Israel’s southern desert, from the Ramon Crater to the Red Sea. Nabatean cities, Bedouin culture, and landscapes from another planet.
Avdat: A Nabatean City in the Desert
A UNESCO World Heritage Nabatean city on the Incense Route, where desert traders built a civilization in the wilderness.
Eilat and the Red Sea
Israel’s southernmost city, on the shores of the Red Sea. Coral reefs, snorkeling, dolphins, and desert mountains.
Ein Avdat: A Desert Canyon of Pools and Waterfalls
A spectacular desert canyon with year-round spring pools, waterfalls, ibex, and griffon vultures, at the foot of Ben-Gurion’s grave.
Haluza: The Lost City of the Incense Route
The least visited and most mysterious of the Negev’s Nabatean cities, slowly being uncovered from the desert sand.
Ir Ovot: An Ancient Crossroads in the Arava
A desert crossroads where Nabatean, Roman, and early Islamic caravans stopped on the route between Petra and the Mediterranean.
Makhtesh HaKatan and Makhtesh HaGadol
Two erosion craters in the Negev, smaller than the Ramon Crater but equally dramatic, and less visited.
Makhtesh Ramon: The Largest Erosion Crater on Earth
The largest erosion crater in the world, 40 kilometers long and 500 meters deep. Geological wonder, stargazing, and desert adventure.
Mamshit: The Best-Preserved Nabatean City
A UNESCO World Heritage Nabatean city with beautifully preserved buildings, mosaics, and a Nabatean dam that still holds water.
Mitzpe Ramon: The Town on the Edge
A desert town perched on the rim of the world’s largest erosion crater, reinvented as a center for hiking, stargazing, and desert tourism.
Nitzana: A Desert Outpost on the Egyptian Border
A Nabatean-Byzantine city on the Egyptian border with well-preserved churches and a fascinating modern history.
Sde Boker: Ben-Gurion’s Desert Home
The Negev kibbutz where David Ben-Gurion spent his final years, with his grave overlooking the stunning Zin Valley.
Shivta: A Ghost City in the Desert
A UNESCO World Heritage Nabatean-Byzantine city in the central Negev, abandoned 1,300 years ago and preserved by the desert.
Tel Arad: A Bronze Age City and an Israelite Temple
A remarkably preserved Bronze Age city and a rare Israelite temple with two standing stones that may represent God and his consort.
Tel Be’er Sheva: Abraham’s Well and the Horned Altar
The biblical city of Abraham and the gateway to Israel’s Negev desert. Explore the Ottoman old city, the Bedouin market, the ancient tel, and the capital
Incense Route: Nabatean Cities of the Negev
The UNESCO World Heritage trade route that carried frankincense and myrrh from Arabia to the Mediterranean, with four Nabatean cities in the Negev.
Israeli Air Force Museum at Hatzerim
One of the largest air force museums in the world, with over 160 aircraft telling the story of Israel’s aerial defense from independence to today.
Nabateans: Masters of the Desert
The Arab traders who controlled the incense trade, built Petra, and created an empire in the desert that defied geography.
Negev Bedouin: Desert Hospitality and Culture
The Bedouin communities of the Negev, their traditions of hospitality, their challenges, and the desert culture that defines them.
Negev Brigade Memorial (Andartat Hativat HaNegev)
An iconic memorial near Be’er Sheva designed by Dani Karavan, honoring the brigade that fought for the Negev in 1948.
Timna Park: Solomon’s Pillars and the Copper Mines
A desert valley of red sandstone cliffs, ancient copper mines, and geological formations that look like a set from a science fiction film.