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Outside the crater and to the north is the Khava stream, offering two main attractions: a small canyon that's filled with deep, cool (and somewhat murky) water all year round, and the "cracks" – trails that climb in narrow crevices in the cliffsides of the stream, which you have to see to believe. It's a difficult 5-hour round-trail hike. The access dirt-road goes through army firing zones so it's only accessible on Saturdays or with prior coordination. If you arrive by car, drive on highway 40 a few km to the north of the Nafha prison (15 minutes north of Mitzpe Ramon), then turn right on a black dirt road (perfectly accessible for normal cars). After about 25 km you'll get to the Khava Stream campground, indicated by Hebrew writing sprayed in black on a big rock. Park your car there and continue by foot, descending into the stream. There, turn left to a blue trail descending into the canyon. Once at the bottom, you can turn left on a "transparent trail mark" to get to the one water source in the area (mentioned above), a 5-minute walk each way; while the blue trail itself goes right inside the canyon. After a few kilometers inside the stream, the trail will take you climbing out through the cracks to the highland, from which you'll get a breathtaking view of Makhtesh Ramon on your south and the Zin valley to the north. The blue trail eventually encounters a red one near a small, unimpressive, ancient stone building, where you should take left to cover the last 1-2 km back to the campground.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
From the JNF grove at Mitzpe departs a dirt road, fit for bikes and 4×4 vehicles, going east along the ridge. It's marked in black and is also a part of the INT . The trail first passes through the outdoor Desert Sculpture Park, then continues above the cliff, offering a great view. About 10 km from Mitzpe Ramon, a "transparent marking" turns right and leads to an observation point directly overlooking Ga'ash Hill (Ga'ash means Volcanic) − a small, black basalt hill outstanding against the yellowish crater ground.
Bordering the crater on the east, this place offer a marvelous view of the crater. The Ardon Basin just south of it, full of colorful sandstone, makes this one of the most fantastic viewpoints in the Negev. The mountain can only be scaled by foot (blue trail ), and it's highly recommended to reach the topmost point of the trail. It can be reached from Mitzpe Ramon on a full-day hike each way. Variably, you can reach the Be'erot campground (2) by any car, following the signs from route 40 to a dirt road, from where the mountain can be reached by a few hours' hike. Using 4×4 vehicle, you can reach right to the bottom of the mountain, from which the ascent is of moderate difficulty and takes less than an hour.
An interesting geological phenomenon, the "Carpentry" (Minsara in Hebrew) is in fact a hill of black volcanic rock, covered with natural, flat stone slabs that look like man-made planks. The slabs are formed because of a property of basalt rock that causes it to form in sharp geometric shapes. It's nearby highway 40, from where a roadsign leads, and a green hiking trail takes a 15 minute walk around it.
Mitzpe Ramon's biggest sight, Machtesh Ramon is 500 m deep, 40 km long and 10 km at its widest. The geological erosion that formed it created geological formations unlike any others. Complete with a magnificent panorama, it presents a fascinating story of geomorphologic evolution. Prominent viewpoints from Mitzpe Ramon include:
The Saharonim spring doesn't hold any water above the ground for most of the year. It is, however, remarkable because of the large moonseed plant the grows above it (Saharon, literally meaning Crescent, is the Hebrew name of moonseed, given because of the shape of the plant's leaves). Nearby are the ancient remains of a small Roman outpost guarding the Incense Route – just four low walls made of piled rocks, creating a fairly small square, with several inside walls as well. This is the starting point of the Nekarot Curve circular trail. The spring and outpost can be reached by dirt road, accessible to any car: departing from highway 40 on a red dirt road following the signs to Khan Be'erot paid campsite; then turn left on a black road and shortly afterwards turn right to another red road , driving for 3 km until you reach a crossroads just near the site.
Parsat Nekarot
From near the Saharonim spring (3) departs a 6 km hiking trail of the Nekarot Curve – a deep, dramatic canyon of the Nekarot stream. From the spring, go south along the blue trail that would curve east and then back north. After exiting the canyon, go left on a red dirt road that will take you back to the starting point at the spring.