Trip to Nahal Yamin and Nahal Hatira

Length of the route - 9 hours
Difficulty level — for hikers with at least 2 vehicles

How to Get There

For those arriving from the south: from the Hatzeva field school, drive north to the Arava junction. Turn left (west) to road 25 towards Dimona. At the Rotem junction (after the Nuclear Research Institute), turn left; after about 5 kilometers turn left again at the sign "Ein Yarkam and Maaleh Palmach” and park your car. End point: from the parking lot of Ein Yarkam, drive north and turn right towards Ma'aleh Akrabim. Drive about 6 km and park in the Mishor Yamin overnight parking lot.

Route Description

From the parking lot, set off on a trail marked with green, then bypass a waterfall with a ladder of about 5 meters high, and continue a comfortable walk in the stream. After about 2 kilometers of walking, the blue and green trails split. Continue to the left with the green trail that exits from the stream. After about 400 meters, the trail rises to the right (a challenging climb). At the top of the trail, there is a rock with large cracks and an impressive view. Continue with the green path to the vehicles along a sand dune and keep right. *During dry seasons, water reservoir along the route may be dry.

Godd to know

This is a hiking route, so before leaving, you must prepare at least 3 liters of water per person, comfortable shoes, and a hat. Check up the weather before leaving for the route; it is strictly forbidden to leave in the heavy heat. If you are traveling on a route not on Saturdays or holidays, you should arrange coordination with IDF Southern Command at 08-9902927/6

Trip to Nahal Barak

Length of the route — 3 hours and a half
Difficulty level — for hikers

How to Get There

To those arriving from the north: drive on the Arava road, pass Moshav Tzukim and at the 115th kilometer of the road, at the Nahal Barak sign, turn right (west) and drive about 5 kilometers on a gravel road. From there, continue by foot along the jeep trail marked in blue until the beginning of the canyon.

Route Description

In the canyon, you will climb a rock terrace using ladders and pins. After leaving the stream, go over the bank along the blue-marked trail. Walk along the trail until you meet another trail marked with green. With it you will go back to the stream through the jeep trail, all way to the cars in the parking lot. Along the route, there is a very impressive canyon and a challenging (though adventure) climbing up the stream. Not recommended for people with fear of heights.

Good to know

o The route can be combined with the nearby Nahal Vardit (Vardit Stream), which is similar in nature to Nahal Barak, but requires a ride with a SUV.
o Passing the ladders is slow and therefore it will take a long time for large groups to pass.
o Most of the ride on a gravel road is good for any vehicle. The last part, of about six kilometers, is suitable for 4x4 vehicles or strong and high pickup trucks.

Trip to Mount Masor

Length of the route - 3 hours and half
Difficulty level - for hikers

How to Get There

For those coming from the north: drive on the Arava road and pass Ein Hazeva. A bus stop will appear immediately on the right; turn right onto a gravel road marked with green and easily accessible for any vehicle. Drive about 50 minutes and arrive to the starting point of the route.

Route Description

Start the route with a green-marked trail, walk a little along the stream, then keep left and start climbing the mountain. The climbing includes “walking on a sharp knife” (with a cliff on both sides) and is therefore less recommended for people with fear of heights. After arriving to an observation point with a spectacular view of the Arava, go down the mountain back to the stream along the red-marked trail.
The trail crosses the stream and passes into a narrow beautiful canyon leading to the cars at the end of the route.

Good to know

For those arriving on Saturdays or holidays: coordination with IDF Southern Command should be arranged in advance at 08-9902927/6.

Trip to Kippat Eshet (Eshet Dome)

Length of the route - 4 hours and half
Difficulty level - for hikers

How to Get There

For those coming from the north: drive on Route 90 (the Arava road) and turn right towards Moshav Paran. Before entrance to Poran, turn left onto a gravel road marked with green, drive until you reach the separation of trails and park your car there.

Route Description

This is a trip for hiker families with a lot of hiking to breathtaking sightings.
Walk along the green-marked trail until you meet a trail marked with black. From the meeting point, go up to the dome along the black trail and come to a beautiful observation point with a view over the Paran Plains, the Arava and the Edom Mountains. From there, walk down to the car along the trail marked with green.

Good to know

This is a route for hiking enthusiasts, so you must have plenty of water (6 liters per person at least), comfortable shoes for climbing and a hat. Check up the weather before leaving for the route, and of course it is strictly forbidden to leave in the heavy heat.

Trip to the Small Fin of the Big Crater (HaMakhtesh HaGadol)

Length of the route - 6-3 hours
Difficulty level - medium

How to Get There

For those coming from Eilat: drive on the Arava road to the north; at the Arava junction turn left towards Dimona (Route 25); at the Rotem junction turn left and after a few kilometers turn right into the crater. Park your car in the Colorful Sands parking lot.

Route Description

The route to the small fin of the Big Crater is suitable for families. It is a relatively short circular route with few challenges on the way. It starts from colorful sand dunes stepping into the Big Crater in all its splendor and intensity.
From the parking lot, walk east along the orange-marked trail and run through a riverbed. Go up to the right, cross the road and start climbing along the trail marked with green. Upon reaching the observation point, turn right to the west (there is a splitting of the red marking) and start going down the trail marked with black. Go down a rock terrace with pegs and continue along the black-marked trail to the parking lot at the starting point.

Walk along the green-marked trail until meeting with the black-marked trail. From the meeting point, climb up to the dome along the black-marked trail and get to a beautiful observation point with a view over the Paran Plain, the Arava and the Edom Mountains. From there, walk down to the car along the trail marked with green.

Good to know

The crater is a unique natural phenomenon for our region — in the whole world, there are 7 craters, 5 of them in Israel and 2 in Sinai! The Big Crater is the oldest (but not the largest) in the area. After the route, it is recommended to travel to Ein Yarkam.

Trip to Wadi Tzafit and Nahal Tamar

Length of the route - 4 hours
Difficulty level - medium

How to Get There

The starting point for those arriving from the north: pass the Arava junction and after a sharp curve of the road, turn right at the sign "Tamar 8 + 55.5".
Drive on a gravel road for about half a kilometer and park your car at the end of it.
End point: about 60 meters south of the Arava junction gas station, turn left onto a gravel road with the sign "Nahal Tamar" and drive on the gravel road to the drill station.

Route Description

This is a challenging route that combines the impressive canyons of Tzafit and Tamar streams with a spectacular view of the Arava, the mountains of Edom and the Dead Sea.
In Nahal Tzafit, take the black-marked trail through ladders (the height of about 6 meters). At a crossroads at the end of the cliff of Nahal Tzafit, turn right to the blue mark (bypass the cliff, the blue-marked trail goes back to the east from which we started, but from above). After about 5 and a half kilometers, go down to the right by the green-marked trail, the steepest descent towards Nahal Tamar using ladders and ropes (up to 58 m).
Not recommended for people with fear of heights.

Good to know

Passing the ladders is slow and therefore large groups will take a long time to pass them, so the track time will depend on the size and pace of the team.