Hiking routes in the area of the erosion crater Makhtesh Ramon in the Negev desert in the southern Israel. Hiking routes can be found in the western part of Makhtesh Ramon here and those in the eastern part around Ein Sahronim here.
background
In the area of the erosion crater Makhtesh Ramon A number of hiking tours can be undertaken with the nature reserve of the same name, the starting points are from the road 40 mostly easily accessible by private vehicle via side roads or gravel roads.
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. Purchased still or carbonated water in PET bottles is one option, and tea is another. 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.
- The tap water has drinking water quality in Israel, often leaves a slightly chlorine aftertaste. In the visitor centers of the INPA (the Israeli National Park Administration) there are practically always drinking water points in the sanitary facilities, partly chilled drinking water dispensers where bottles can be filled.
- it is best to ask the national park ranger about the water requirement, who can also provide information on the difficulty of the intended route, a rule of thumb
- 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 fluids through sweating, you should always think about 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 salt).
- Catering must also be carried with you, in the sense of "no trace hiking", no waste may be left behind in the desert, which for example attracts wild animals. Fruits, dried fruits, nuts and savory biscuits washed before the start of the tour are good options.
- a little cash is advisable in order to be able to buy an ice cream or a sweet drink at least while waiting for the bus at the end point ...
clothing
- When choosing clothing, find out about the expected temperatures based on the weather forecast.
- Sun protection is a must for all walks in Israel. Visitors with light skin types in particular will - without adequate sun protection - inevitably suffer 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. Models with good coverage of the ears and the neck region, which are available in the shops of the National Park Administration, are particularly popular.
- 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 bodies of water are crossed or without rocky areas, 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.
- The "hiking trails" layer can be switched on on the open street map maps, the color markings of the various routes can be seen here.
- the English speaking hiking map Makhtesh Ramon Circular Trail of shvil.net 1: 35,000 is available in the national park shop in Mizpe Ramon or Avdat and is extremely helpful. Here, too, in addition to the purple Makhtesh Ramon Circular Trail, all other hiking trails are listed with the corresponding color markings.
- 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.
landscape
The Makhtesh Ramon is the largest of the Makhtesh erosion craters; it measures around 40 km in length and is 8-10 km wide, the difference in altitude between the level bottom of the crater and the surrounding mountain cliffs is around 500 m.
Flora and fauna
In the winter and spring months, various plants bloom in the desert and the (evergreen) bushes and thorn bushes appear in a fresher green than in the summer months (from May) and in autumn.
Nubian ibexes can be seen again and again, especially in the dry months they come to the watering holes with the vegetation at dusk, when the nature reserve is quiet; in spring, when there is more food available, the animals are less likely to come close to the settlements.
climate
In the arid desert climate, the maximum temperatures at the bottom of the Makhtesh in the winter months are 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, up in the village Mitzpe Ramon it is usually much cooler. 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
The main road 40 leads from Be'er Sheva in a southerly direction Eilat and crosses the Makhtesh Ramon, the southern areas are accessible from here.
Fees / permits
An access fee of 28/14 NIS (2019) is only payable for visiting the exhibitions in the Visitors Center, access to the Makhtesh Ramon is free (and - as the national park area - only permitted during the daytime).
mobility
The streets with double solid lines on the map are to be driven on with the car (including to the Be'erot Campground), those with the solid - dashed line are mostly driven with a car with a little ground clearance and appropriate caution, the double dashed lines stand for Gravel roads passable with four-wheel vehicles with large ground clearance (but easy to drive with a mountain bike). In the entire nature reserve, only appropriately marked slopes may be used, it is forbidden to drive over the edges of the slopes marked with boulders into the terrain.
Simple, dashed routes can be hiked on foot; Prohibition signs for bicycles indicate that the route by bike is usually impassable in reality.
Routes
Ammonite Wall, 0.8 mi 
- 1 starting point is the junction of the red route to Ammonite Wallmarked with a brown National Parks Association sign. Some vehicles can be parked at the roadside.
- On the
The red and white marked route takes you to the rock face in ten minutes, which, on closer inspection, consists of lots of ammonites, these are mostly about the size of a wagon wheel. Of course, no fossils may be cut out or taken away in the national park area.
The red and white marked route takes you to the rock face in ten minutes, which, on closer inspection, consists of lots of ammonites, these are mostly about the size of a wagon wheel. Of course, no fossils may be cut out or taken away in the national park area.Mount Gavnim - Ammonite Wall - Shen Ramon - Wadi Afor, 9.2 mi 
- As day trip (approx. 6 h) can be a round trip to the southern rim of the crater and over the Shen Ramon to be undertaken.
- The round tour can be started at different locations. A recommended option is to go to the Bedouin tent at 2 Exit to start the green route into Wadi Afor.
- First you follow the
green-white route past the Bedouin tent (toilets, drinking water point) and at the next crossroads at a tree turn onto the washed-out one 
blue and white marked gravel road to Mount Gvanim; it partly leads along the power line. - On the 1 Mount Gvanim cross different slopes; Information boards provide information about the geological conditions.
- On the summit / knoll, you turn first on the
black and white slope to the left resp. to the east and then take the red and white marked footpath down to the wadi. There the path crosses the blue and white slope (which you could have continued on, it leads from Mount Gvanim to the west into the valley) and continues after a few meters. - On the northern flank, the red and white marked footpath leads up the hill and meets the green and white route. This one follows up to the summit ridge and is found here on the southern edge of the Makhtesh (crater). After crossing the ridge, the path leads into gravel terrain and meets the red and white slope below.
- The The red-white route leads to the right, one arrives at the rock face, which is interspersed with almost car tires - large ammonites Ammonite Wall.
- Then the red and white route continues at the foot of the massif in the south of the Makhtesh, at the height of an isolated tree in the wide wadi, the blue and white slope in Wadi Neqarot approaches. The red and white path now leads back to the mountain range and begins to climb gently at first.
- The path then leads up over a rock wall / cliff with visible steps to circling a dry waterfall. In the blackish - red gravel rock it goes short and steep uphill until the small summit plateau of the 2 Shen Ramon is reached.
- The way rot-weisse now continues in a northerly direction and quickly descends in a channel with gravel and some loose rock. After about 1.3 km you will come to the intersection with the green and white slope. You return to the starting point over a rocky elevation and later past the prominent tree where the path to Mount Gvanim began.
- An (event) bar is being rebuilt at the Bedouin tent, and a café / bar should also be opened here soon.
green-white route past the Bedouin tent (toilets, drinking water point) and at the next crossroads at a tree turn onto the washed-out one 
blue and white marked gravel road to Mount Gvanim; it partly leads along the power line.
black and white slope to the left resp. to the east and then take the &groups=Maske,Track,Aktivitaet,Anderes,Anreise,Ausgehen,Aussicht,Besiedelt,Fehler,Gebiet,Kaufen,Kueche,Sehenswert,Unterkunft,aquamarinblau,cosmos,gold,hellgruen,orange,pflaumenblau,rot,silber,violett)
shop
- in Mitzpe Ramon there is a little one 1 Supermarket
- in the shop of Mitzpe Ramon Visitors Center drinks, snacks and ice cream as well as sun protection hats, drinking bottles and topographic maps are available.
- There is no shopping area in the Makhtesh area.
kitchen
- 1 Makhtesh Ramon Bedouin Tent, near Road 40. Tel.: 972 50 227 6486. Groups and individual guests can already eat in Dovis Bedouin tent, there are overnight accommodations and there are plans to open a café / bar.
accommodation
- on the 1 Be'erot Campground Near Ein Saharonim in the eastern part of the crater you can stay in your own tent (16 NIS) or in Bedouin tents (75/10 NIS); there are sanitary facilities, hot showers, sinks, electricity connections and barbecue areas, and drinks are available in the snack bar , Ice cream, snacks and also firewood and charcoal are sold.
- In the Makhtesh Ramon Bedouin Tent (see above) it is also possible to spend the night in a Bedouin tent.
- 2 Har HaNegev Field School. Tel.: 972 8658 8615, 972 3638 8688 (Reservations). has guest rooms, reservations via the central reservation number.
- in Mitzpe Ramon there is hotel accommodation in different price ranges
security
With regard to crime, the security situation is completely harmless, thefts and vehicle break-ins hardly ever 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 presented in the car ...); At night you are only allowed to stay in the designated campground areas.
Danger from natural threats in the desert: first and foremost there is danger from the glowing heat of the sun on summer days with only minimal shade (heat stroke, lack of drinking water), storm surges as a result of very rare but occasionally massive rainfalls that cause rivulets in the wadis be able to swell torrential brooks - consult weather forecasts and rain radar if the forecast is appropriate (winter months).
The routes marked in color on the map are well marked in the terrain. The waypoints are consequently always at most within sight of each other. Should you lose the route, you have to go back to the last waymark and look again for the next mark. Signposts mark the most important hiking destinations, but under no circumstances should you set off without a map on which the routes are marked with their colors.
On the marked hiking trails, some of which are secured with iron steps, ladders or railings in difficult places, the risk of falling is low, but in many places you can suddenly stand on a cliff over an abyss - small children are definitely not allowed to frolic unsupervised.
If in doubt, an intended tour should always be discussed with the park rangers in the Mitzpe Ramon Visitors Center, who always advise caution in critical situations.
trips
- great opportunities for hikes in the desert area also arise in the areas of the large and small Makhtesh, around Sde Boker and on the slopes to the Dead Sea.
Literature / maps
- Makhtesh Ramon Area Map & Guide for Cyclists and Hikers, 1: 40,000, Shvil.net, approx. 30 NIS
- Prospectus / overview plan of the national park administration, approx. 10 NIS
