Middle East - Anthony Ham [270]
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PRACTICALITIES
English-language daily (except Saturday) newspapers include, Ha’aretz (haaretzdaily.com) and the Jerusalem Post (jpost.com). In East Jerusalem you can pick up the weekly, Palestinian-produced Jerusalem Times.
Tel Aviv’s best station for English- and Hebrew-language rock music is 102FM. In Jerusalem, English news can be heard at 10pm on 88.2FM. English news and music is played sporadically on 100.7FM (Tel Aviv), 98.4FM (Jerusalem), 97.2FM (Haifa) and 94.4FM (Tiberias). The short-wave BBC World Service (1323 kHz) broadcasts news in English, as does the Voice of America broadcast (1260 kHz).
Israel’s two state TV channels feature plenty of English-language programming with Hebrew subtitles. These are supplemented by the Arabic-language Jordan TV. Nearly all hotels and guesthouses also have cable TV, which carries CNN, Sky and BBC World.
The predominant video format in Israel is PAL.
Electric power is 230 volts AC, 50Hz. The sockets are designed to accommodate two- and three-pin, round plugs. (European standard).
Israel and the Palestinian Territories follow the international metric system.
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Camping
Israel’s campsites are usually beautifully positioned and very reasonably priced. A particular highlight are the sites around the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, where many places don’t charge a fee to pitch a tent, though you’ll pay for parking if you bring a car. Several northern nature reserves have good value campsites attached, while there are numerous opportunities for wilderness camping in the Negev region (Click here). It pays to employ a guide here and to ensure you bring sufficient water supplies.
It’s not advisable to camp in the Palestinian Territories, due to general security concerns.
Hostels
Israel has an extensive network of roughly 30 official HI hostels, all of which are clean and well appointed. In most cities and towns, though, there are also private hostels which usually charge a little less than the HI outfits. For more on HI hostels, contact the Israel Youth Hostels Association ( 02-655 8405; iyha.org.il).
Hotels & Guesthouses
The standard of hotels and guesthouses in Israel runs from grim to gorgeous, with shades of everything in between. In most parts of the country, you’ll find a few budget and top-end options (Israel is becoming especially strong in its unique boutique offerings), as well as good value midrange options. Israeli hotels are generally very good come breakfast time, with none of that European bread-cheese-and-jam-if-you’re-lucky nonsense, even at the cheapest of places.
Note that some hotels may have a kosher policy, meaning the restaurant may not be in operation on holidays such as Yom Kippur; and if you see an ultraslow moving lift, that’ll be the Shabbat elevator, which works automatically so that the devout need neither press the button nor strain their calf muscles on the stairs.
Kibbutz Guesthouses
In a bid to diversify their income, quite a few kibbutzim have turned to the guesthouse concept, with good (though often quite pricey for the standard of the rooms themselves) facilities. The Kibbutz Hotels Reservations Office (Map; 03-560 8118; kibbutz.co.il; 41 Montefiore St, Tel Aviv) offers full details of all kibbutz accommodation.
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ACTIVITIES
Hiking
Don’t miss the hiking opportunities in the region, even if it’s only for a couple of days, which range from a wealth of waterfalls in the north, to desert desolation down south. Most Israeli reserves are overseen by the Israeli Nature & Parks Authority (INPA; 02-500 6261; parks.org.il).
For hiking in the Palestinian Territories, consult local organisations (Click here) for up-to-date information on areas considered safe; the area around Jericho (Click here) is usually a great bet.
Watersports
Eilat’s beaches are superbly overrated, despite its beautiful Red Sea position, but it’s a good option