Have you ever wanted this extra experience of a different Tour to Israel? For first-timers or those who have been to Israel before, a tour to the Negev offers the best of what Israel has to offer, off-the-beaten-track! This program can be added to any of the other tours to Israel, Jordan or Egypt, Ahalan Olympus offers. Let our experts tailor-make the very special Tour for you!
Day 1
Mitzpe Revivim – Negev Research & Development Station – Camel Riding & Desert Hospitality in Beerotayim
After arriving in the Negev Desert we stop in Mitzpe Revivim, once a research station where the Israeli pioneers searched for ways to make the desert bloom – and succeeded! In this place, the struggle for the Negev in the early days of Israel comes alive through the vivid reconstruction, which includes two original airplanes from the War of Independence! At the Negev R&D Center, we will experience first-hand the most recent agricultural inventions and experiments that make the barren desert into heaven, and helps humanity make the earth a better place! After driving deeper into the desert, we meet a caravan of camels that will take us riding into the desert, while explaining and showing us the different aspects of life in the desert… The tour ends in the Beerotayim Caravanserai, where we will have a special dessert dinner by the campfire… Over-night in Beerotayim Desert-style Camp or elsewhere in the Negev.
Day 2
Sde Boker – Nabatean City Avdat – Machtesh Ramon Crater – Eilat
Drive to Sde Boker, where we will step off the bus to visit the tomb of Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben Gurion, located in a special garden overlooking the Zin Valley. Most of the things you take for granted in modern Israel are actually influenced by the deeds and vision of David Ben Gurion. Visit the ancient Nabatean city Avdat, once a thriving rest-place for the Caravans carrying Myrrh and Frankincense on the romantic “Incense Road”. Driving further into the Negev we reach the cliffs of the Ramon Crater. This erosive crater (“Makhtesh”) is a unique geological phenomenon, only to be found in Israel! Depending on the time left and our mood, we will stop by some of the unique historical and geological sites to be seen in the Ramon Crater, before heading south to Eilat by the Red Sea! Even more exciting would be a jeep-tour to the Crater! Over-night in Eilat.
Day 3
Free in Eilat by the Red Sea
Free in Eilat at leisure. You might want to visit the Underwater Observatory or Dolphin Reef, go on a jeep-tour into the desert, sail on a yacht and snorkel in the colorful coral reef, or take a day-tour to Petra, the mysterious “Rose Red City” in Jordan… Over-night in Eilat.
Day 4
Timna Park – transfer to Tel Aviv
In the Timna Park, half an hours drive from Eilat, we will be able to crawl through the oldest copper mines in the world, see some of its bizarre Rock-formations, such as “the Arches”, “The Mushroom”, the famous “Salomon’s Pillars”, and more… By Timna Lake, everybody will get the opportunity to show his/her artistic talents by filling transparent bottles with colored sand! In the afternoon transfer to Tel Aviv by Bus or Flight.
