Must-see attractions in The Negev

Established in 1968 to reintroduce animals that had died out in Israel, this 32-sq-km reserve on the Yotvata salt flats is home to a wide variety of…

Sometimes described as Israel’s very own grand canyon, Makhtesh Ramon is the largest protected area in Israel and is home to a huge number of hiking,…

The crystal-clear waters of this 1km-long reserve are the best place on the Israeli Red Sea coast for snorkelling. Access to the reef wall is by two…

En (Ein) Avdat comes as a huge surprise in this otherwise bone-dry desert: a year-round, freshwater spring that miraculously flows over a waterfall and…

Dominating the surrounding desert, the beautifully preserved ancient Nabataean city of Avdat served as a caravan stop on the road from Petra to the…

The site of some of the world's earliest copper mines (c 5000 BCE), the Timna Valley offers an awe-inspiring desert landscape of cliffs and rock…

Hundreds of millions of migrating birds pass through Eilat twice a year as they fly between Europe and Africa. The best place to spot them is this…

One of the most gloriously isolated spots in Israel, Shivta was founded during the early Roman period (1st century BCE). Its well-preserved ruins –…

The stand-out feature of this aquarium complex, hugely popular with families, is the observatory, which takes you 12m below the surface of the Red Sea…

Declared a Unesco World Heritage site in 2005 (along with two other ancient cities in the Galilee, Hatzor and Megiddo), Tel Be'er Sheva was an important…

In his will, Israel's founding father asked that the unassuming kibbutz quarters where he lived with his wife Paula remain exactly as he left them, and…

Parked on the tarmac, about 120 historic aircraft – including a Spitfire used in the 1948 war, captured Syrian and Iraqi MiGs, fighter jets and attack…

Pebbly North Beach and its promenade are often very crowded – for some people, that's one of the main draws. This is by far the most popular place in…

The graves of David (1886–1973) and Paula (1892–1968) Ben-Gurion lie in a spectacular clifftop setting overlooking sublimely beautiful Wadi Tzin (Zin)…

This dignified WWI cemetery, its gardens and grave markers neatly tended, is the final resting place of 1241 Commonwealth soldiers, including 174…

Nestled in a valley richly planted with olive and other fruit trees, surrounded by stony Negev slopes, this family-run boutique winery was built on the…

This pocket-sized wildlife park is an excellent place to see desert creatures you're unlikely to encounter in the wild because they are either nocturnal,…

Affords spectacular views of Makhtesh Ramon. Ibexes often wander along the cliff rim around here

At the the Boker Valley Vineyards Farm, run by a friendly Israeli-Dutch family, the heady aromas of red wine permeate the cooperative wine cellar, where…

This privately run beach is famous for its abundant shade trees, free-range peacocks and resident pod of semi-wild bottlenose dolphins. Originally from…