{"id":200563,"date":"2019-02-08T10:33:02","date_gmt":"2019-02-08T15:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zmanmekomi.com\/?p=200563"},"modified":"2020-02-29T12:46:56","modified_gmt":"2020-02-29T17:46:56","slug":"a-personal-travel-guide-to-israel-the-negev-israels-desert-south","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zmanmekomi.com\/en\/a-personal-travel-guide-to-israel-the-negev-israels-desert-south\/","title":{"rendered":"A Personal Travel Guide To Israel: The Negev – Israel\u2019s Desert South"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Douglas E. Duckett<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Personal Travel Guide To Israel \u2013 Find all the chapters here<\/a><\/p>\n

M<\/span>ost people visiting Israel for the first time do not visit Eilat and the Negev desert (the southern half of the country, shaped like an inverted triangle). \u00a0Of course, your choice depends on your interests. Most first-time visitors tend to focus on the cities, culture, and history, but those who want wilderness, a more nature\/eco-style trip, or year-round warmth may well head south. \u00a0Because of my experiences touring the wilds of this region with <\/span>Adam and Nadav Sela<\/b> and <\/span>Desert Eco Tours<\/b> (more below), I have fallen in love with the Negev and the desert experience. \u00a0And while Eilat is in some ways a resort city, I have developed an appreciation for it as well. \u00a0The locale is stunning, so it has become part of my Israel experience in recent years.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Northern Negev, Mitzpe Ramon, and the Makhtesh<\/b><\/h4>\n

The Negev is a vast and truly spectacular desert, and if you are so inclined, by all means carve out some time to tour it. \u00a0Don\u2019t miss the <\/span>Makhtesh Ramon<\/b>, the so-called \u201cRamon Crater\u201d (a makhtesh is not a crater but a geological, erosion feature unique to this region) near Mitzpe Ramon in the central Negev.<\/span> \u00a0This spectacular geological formation is Israel\u2019s Grand Canyon, and it\u2019s just about as breathtaking. \u00a0There are two other, major makhteshim, the \u201csmall\u201d and the \u201clarge,\u201d and <\/span>ha-Makhtesh ha-Katan<\/b> (\u201cthe Small Makhtesh\u201d) is in some ways more spectacular because you can see the whole formation in one glance from the rim and that gives a better understanding of how the geology works. \u00a0There are only seven makhteshim in the world, five in the Negev and two in the northern Sinai, and \u201cmakhtesh\u201d is the correct term for this phenomenon in any language.<\/span><\/p>\n

I have had the pleasure of touring with guide <\/span>Adam Sela<\/b> and his son <\/span>Nadav Sela<\/b> who specialize in tours of the Negev, with a focus on the natural and ecological aspects of the central Negev highlands. \u00a0They live and work in Midreshet Ben-Gurion, just outside Sde Boqer, the kibbutz made famous as the adopted home of Israel\u2019s founder, David Ben-Gurion. \u00a0<\/span>I cannot recommend Adam and Nadav highly enough<\/b>\u2014they have showed me a side of Israel and the Negev that I not only had never seen but could never have accessed without someone like them. \u00a0I had heard of \u201coff-road jeep tours,\u201d but had no idea that one could drive a jeep where they took us! We went up mountainsides and down through winding, dry wadi beds. \u00a0Adam showed us the Makhtesh Ramon\u2014and for the first time, I really understood the unique, geological process that created it. He also showed us the remnants of the Nabataean, Roman, and ancient Israelite presence in the region over the centuries, and spectacular vistas that I would never otherwise have found, let alone be able to get to. \u00a0The jeep tours are not for the faint of heart, but they are unforgettable and totally worth it. He is also a delight to spend time with<\/span>. \u00a0For more information on their tours, see <\/b>www.adamsela.com<\/b><\/a>, e-mail <\/b>office@adamsela.com<\/b><\/a>, or call Adam or Nadav at (050) 530-8272.<\/b> \u00a0<\/span>Nadav<\/b> also works with Adam as a tour guide now, and my friend and I toured with him for a full day in November 2014\u2014<\/span>he, too, is the real deal!<\/b> \u00a0In the picture to the right from my 2016 trip, Adam sits with Brett preparing tea in a cave in the Makhtesh Ramon at the end of an unforgettable day of touring.<\/span><\/p>\n