Sand Surfing on dunes!!
What are dunes? A dune is a hill of loose sand built by wind or the flow of water. Dunes occur in different shapes and sizes and occur in some deserts, inland and along some coasts.
You can slide sitting or running on the dune. The sand is soft and not sticky and it is really fun for a family trip!
Accommodation – Scattered across southern Israel, there are numerous camping sites and khans, or inns, for hikers and other travelers. Many of them have proper infrastructure, cabins for an overnight stay, facilities for parking trailers – and of course a designated area to put your own tent, if that’s your thing.
You can also find across the Negev desert a number of farms which offer a ‘Bedouin hospitality’ including traditional Bedouin meals, camel rides, and overnight accommodation in traditional Bedouin tents.
We camped near the dunes in a tent, prepared dinner at the site while the moon was almost full, looked for starts and sang .
Note that there are NO facilities near this dune. You basically need to bring everything from home.
Arrival from Eilat –
Take Derekh Yotam/Route 12 , approx. 64 km
Turn right to “Sands coverage” – Israel National Trail – Pay attention: The marking is not clear and marked on a small white sign
Arrival from the North –
Head to Mitzpe Ramon
Head northeast on Sderot David Ben Gurion toward Nakhal Tsikhor St
At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Kakal Boulevard/Route 40
Turn right to stay on Route 40
Turn right onto Route 12
Turn left to “Sands coverage” – Israel National Trail – Pay attention: The marking is not clear and marked on a small white sign.
Eilat – a thriving resort city where the sun always shines.
The resort town is in the southernmost part of Israel and a great starting point for exploring into Jordan and Petra.
Don’t forget before you book your flight that there are numerous events in Eilat during the year. Just look them up in Eilat’s Tourism site
Arrival by bus –
You can take either the day-time or night-time bus to Eilat, from Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and other main cities. These buses are comfortable and well equipped, and have built-in wifi connection for your travelling leisure.
There are usually two buses per day, one travelling during daytime, and the other an overnight one. Travel time varies according to time of departure, but usually is around five hours. Using the bus system is an economical, friendly, and easy way to make you way down. The bonus of course being, that you get to experience to stunning scenic desert road, crossing from the Northern Negev all the way down.
Arrival by flight –
Recently, the Ramon Airport was launched in the Timna area near Eilat. Ramon is a new international airport that carries both domestic flights from Ben Gurion and direct international flights. The airport is located 18 km from Eilat, 15 minutes by car. The city center is easily accessible from the airport. A free shuttle service is provided at all hours. The shuttle departs from the airport every 15 minutes, taking passengers to the various hotels in the city. In addition to the shuttle, you can travel from Ramon Airport into the city via taxi or a private transportation service that can be ordered in advance on the website. You can rent a car at the car rental agencies located at the airport, and there are four bus lines that run between the airport and various parts of the city, including a line that goes directly to the Sinai border crossing.
Arrival by car –
You can rent a car from wherever you begin your trip down south, and return the car in Eilat, providing you hire it from one of the main car hire companies, which have branches nation-wide.
Accommodation – Eilat caters for all kinds of travelers and travel budgets – from small guest houses to the most expensive hotels
My top 10 attractions in Eilat –
1) Dolphin Reef Eilat – Eilat is a diver’s paradise in more than one way. Beginners, or those who seek reassurance and animal-human contacts, can dive with dolphins in the fabulous Dolphin Reef – which is also a great place to just sit and relax in, and watch everything go pink at sunset time.
2) Underwater Observatory Park Eilat – Experience the sea with a 360-degree view
3) Water sport activities – sea parachutes, water skiing, motorboat, banana boats, pedal boats, and kayaks
4) Skydiving – this is a unique experience of flying and skydiving above the magical view of the mountains and the Red Sea. It is the only place in the world where you can skydive above 4 different countries – Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt & Israel.
5) Camel Tours
6) Coral Beach Nature Reserve Eilat –this is one of the most beautiful and famous Coral beaches in the world due to the amazing coral reef. Diving in the coral reef you can see the delicate natural habitat where fish live in a variety of beautiful colors shapes and shades, as well as amazing water plants. Coral Beach Nature Reserve Eilat is the only place in Israel where there is a coral reef.
7) Scuba diving – since I’m afraid to scuba dive, I can’t suggest which company is the best. Check out which company is the most suitable for you.
8) Desert Excursions – The trek up Har Shlomo (Solomon mountain, marked path accessible from road number 12) is definitely the most challenging in the region called Eilat Mountains. It’s steep all the way up, steep all the way down and steep in the middle. But woooahhh, what a middle! When you’re up on the top, the whole world is at your feet: three states converging into one focal point!
9) If you’re looking for a fun way to cool off in steaming Eilat, head to the Ice Skating Ring
10) Shopping!!! – One of Eilat’s main advantages is that it’s completely GST (goods and services) tax-free, meaning you get a lot more for your holidays spending money!
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