NEGEV DESERT, ISRAEL—The Bedouin man in his traditional long robe and headdress pounds out a rhythm with the ancient wooden coffee grinder. “Tap, tap, pound, tap, tap, pound.” He announces to the village that visitors are in the goat skin tent, so gather ‘round and listen to stories. While he plays his melody, he also grinds coffee beans mixed with cardamom. Coffee won’t be served until after we drink our steaming glasses of hot sweet tea and eat our freshly made pita bread. The pita are baked over an open fire then rolled with soft Lebaneh goat cheese and drizzled with olive oil from the Sea of Galilee.
The nomadic Bedouins are famous for their hospitality. “In the desert, you are never in a hurry,” our host tells us. “You always have time.”
Our stories stretch across the ocean from Israel to America but my friends and I didn’t arrive via camel, the “Ship of the Desert” as the nomadic Bedouins did. We arrived by airplane, in search of the “other Israel” in the Negev Desert.
Our adventure began at the Joe Alon Center and the Museum of the Bedouin Culture in the northwest Negev, a good place to learn and become acquainted with this vast area that blankets 60 per cent of Israel. Although most of Israel’s 4 million annual visitors come to the Holy Land, there is an untapped playground for outdoor enthusiasts just south of this congested city.
During our weeklong visit, we’ll experience a combination of hikes, jeep tours, and a camel ride; then top it off with snorkeling with dolphins in the Red Sea, and a float in the Dead Sea. Over 75 national parks and preserves set-aside in a country the size of Rhode Island and we’ll play in just a few of them.
At first sight, the Zin Valley in Ein Avdat National Park is not the type of place you’d expect to see a plethora of wildlife. (We’ve taken a jeep ride into the belly of the wadi or canyon, where we’ll continue on a foot trail to a small oasis.)
Hard white light drenches the stark limestone cliffs. A pair of ibix with their great curled horns lounge placidly amid the rocks, with a confident air that they blend in and are safe.
Enormous shadows skim across the bleached rocks as Griffin vultures, with their magnificent 10-foot wingspan, soar in the ultramarine blue skies. At our feet, a brood of partridge hop along comically, each one following the leader. And then we hear the rumpus bouncing off the canyon walls — young men singing followed by boisterous laughter.
At the oasis, soldiers take turns throwing one another into the freshwater pool, their automatic machine guns resting against the rock wall.
Some in underwear, some fully clothed, some with their ammo belts still attached.
I chuckle when I think of my friends back home who cautioned me to “Be careful” when they heard I was going to Israel.
But whether in the throngs of Jerusalem or the backcountry of the desert, it feels remarkably safe and friendly here.
On the trail, we also meet up with two long-distance hikers who are trekking the entire 1,000-kilometre Israel National Trail that spans this narrow, arrowhead-shaped country.
The Incense Route also crossed the Negev, an ancient merchant route where camel caravans transported spices and incenses from the Orient to the Roman Empire. We’ll sample this adventure when we camel trek down in the most southern tip of Israel at Eilat by the Red Sea.
Tonight we’re guests at Mashabim Kibbutz, one of Israel’s 280 world-renowned communal settlements. Many of these social communities were established as agricultural settlements back in the 1960’s, but have since moved to an industry-orientated economy that welcomes travellers like ourselves who are looking for a more-authentic overnight stay.
Nearby is the Sfinat Hamidbar Bedouin Camp, where we enjoy dinner in a tent, perched atop plump cushions set around a low table. We feast on fresh salads, cheeses, olives, roasted meats and sweet hot tea. For “dessert,” we travel a short distance to the Neve Midbar — a hot spring and spa with stylized pools filled with thermo-mineral rich waters. Come morning, we share a wholesome breakfast with fellow kibbutz members, and round off our best night in the Negev.
From here, its down to Highway 40 to Mitzpe Ramon where we walk the rim of the Maktesh “Crater,” a 40-kilometre-long cliff-walled valley created by erosion. Out of the entire world, only Israel is blessed with these unique geological formations. This huge desert playground encompasses dramatic ridges and tabletops, colourful formations, dykes, and volcanic formations — all great places to mountain bike, horseback ride, hike or camel trek.
Also on our week’s agenda is a hike through the sandstone formations and canyons at Timba National Park, reminiscent of America’s southwestern desert and a jeep ride and walk at the top of Mt. Soddom, to the pillar of salt that the Bible story claims is Lot’s wife.
Since these mountains and canyons are comprised of 98 per cent salt, and are very bright, mountain biking by the full moon is unsurpassed.
But the most unforgettable experience of our weeklong adventure is a walk up the Snake Path to the top of the ancient fortress of Masada, a 440-metre plateau shaped like a rhomboid.
On the summit, King Herod sculpted a three-tiered vacation home for himself and a playground for his officers.
This two-kilometre-long switchbacking trail is engineered to be gradual so most moderately fit people can accomplish it. Climbing it has become a Rite of Passage for Jews because of what transpired here. Since it is the highest mountain below sea level, there is an abundance of oxygen, making it easy to breathe as one climbs.
One hundred years after Herod’s time, 2,000 Jewish people took refuge at Masada from the encroaching Roman army.
They lived for three years on Herod’s stores (which were still edible) while the soldiers built an earthen ramp at the mountain’s feet to attain access to the 550-metre plateau. From our trailside perch, the ancient Roman road and one-metre-high wall is clearly visible in the desert below, as are the foundations for 11 barracks. Beyond these ruins stretches the expansive Negev Desert and the Dead Sea.
Around the opposite side of the monolith is the colossal earthen ramp that the Romans constructed in order to catapult ammunition and gain access to the mountain top city. This route is an alternative way to hike up to the fortress summit.
Once it was clear that the Romans would gain access to Masada, the Jews decided to commit collective suicide rather than become slaves. They took turns killing one another and drew lots to see who would be last and hence, necessitate falling onto their sword.
Pottery shards of the men’s names written in Hebrew were found on site and are on display in the museum. The gradual climb to the top gives us the time to imagine how it must have felt to live through this event.
The expansive desert at our feet reminds us that around every corner in the Negev is a piece of ancient history and an exciting outdoor adventure waiting to be experienced.
JUST THE FACTS
ARRIVING: Both EL AL and Air Canada fly direct from Toronto to Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion Airport. ( www.elal.co.il )
April 2011 dates- $1500-1600 RT
TOURING: Jeep tours and wilderness activities in Israel include tours to the Ramon Crater, the Tzin Wilderness, the Eilat mountains, plus rappelling, canyoning and camping trips, and zip lining. There are also Bar and Bat Mitzvah trips, activities for youth groups, educational tours and much more.
See www.adamsela.com (adamsela@netvision.net.il) for more information and Gil Shkedi (masamidbar@bezeqint.net) for info on hostel stays, jeep rides and cycling in the Dead Sea area.
SLEEPING: Ramon Inn in Mitzpe Ramon ( www.isrotel.com) is a country hotel on a kibbutz, $364 for two people per night.
Prima Music Hotel in Eilat has $80-$166 double ( www.primamusic.com).
Hotel Pierre, also in Eilat, has double rooms for $75 ( www.hotelpierre.com).
Shkedi’s Camp Lodge ( www.shkedig.com) has double cabins for $90.
DINING: Little Jerusalem Café-Restaurant/The Ticho House in Jerusalem is the historic home of painter Anna Ticho.
WEB SURFING: www.goisrael.ca
TIPS: Make sure you carry plenty of water — recommended is 1 gallon per person per day.
Wear a hat-preferably with a wide full brim, wear light-coloured clothing, sunglasses and lather on plenty of sunscreen.
Be on the lookout for wild ibexes in the desert — a wildlife treat!
http://www.thestar.com/travel/africamideast/article/990247--adventuring-in-israeli-desert
