Mitzpe Ramon

From MaxTravelz

Mitzpe Ramon (מצפה רמון; ) is a small town in the Negev region of Israel, some 85 km south of Beer Sheva, and overlooking the mighty Ramon Crater (Machtesh Ramon).

Contents 1 Understand 2 Get in 3 Get around 4 See 5 Do 6 Buy 7 Eat 8 Drink 9 Sleep 10 Get out

Understand

Founded in the 1950's originally as a military outpost and then as a wayward station for local miners and road workers, Mitzpe evolved into a small town when newly arrived Moroccan immigrants were unceremoniously placed there and told that they would "be living an hour and half from Tel-Aviv." Later, various other groups - like a piece of the "Black Hebrew" community and various strains of the most recent Russian immigration from the early 90's - have also been placed in Mitzpe Ramon.

Mitzpe Ramon remains small and somewhat struggling although a smattering of new age hippies and a variety of eco entrepreneurs have, over the past decade and a half, succeeded in turning Mitzpe into something of a hip eco leave-the-city-behind destination. At the same time, there continues to be disonance between some of the town's original residents and the more recent arrivees.

Mitzpe acts as a stopping point for travellers going from the north of Israel to Eilat and also caters to some of soldiers stationed at the nearby military bases. At the same time, the town has also developed into a unique eco-tourist destination as it boasts the highest air quality in Israel and a series of breathtaking landscapes. Mitzpe also provides a haven for various kinds of performance artists and new-edge healers and desert enthusiasts.

Get in

Highway 40 passes through Mitzpe Ramon on its way from Beer Sheva to Eilat. It is some 85 km south from Beer Sheva.

Get around

The town is best covered on foot or by car. Within the crater, your choices are slowly and painstakingly on foot, bonejarringly by 4x4, or — oddly enough — by llama hired out from the Alpaca Farm.

See

Mitzpe Ramon's biggest sight is the Ramon Crater (Machtesh Ramon), 500 meters deep, 40 kilometers long, 10 kilometers at its widest, and claimed to be the largest in the world. This is not, however, an asteroid impact site: just a particularly large asymmetrical hole dug out of the ground by natural processes of erosion. Ramon Crater is the largest one of the three Negev craters. It contains geological formations unparalleled elsewhere in the world. Together with magnificent panorama, it presents a fascinating story of geomorphologic evolution. The Ramon Nature Reserve encompassing the crater and the Negev mountains surrounding it is the largest nature reserve in Israel.

• Mitzpe Ramon Visitors Center - located at the edge of the crater, this affords stunning views over the area and has a small and informative museum documenting the geological and natural history of the area - a large picture window in the centre affords visitors a breahtaking view of the crater itself.

• The Albert Promenade - a trail decorated with impressive environmeental sculptures - starts from the Visitors Center and goes aloin along the edge of the Ramon Crater. In the middle of the promenade there is a "bird balcony" which hangs above the crater and offers the best view around over the crater. Visitors can see birds flying under their feet rather than over their head. After the paved trail ends, a path continues along the crater edge and leads to a small observation platform installed atop of a rock resembling a camel.

• Bio Ramon - a museum showcasing the wildlife of the desert and the crater. The rich collection of desert plants and animals displayed is divided into two parts: an indoor interpretation centre and an outdoor area reconstructing the Negev desert landscape, with desert loess, hamada, sand, cliffs, riverbeds and even a small spring.

Do

Treks of various lengths can be arrange in and around the crater. There are many strange rock formations in odd colors to be seen, as well as desert animals including the nearly tame ibex who congregate around tourists, looking for handouts.

• Desert Archery
• Karkom - Jeep Tours in the Negev

Buy

• An alpaca farm sells all sorts of Alpaca-based products

• Jeeptours with Dutch, Swiss-German, German and English speaking guides: www.shunra.net/peter.html

Eat

• A small cafe/restaurant exists near the Visitors' Center
• The Ramon Inn restaurant Offers a variety of Israeli and non-Israeli foods
• Hahavit, the local bar/restaurant provides a diverse menu
• Mis'edet aKatze offers various homemade food, at reasonable prices.
• Pangea also offers delicious fare, such as Kebabs, Grilled Chicken, and the ubiquitous Entrecote Steak. The level of English spoken by the waitstaff is limited, however. As of Dec 2005, their menu was only printed in Hebrew.

Drink

Hahavit, near the Visitors Center has everything you need to quench your thirst.

Sleep

• Silent Arrow- An alternative hostel experience of tents in the silent, starry desert in a moderate price
• The Ramon Inn- The local luxury hotel
• Club Ramon- a decent place to stay at moderate prices. Five floors of rooms.
• Camp sites inside the Makhtesh

Get out

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