24 Hours in SDE Boker

 

SAMPLE TRUE BEDOUIN HOSPITALITY

The Bedouin rule of the desert is hospitality – you are welcome. Enjoy sweet tea, stories, camel rides, shared dinners around a campfire and a night under the stars. A sunrise breakfast of Shakshuka – a traditional mixture’ – is simply magical.

 

HIKE THROUGH THE ZIN VALLEY

The desert has its own beauty, and the Ein Avdat hike is the most gorgeous of all: canyons, sheer cliffs carved by water, a small spring, a waterfall and a pool where we used to swim as children. Eventually you make your way out – on ladders – to a little café.

 

DRINK WINE, EAT CHEESE

A Californian persuaded my kibbutz to start a vineyard, and now there are a number of boutique producers along the main road – it’s a mini Napa Valley. Each winery is unique. My favourites are Kornmehl Farm for the cheese and Boker Valley Farm vineyard for the wine.

 

TAKE A TOUR OF AVDAT

Avdat, which means ‘spring’, is the site of an ancient desert city along the spice route from south Arabia to the Mediterranean ports. You can wander through layers of history and see how the Nabateans, Romans and Byzantines tamed the harsh environment.

 

VISIT DAVID BEN GURION’S CABIN

The vision of Israel’s first prime minister was to make the desert bloom. He retired and settled in Sde Boker, where he hosted world leaders and worked with the sheep. You can visit his humble cabin and witness his

 

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