Mitzpe Ramon

The Wise Observatory, far enough from the town to avoid light pollution, is remotely-operated by the Tel Aviv University. The facility is unmanned so really there isn't much to see or do, except watch the structure from the outside.

A golf-like game where you shoot arrows towards targets while hiking through desert terrain. Lots of fun!

Hadas & Saar's vegetarian restaurant, which also contains a small store for hippie clothing and accessories, every now and then holds lectures, movie nights, performances and the like.

A performance house with a pretty busy schedule. Unfortunately their website is only in Hebrew (although Google will translate the page), but you can try contacting them and ask about upcoming performances, or simply show up and enjoy whatever you get.

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.

A tall conical hill, part of the southern cliff of the crater, just opposite Mitzpe Ramon. The INT goes there from Mitzpe on a 3 hour hike. You can also reach its bottom by a 4×4 vehicle.

Standing tall over the westernmost edge of the crater, this peak is highest point remaining from the massive mountain that turned into the Ramon crater. It can be reached by route 171 from HaRukhot junction (see the above map). The entire crater is well visible from here, as well as the tall, pointy Mount Ariff in the south.

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.

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.

A rock face inlaid with numerous ammonite fossils. A sign leads to it from route 40, from where it can be reached by an easy 20 minute walk.

From the north, the trail gets to Mitzpe 2-3 days after passing by Sde Boker. For those departing from Mitzpe northwards on the INT, mind that the current route deviates from the old one, and the change wasn't marked clearly; you have to follow the black dirt road along the ridge almost to its northeastern end (about 25 km), instead of turning north just a few km from the town (the old INT markings go along highway 40). Hikers walking the trail from the south enter the crater near the Saharonim spring (3), then pass through the Gvanim Stream Campground. You can deviate from the trail and walk 4 km north from the campground on a black dirt road to get to Be'erot Campground (2) where you'll find drinking water (camping there requires payment).

The ancient Incense Route, by which myrrh, frankincense and other expensive herbs were exported from the Arabian Peninsula to western Asia and Europe, passed through the eastern parts of the crater on its way towards the ports at Gaza and Ashkelon. It enters near the Saharonim spring (3) on the southeast and exits by the Mahmal Ascent on the northeastern cliff. The current trail following it goes north from the spring on a red dirt road , then leaves it and goes north on a black hiking trail , becomes blue towards the north and finally green as it ascends the cliffs. Roman milestones can be seen along the way. Parallel dirt roads exist for 4×4 vehicles, passing through the Be'erot campground (2). It's also possible to go east and out of the crater from the Saharonim spring and follow the route towards the Arava (eastern Negev), or go north from Mahmal ascent to the Zin Valley basin near Sde Boker. In both ways you'll find the remains of ancient inns and stations, similar to the outpost near the Saharonim spring, spaced about 20 km in-between.

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.

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.

Unique desert activities in the Negev: Mitzpe Ramon 4x4 Jeep tours, Rappelling, Stargazing, Israeli desert helicopter tours, outdoor Yoga and more.

Bow-and-arrow activities for the whole family taking place on a desert tour.

Experience the depths of the Negev desert including the Spice Route and Ramon Crater along the most picturesque routes by jeep, camel or hiking. Short Negev tours depart daily.

Field activities such as treks, jeep tours and camping. Also operates accommodation and spa.

Daily guided jeep tours to Makhtesh ramon, 4x4 desert tours to Mt. Karkom, the Nabatean spice route, Zin valley springs, Petra (in Jordan) and other beautiful Negev desert sites .

Guided tours of the starry night sky from Mitzpe Ramon by Ira Machefsky with the naked eye as well as telescopes. Offering personalized nightly astronomy tours for beginner to advanced.

Jeep Tours to the Ramon Crater, Makhtesh Ramon and the Negev Desert, Rappelling and Outdoor Activities Mitzpe Ramon