Negev
Table of Contents: Regions / Cities / Other destinations / Culture and History / Talk / Travel to Negev, visa requirements By train By Bus / Get around By car / Negev attractions and sightseeing / City tours / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Negev nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Hotels, youth hostels, lodging / Stay safe / Get out More from Israel: Amirim, Ashkelon, Beth Shean Valley, Bnei Brak, Carmel Range, Eilat, Ein Gedi, Haifa, Herzliya, Jerusalem, Masada, Megiddo, Modiin, Nazareth, Negev, Netanya, North Coast (Israel), Petach Tikva, Rehovot, Safed, Sea of Galilee, Tel Aviv, Upper Galilee More from Middle East: Bahrain, Dead Sea, Empty Quarter, Golan Heights, Holy Land, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Levant, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen More from Asia: Caucasus, Central Asia, East Asia, Middle East, Southeast Asia |
The Negev [1] is a large desert that covers the entire southern half of Israel. The least populated area in Israel, it is a home to (among others) the nomadic desert people known as the Bedouin. The Negev offers some truly breathtaking scenery and is home to some fascinating sites and places.
Regions
Cities
- Arad — lively modern town on the edge of the Negev.
- Beer Sheva (Beersheba) — the Biblical City of Abraham and de facto capital of the Negev.
- Eilat — the southern-most Israeli city, located on the Red Sea coast, a major centre for domestic and international tourism
- Mitzpe Ramon — a small town overlooking the Machtesh Ramon crater
- Rahat — a Bedouin city
- Tel Sheva — a Bedouin town
- Dimona — the third largest city in the Negev
- Yerucham — settlement located near the Large Crater
- Sderot
- Ofakim
- Netivot
Other destinations
- Avdat — the largest ancient Nabataean city in the Negev, now a National Park
- Yotvata, a large open Natural Reserve north of Eilat and a Kibbutz with the same name.
Culture and History
The Negev is the southern region of Israel, covering 55% of the state's territory and inhabited by some 379,000 Jews and 175,000 Bedouins (Bedouin is an ancient word reffering to the term Desert Man). Contrary to the usual view of a "desert," the Negev is not covered with sand. Rather, it is a melange of brown, rocky, dusty mountains interrupted by wadis (dry riverbeds that bloom briefly after rain), and deep craters. The area was once the floor of a primordial sea, and a sprinkling of marine snail shells still covers the earth here. Aside from the natural wonders, the Negev plays host to a great number of ancient sites, displaying the rich history of this crossroads of trade between Asia, Africa, and Europe.
Talk
Travel to Negev, visa requirements
By train
Trains connect Tel Aviv to Dimona, but no further.
By Bus
Buses are a convenient and common way getting from one place to another across Israel. Every settlement in the Negev is connected to the bus system as well, and hence almost every traveling path/track is accessible.
Get around
By car
Three main highways cross the Negev from north to south:
- The eastern Jordan Valley route (Route <90>), from Jerusalem past the Dead Sea to Eilat
- The central route (Route <40>), through Beer Sheva and Mitzpe Ramon, merging with the eastern route near Yotvata
- The western route (Route <10>), running along the Egyptian border from Gaza to Eilat, built primarily for military purposes and the least used of the three
The two-lane highways are generally in good shape. The distance across the Negev from Tel Aviv to Eilat is around 360 kilometers, covered by Egged express bus in 5 hours.
Negev attractions and sightseeing
- Ein Avdat - spectacular desert gorge, accessed by trails, and preserved as a National Park
- Mamshit Ruins - Nabatean ruin, more accessible and well ordained then Avdat, also a National Park
- Machtesh Ramon - largest erosional crater on earth, near the town of Mitzpe Ramon
- Sde Boker - large Kibbutz north of Mizpe Ramon on Route 40, has several attractions, and also the "Field School of the Negev" hostel and tourist information center, which advises on trails and torus in the area
- Midreshet Ben Gurion (also known as Midreshet Sde Boker) - large midrasha (educational center) with Institute for Solar Energy Studies, a trail to Ein Avdat, The Ben Gurion Heritage Institute and the tomb of Ben Gurion, Insitute for Desert Research, High School for Environmental Education and a pre military Mechina (preparatory program) - Mechinat Hanegev.
City tours
Good restaurants and cheap meals
- Mifgash Nello, Gas Station South, Gedera, ☎ +972-88591510. Romanian food
- Casa De Brazil, Eilat. Many kinds of meat
Negev nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.
Hotels, youth hostels, lodging
- Levehad, Moshav Ein Habsor, ☎ +97289982146 or Cell Phone. +972-548014541 (levehad@zahav.net.il, fax: +972-89982146), [2].
- The Desert Olive Farm, P.O.Box, Halutza 85515, ☎ +972-86571533 or Cell Phone. +972-522233035 (zitmdbar@zahav.net.il, fax: +972-86571533), [3].
- The Orlyya Farm, Medreshet Ben Gurion, POB 67, ☎ +972-509800069 (orly12s@hotmail.co.il), [4].
Stay safe
Nearly all of the Negev is an extremely arid desert that sees rainfall at most a few times a year. While winters can be pleasant, with temperatures hovering around 20°C, summers can be fierce with temperatures commonly over 40°C. Bring a large amount of water and register your plans at the nearest police station before going offroad for your own safety, as flash floods are likely to happen if rain does fall, and some parts of the Negev serve as the IDF's main training area.
Get out
More from Israel: Amirim, Ashkelon, Beth Shean Valley, Bnei Brak, Carmel Range, Eilat, Ein Gedi, Haifa, Herzliya, Jerusalem, Masada, Megiddo, Modiin, Nazareth, Negev, Netanya, North Coast (Israel), Petach Tikva, Rehovot, Safed, Sea of Galilee, Tel Aviv, Upper Galilee More from Middle East: Bahrain, Dead Sea, Empty Quarter, Golan Heights, Holy Land, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Levant, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen More from Asia: Caucasus, Central Asia, East Asia, Middle East, Southeast Asia |
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