Excursion to the Judean Desert and the Negev 21-22.09.2018
Friday 21.09 - The Judean Desert: Ein Gedi, Masada, Dead Sea
- Depart at 08:00 from Rehovot to Massada after breakfast
- Masada full tour + lunch
- Dead Sea, Ein Bokek beach
- 19:00 - Dinner after check-in at Ramon Crater field school
Masada: Literally 'the Fortress', Masada is built upon a table-top shaped horst on the southern side of the Dead Sea. In an area that is not naturally conducive for human settlement, King Herod the Great decided to build a desert fortress that would serve not only his interests but also those of generations after his death. The site became famous for its role in the Great Revolt against the Romans in the latter part of the 1st century and has become one of the country's most visited sites. From Masada, you can see across the Judean Desert and into the Moab Mountains of Jordan.
Dead Sea: No visit to the Dead Sea region is complete without an actual dip in the sea! The Dead Sea is part of the Great Rift Valley and is one of the few remains from the ancient Lake Lisan which covered the entire Dead Sea transform more than 70,000 years ago.
Har HaNegev Field School: Har HaNegev Field School is situated on the edge of and overlooking the Ramon Crater, the region's main attraction, at an altitude of 900 meters above sea level. We will stay in single/double rooms, each room with a private bathroom.
Saturday 22.11: Negev hiking, Sde Boker
- Depart Mizpe Ramon at 08:30 after breakfast
- Hike in Ranon Crater
- Sunset at Midreshet Ben Gurion at Sde Boker
- 20:30 Anticipated return time to Rehovot.
Ramon crater: This is the world’s largest erosion crater or makhtesh. A landform unique to Israel’s Negev and Egypt’s Sinai deserts’, a makhtesh is a large erosion cirque, created 220 million years ago when oceans covered the area (the word crater is therefore a misleading translation of Hebrew to English.) The Ramon Crater measures 40km in length and between 2 and 10km in width, shaped like a long heart, and forms Israel’s largest national park, the Ramon Nature Reserve.
Price: €70
Price includes transportation, accommodation entrance fees and meals.