Wild camping or bivi camping in Israel

Hi,

anybody wild camped or bivi camped (waterproof bag) in Israel?

I am going there in the Spring and was thinking of doing it in the more remote areas such as the Negev and up in Galilee...any comments i.e. temperatures, bugs, disturbance?

Thanks

You're probably going to want to camp in Nature reserve, where you are not allowed to stay overnight - only in designated areas. It's usually free and basic, but you can't just pitch a sleeping bag anywhere you want

In my experience, Israel is great for free camping. As the previous poster said, it is not permitted in Nature Reserves, but there are lots of other places where it's perfectly fine. Road atlases and hiking maps have both free and pay sites marked on them. I would avoid the pay sites, unless you really need a shower. They tend to be very crowded with noisy families. Though quite a few of the pay sites only charge if you come in a vehicle-- those who come on foot can stay free. Israelis hike and camp a lot, so if you run into other hikers you could ask for suggestions of good places to camp. There are a lot of picnic areas in the JNF areas that are good for camping, but they don't always have water. Just remember to leave no trace!

In early spring there can be a chance of rain in the Galilee, so I'd suggest a waterproof sleeping option. Also avoid camping in river valley ('wadis') when there is any risk of flash flooding. Bugs are only a problem near water sources (which are few and far between in the Negev!) You can often hear jackals at night while camping, they're not dangerous but can be kind of spooky (look like small dogs). The Galilee also has some wild boar, but I've only seen them once in months of hiking. Be especially careful regarding water in the Negev.

There is a great guidebook available in English for hiking in the Galilee that I would highly recommend: http://www.jesustrail.com/guidebook</a> There are phenomenal topographical hiking maps for all of Israel, but sadly they are only available in Hebrew...

Where to camp?
In Israel you can camp freely on any public land including open beaches and KKL managed forests (list here: http://www.kkl.org.il/eng/tourism-and-recreation/forests-and-parks/ ). Many private land owners such as farmers would not mind if you ask and camp on their land.

Camping IS allowed in nature reserves (where many of the best hikes are situated) but only in designated areas (aka "Henyon Layla").
There are two types of areas:
1. Organised/semi organised which can range from a shower/toilet facility to elaborate compounds with Bedouin tents, pitching grounds, etc. They charge about 30-40 NIS p/p.
Here's a list: http://www.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/general2/data_card.php?Cat=~25~~273838395~Card12~&ru=&SiteName=parks&Clt=&Bur=117842880

1. Non organised wilderness camping but in designated areas where you are allowed to pitch a tent and light a campfire (but only with wood you bring with you). These are free of charge.

Please note that from Sunday until noon Friday you are not allowed to enter military training areas (which often overlap with nature reserves, especially in the Negev) .
The most important thing to remember about wilderness camping in Israel is that in most cases you must carry your own water. Pack you food well if don't want to attract animals at night.
This is a good website with descriptions of many hikes in Israel: http://www.tiuli.com/default.asp?lng=eng

If you have any further questions or need specific recommendations, feel free to ask!

Thanks Folks,

just the information that I was looking for :)....does anybody have an infor on night time temperatures, especially in the desert where I know it can getr really cold despite high daytime temperatures, i.e what season sleeping bay will I need to take?

Check out these three wiki links which have tables of the average temperature range throughout the year:
The Dead Sea (low desert)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_sea
Mt. Meron (Galilee mountains)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Meron
Mitzpe Ramon (high desert)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitzpe_Ramon

Edited by: amirico

This looks like the one to ask. That's exactly what they do:

[http://www.deepdesertisrael.com/]