Hiking in the Negev around the Makhtesh Katan: Hiking routes in the area of the Little Makhtesh (Makhtesh Katan)that between the Makhtesh Gadol and the Arava Depression is located.
background
The Makhtesh Katan is the smallest of the three large erosion craters due to the inclusion on all sides by quite steep crater walls and the manageability in the eyes of many Negev. It measures 5 x 7.7 km, the difference in altitude between the level bottom of the crater (around 0 m) and the surrounding mountain cliffs (approx. 480 m above sea level) is almost 500 m.
The exit of the Makhtesh is from a relatively narrow gorge - the Sha'arei HaSatan (Devil's Gate) - formed in the southeast, which only carries water at times Nahal Hatzera leaves the crater here. The last section of the street was secured with concrete to protect it from undercutting.
In the southwest is the Makhtesh Katan Lookout on a cliff.
Preparations
The article provides information about the preparations for tours in the Israeli desert Hiking in Israel.
Water / food
- On all tours there must be a sufficient Beverage supply be carried. In addition to the well-known drinking bottles, there are also drinking bags with valves that fold up when you drink empty, insulated drinking vessels and - quite popular in Israel - drinking systems with a water supply in a small backpack with a drinking tube with a valve.
- A rule of thumb states
- at the cold days or if most of the route is in the shade, you can count on at least 3 liters of water per person per day
- at cool days in autumn, winter and spring, with 4.5 l of water daily
- at warm days (without extreme heat), add 6 liters per person per day Hardcore walks in the hot summer in the desert, the need is even higher; it's best to avoid the midday heat anyway and leave early in the morning.
- For a half-day tour you can get by with around 2 - 3 liters of drinking water. If you lose a lot of fluid through sweating, you must always take into account the associated loss of salt, and you should think about an adequate supply of salt (for example in the form of broth or crackers with a salt content).
- Catering must also be carried with you, in the sense of "no trace hiking", no waste may be left behind in the entire protected hiking area, which for example attracts wild animals. Fruits, dried fruits, nuts and savory biscuits washed before the start of the tour are good options.
clothing
- When choosing clothing, find out about the expected temperatures based on the weather forecast.
- Sun protection is a must for all hikes in Israel, especially if you travel to the country during the cold season. Visitors with light skin types in particular risk - without adequate sun protection - a severe sunburn, a product with at least one Sun protection factor 30 is recommended.
- to avoid heat build-up ("heat stroke"), it is advisable to to wear a hat. Especially popular are models with good coverage of the ears and neck region, which are available in the shops of the national park administration everywhere.
- the Footwear should be selected according to the soil conditions on the planned tour. Will be used for most hikes walking boots recommended, for tours on which waters are crossed, or tours without rocky passages, are recommended Trekking sandals.
further equipment
- high quality Hiking maps are offered in the national park shops or on the Internet, these are only labeled in Hebrew, but are very helpful together with an overview map with the colored route markings.
- in the Israel Hiking Map the Israeli hiking trails are overlaid with the corresponding color markings on the maps of the Open Streetmap. As usual with Open Streetmap, the maps are only displayed with the labels in the Hebrew language. A currently possible workaround for non-Hebrew-speaking hikers would be to print out the maps when preparing the trip and to label the villages by hand using an English-language map (e.g. Google Maps).
- In the sparsely populated desert regions, a GPS hiking navigation device does a good job. The English-language maps of shvil.net are available, for example, as grid maps for the TwoNav navigation devices (with compass and altimeter) and also for the CompeGPS Land software, which is suitable for smartphones with GPS functionality.
- The marked hiking trails along gorges and cliffs in Israel are almost always secured and provided with climbing aids (ladders or steel steps).
- a small LED flashlight is useful when you want to explore caves or cisterns, binoculars are used to observe birds of prey.
landscape
The Makhtesh Katan is the smallest of the erosion craters in Israel; it is drained through the Nahal Hatzera in a south-easterly direction into the Arava plain.
Flora and fauna
In the winter and spring months, various plants bloom in the desert and the (evergreen) bushes and thorn bushes present themselves in a fresher green than in the summer months (from May) and in autumn.
climate
In the arid desert climate, the maximum temperatures in the winter months are around 12-15 degrees, at night 5-7 ° C, in summer a maximum of 30-34 ° C during the day and 18-20 degrees at night. Rainfall practically only occurs in the winter months, according to the website of the Israel Meteorological Service warnings about the danger of flash floods caused by downpours are published in the canyon-like gorges; if necessary, ask the national park rangers about dangers.
getting there
Immediately west of the Makhtesh runs the Old Road to Eilat: as Ma'ale Aqrabim("Scorpions Ascent") respectively today as 1 Road 227, starting at 206 The designated road was built by the British Mandate Government in 1927, was initially roughly gravel and was paved in 1950. Until the "Freedom Ascent" is rebuilt by the Makhtesh Ramon to Mitzpe Ramon the narrow lane with its dangerous Seprentines remained the main route Eilat.
Almost 3 km before the 2 Road 227, Aqrabim Ascent pass, the road between the restricted military area 227 is a 1 Small Makhtesh Lookout junction marked in an easterly direction.
In spring 2017, the road was due to the increased danger with a general driving ban Mistake.
The entrance to the Makhtesh katan is therefore only from the east via an asphalt road only in sections 3 East access Makhtesh Katan or. 4 East access Makhtesh Katan of the 25 from possible.
The base of the 2 Road 227, base of Ma'ale Aqrabim (Ma'ale Aqrabim ("Scorpions Ascent")) can be reached from Road 90 from the Arava Depression. The street 227 is also subject to a general driving ban, which, according to the signs, only applies to the steep turns of the Aqrabim Ascent Is valid.
Fees / permits
No fees are charged for visiting the hiking region described.
mobility
The streets that are marked with double solid lines on the Israeli map can be driven on by car, those with the solid - dashed line are usually driven with a car with a little ground clearance and appropriate caution, the double dashed lines stand for with four-wheel vehicles large ground clearance passable gravel roads (but easy to ride on a mountain bike). In the entire nature reserve, only appropriately marked slopes may be used, it is forbidden to drive over the slopes of the slopes marked with boulders.
Simple, dashed routes can be hiked on foot; Prohibition signs for bicycles indicate that the route by bike is usually impassable in reality.
Routes
link to the hiking map of the Israel Hiking Map
Makhtesh Katan Lookout (2.2 km) 
- from the street 227 (Entrance to Aqrabim Ascent) one turns at the 3 Small Makhtesh Lookout junction on an asphalt side street in the direction of "Small Makhtesh Lookout".
- after approx. 750 m turn off the road leading to a military base onto one 5 Gravel road to the right, the
red and white marked piste leads past one 1 Campground. - after one kilometer on the red and white slope 6 turn right into the path to 7 Lookout which is reached after 500 m. If you like, you can descend even further in the rocky terrain to break off into the Makhtesh crater. Even from the lookout point of the Lookout, the view over the small Makhtesh is tremendous.
red and white marked piste leads past one - The red and white marked piste turns into a steep 500 m further north 8 Descent to the bottom of the crater.
Through the Makhtesh Katan (7.6 km)
- from 4 End of the asphalt roadwhich of the 25 leads in a south-easterly direction to the exit of Makhtesh Katan, the tour begins. The car can be left at the nearby campground or at the end of the concrete passage at the exit of the Makhtesh.
- after 800 m you come to a 9 Fork in the road, a blue and white marked piste leads in a northerly direction, the The red and white marked path through the Makhtesh continues to the left. An old parking lot sign reminds you that you could get here by vehicle in the past, but the piste is so washed out that it is only passable for off-roaders at most.
- The path initially leads in a stream bed in a westerly direction, the steep walls are partly made of picturesque reddish sandstone.
- after a distance the valley floor widens and you cross the whole Makhtesh. After about 4 km you come to a small one 10 Elevation with a beautiful view over the crater floor.
- a little later the 11 Ascent, over 1.7 km the path finally climbs zigzag in the steep crater wall and overcomes the difference in altitude from approx. 90 to 490 m above sea level.
- When you have reached the edge of the crater, you can continue walking south on the red and white marked piste until you get to the little road that leads to the 227 to be picked up here.
- Alternatively, you have to take the same route back to get back to the car at the lower exit of Makhtesh.
Not in the Makhtesh Katan itself, but there are other hiking opportunities in the vicinity:
Wadi Gov (3.8 km) 
The Wadi Gov, the deeply cut river valley below the road of the "Scorpions Ascent" can be hiked through in the gorge floor. The path runs through numerous dry waterfall basins, which have been made passable by iron clamp steps and ropes with knots as a climbing aid. (Older) schoolchildren can pass this gorge with some caution, which is why this excursion is popular with schools and families. Surefootedness and a head for heights is required. The route is definitely not suitable for small children.
In summer the wadi is usually dry, only after the rare rainfall in the northeastern Negev it can lead to water once, around the critical points there is a black and white marked alternative route above the canyon floor.
- the tour begins at the foot of the Ma'ale Aqrabim ("Scorpions Ascent") on the edge of the Arava Depression. The pass road is asphalted and can be driven on without any problems, as the hard shoulder on the steep serpentines is not secured, for reasons of traffic safety for the road 227 a general driving ban was issued. The starting point of the tour can be easily approached from the Arava Depression. You can park in a hikers' car park at the foot of Ma'ale Aqrabim Street.
- after about two hundred meters you come to one 12 The fork in the road leads to the right
green and white marked route into Wadi Gov, on the left the black and white marked route to Roman Ma'ale Aqrabim, the pass crossing into the Arava valley, which was already used in Roman times. - on the The green and white marked route leads past some trees into Wadi Gov.
- the path now leads in the gorge bottom through the washed out Stream bed, small steps of waterfalls are using Iron clamp stairs overcome. Ropes with knots serve as a climbing aid. Since the technically less demanding climbing sections are great fun, especially for young people, families and school classes like to hike through the gorge. however, it is definitely unsuitable for small children!.
- 13 In the rare case of rain, the path in the bottom of the gorge is impassable, in this case there is one
black and white marked alternative route on the right hand side above the gorge bottom, which is also quite exposed. - 14 After 250 m the two stretches merge again, the further route is again Marked in green and white. The progress is relatively slow due to the climbing passages, for the passage of the gorge you have to reckon with 60 minutes.
- after a stretch in 15 The ascent begins between boulders at the bottom of the valley until you reach a small plateau at the intersection with the route marked in black and white. On the right there is a beautiful view of the "Dry Waterfall". For this 600 m long route with 150 m difference in altitude, approx. 30 minutes are required.
- after the one suitable for rest 16 Plateau high above the gorge, the green and white marked route leads to the right resp. to the east on a narrow ledge, without railings, but easy to walk on (sure-footedness required, risk of falling for children!).
- after the passage along the edge of the canyon and on 17 Crash of the dry waterfall over, 18 the path reaches the road after 1½ km 227 resp. Ma'ale Aqrabim Ascent.
green and white marked route into Wadi Gov, on the left the black and white marked route to Roman Ma'ale Aqrabim, the pass crossing into the Arava valley, which was already used in Roman times.
black and white marked alternative route on the right hand side above the gorge bottom, which is also quite exposed.
An alternative is to continue as a round tour over the Tzafir Fort with the return to the starting point via the ancient Roman path.
Wadi Gov - Tsafir Fortress - Roman Aqrabim Ascent (8.4 km)
(only Roman Aqrabim Ascent, ancient Roman road to Tsafir Fort 
)
- after the steep ascent from Wadi Gov (a total of 2.4 km) you take the plateau the black and white marked route to the left resp. in a westerly direction. At first it runs on a narrow one 19 Rock band (danger of falling for children!), And then continues in the course of a valley with some vegetation.
- at the end of the valley (after 1 km) the path climbs over a ledge without any technical problems 20 At the end of the basin; it continues to rise in about 500 m reaches a 21 Crossroads, already near the ruins of the 22 Tsafir Fortress or Fort Zafir, which in Roman times watched over the upper end of the ascent of the Roman path from the Arava plain. It was in the 3rd century. built to cross the route from the copper mines in Punon Mamshit to secure to the Mediterranean; the square building had two floors.
- After the short detour to the ruins of the fortress, it goes back to the last crossroads. Here one follows the
blue and white marked route to Roman Ma'ale Aqrabim or Roman Aqrabim Ascent. - the path leads on a hill flank to the ruins of 23 Horbat Tsafir, another ruins of a fort above the Arava plain. Behind it, the steep descent to the valley floor begins.
- A path laid out in Roman times now leads over a steep rock slab in 24 Switchbacks into the deep. Over a distance of 2.2 kilometers, an altitude difference of 325 meters is overcome.
blue and white marked route to Roman Ma'ale Aqrabim or Roman Aqrabim Ascent.- The relatively smooth rocks were used in ancient times stages beaten, which are well preserved over long stretches. Thanks to the steps, the camels of the Nabataean caravans with their goods could make the difference in height from the Arava plain Overcome in the Negev, the "Incense Route" (frankincense route) crossed over Mamshit and other Nabataean cities to the Mediterranean port of Gaza.
- after reaching the level of the plain you come to the junction with the green and white route, on which you started in Wadi Gov.
The round tour can also be done in the opposite direction, whereby the ascent on the steps of the Roman road on the shadowless rock slab is likely to be significantly more sweaty than climbing the washed-out stream bed in Wadi Gov, whose waterfalls are also easier to climb in the ascent direction.
shop
- The nearest shops can be found in Yeruham.
kitchen
- There are no places to stop for refreshments in the tour area and no drinking water points, food and drinking water have to be taken with you.
accommodation
camping
On different Camping areas can be stayed around the Makhtesh. As is usual in Israeli nature reserves, the campsites consist only of a flat, graveled area, demarcated with boulders, without any infrastructure; Drinking water and food must be brought along and the rubbish must be taken with you, the overnight stay is free. The nature park area is to be left at sunset, after which it is only permitted to stay in the designated area of the "campground".
Since young Israelis like to spend the night in the desert on the starry nights and set off on tours early the next morning, quite a few camping friends often find themselves in the inhospitable-looking places in the evenings on weekends and set up their dome tents for the weekend.
security
With regard to crime, the security situation is harmless, theft and vehicle break-ins hardly occur in the hiking areas in the national park area (at most in the parking lots with a high number of visitors, if valuables are clearly visible in the car ...); At night, you may only stay in the designated campground areas in the protected areas.
There is more danger from natural threats: Above all, the glowing heat of the sun on summer days in the desert with only minimal shade supply (heat stroke, lack of drinking water), storm surges as a result of very rare but occasionally massive rainfall in the desert in the winter months, which the rivulets in the Wadis can swell into rapid streams. The entire water masses from the catchment area of the crater leave it at the narrow discharge point (consult weather forecasts and rain radar if the forecast is appropriate).
There is a risk of falling on the marked hiking trails, which are secured with iron steps in difficult places, Head for heights and Surefootedness are required in the described area. In many places you can suddenly stand on a cliff over an abyss, so that the tours are usually not suitable for small children.
trips
- great opportunities for hikes in the desert area also arise in the areas Great Makhtesh (Makhtesh Gadol) and on Hatira Ridge.
- In any case, a visit to the ancient Nabataean city located a short distance away is worthwhile Mamshit.
Literature / maps
- Israel Topographic Hiking Map, 1: 50,000, sheet 14, only in Hebrew
- in the Israel Hiking Map the Israeli hiking trails are overlaid with the corresponding color markings on the maps of the Open Streetmap. As usual with Open Streetmap, the maps are only displayed with the labels in the Hebrew language. A currently possible workaround for non-Hebrew-speaking hikers would be to print out the maps when preparing the trip and to label the villages by hand using an English-language map (e.g. Google Maps).
