) from Jerusalem (39NIS, 2½ hours), which stop off at the Dead Sea en route from Jerusalem to Masada, and four buses from Eilat (55NIS, four hours).
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THE NEGEV
Many Israelis feel that the Negev, the sparsely inhabited southern wedge of Israel, is the country’s biggest – but most overlooked – attraction. Taking in nearly half the area of the nation, the only towns of any size are Be’er Sheva, Arad, Mitzpe Ramon and Israel’s subtropical toehold of Eilat, and none of them (except, perhaps, Mitzpe Ramon) are particularly enticing. A wonderful recent film, The Band’s Visit, offers a fictional account of life in its sprinkling of one-camel outposts. Military bases, experimental agricultural projects, and the tent-dwellings of 75,000 seminomadic Bedouin aside, the region’s biggest attraction lies undeniably in its hiking.
Whether you’re walking the trails of Sde Boker, the Wilderness of Zin, En Avedat National Park, Maktesh Ramon, Timna National Park or the Eilat Mountains, you’re bound be seduced by the magic of the barreness of the desert. Note, though, that much of the Negev is a firing zone for the area’s numerous military bases; take notice of military signs on the roads and don’t wander into any fenced, signposted army areas.
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NIGHT HIKES IN THE NEGEV
An amazing way to experience the wonders of the desert is on one of the Society for the Protection of Nature (SPNI)’s ‘yarok tours’ (green tours), which emphasise minimising our impact on Israel’s wildernesses. One of the highlights is the ‘Cold Nights on the Desert Heights’ tour, which encompasses a full-moon desert hike, camping, and tai-chi in the Ramon Crater. The price (477NIS for non-SPNI members) includes all meals and one night’s camping. Check out www.aspni.org for the full list of highly recommended tours.
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BE’ER SHEVA
08 / pop 185,300
Travellers pressed for time are well advised to forego the hot, ugly and generally uninspiring ‘capital’ of the Negev and base themselves in more attractive, well-equipped Mitzpe Ramon. That is, of course, unless you’re a tech wizard working at one of its plentiful state-of-the-art technology or research companies, or a student at the pioneering Ben-Gurion University, together the life and soul of this dusty, desert town.
Sights & Activities
Neither of Be’er Sheva’s two most worthwhile attractions is actually in the town itself. The Israeli Air Force Museum ( 690 6855; www.iaf-museum.org.il; admission 26NIS; 8am-5pm Sun-Thu, 8am-1pm Fri), at the Khatserim IAF base 6km west of the centre, offers a gripping account of Israel’s aeronautical history (even for nonenthusiasts) and about 100 planes to illustrate it. From the central bus station take bus 31 (9.80NIS, 10 minutes, once or twice per hour).
For something completely different, the worthy Museum of Bedouin Culture ( 991 3322; admission 20NIS; 9am-5pm Sun-Thu, 8am-2pm Fri)aims to preserve the Bedouin population’s threatened culture, and employs local Bedouin guides to help do so. The museum is situated at Kibbutz Lahav; bus 42 runs directly to the kibbutz twice daily, but immediately heads back to Be’er Sheva without allowing time for a visit. Alternatively, take bus 369 towards Tel Aviv, which will drop you at the junction