The Negev Desert covers 60% of Israel’s total land area, and is located in the southern part of the country. Its landscape and nature is desert-like, and therefore yellow is the dominant color.
So much can be found in the Negev – including large desert areas with yellow sand dunes and desert winds, large and ancient craters, and unique hospitality experiences.
On this page, you can find all the leading attractions in the Negev and attractions in Be'er Sheva.
If you decide to tour the Negev, we recommend visiting the “capital of the Negev” – Be’er Sheva. With more than 200,000 residents Be’er Sheva is the largest city in the Negev and surrounded by desert. The city offers its visitors many unique experiences. For example, don’t miss a visit to the Negev Brigade Memorial, an impressive architectural structure with sculptures of the Brutalist school. Situated on a hill in the heart of the desert, the memorial tells the story of the beginning of modern day Be’er Sheva.
When visiting Be’er Sheva, be sure to visit the old city of Be'er Sheva, an entire preserved neighborhood built by the Ottomans in previous centuries. In the old city you will find many cafes and restaurants in an atmosphere that combines the old and the new. If you like history, don’t forget to visit ‘Abraham’s Well’, one of the leading attractions in Be'er Sheva, to see the place where it is believed that Abraham made a covenant with the Lord. The visit includes a movie and a multimedia presentation.
If you are interested in something new and looking for unique attractions in Be'er Sheva and attractions in the Negev in general, several minutes drive from Abraham’s Well is the cyber park, CyberSpark– the Israeli Cyber Innovation Arena in Beer-Sheva - where many high-tech and innovation companies develop their ideas here in the heart of the Negev. These companies include Lockheed Martin, Wix, Ness and Tabula. When in Be’er Sheva you can also visit Lunada - one of the leading experiential museums for children in the world, and Carasso Science Park - the largest science and technology-based museum in all of Israel where you can learn about science and technology interactively from a totally different angle.
For those of you who want a more desert-like experience, we recommend a visit to Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the middle of the desert. Visit the tomb of David Ben-Gurion, the first prime minister of Israel, who loved the Negev and chose to be buried there. Sde Boker is one of the most beautiful attractions in the Negev one can find, and offers a quiet and hypnotic desert landscape, and we will be glad to help you find accommodation in the area, whether in a hotel or in desert accommodations. From Sde Boker, you can travel into the heart of the desert, to Ein Avdat National Park, where you will find hiking trails and small waterfalls in the middle of the desert. You may be accompanied by local ibexes jumping from rock to rock that live in the area.
You can also drive to Mitzpe Ramon, another desert city not far from Sde Boker. On its outskirts, you can find a fascinating geological phenomenon, the Ramon Crater, a must-see attraction in the Negev. This is the largest crater created by erosion in the world, rather than by a meteoric impact. The Ramon Crater is considered one of the top sites to vsit in the Negev, offering amazing sights of nature and animals unique to the Negev. You can hike the trails in the crater, sleep in designated camping areas and visit the visitor center set on the cliffs of the Ramon Crater.
The Negev is home to many Bedouins, a nomadic people of the Sahara, Sinai and Negev deserts. The Bedouins of the Negev are spread throughout the area, and offer an experience of authentic Bedouin hospitality. This includes eating wonderful Bedouin food in a Bedouin tent and riding camels and donkeys for a trip in the desert.
Overall, we highly recommend touring the Negev and the desert, which has a magic all its own. The area offers many hiking and cycling trails and camping parks, alongside desert inns and hotel accommodations in the Negev Desert. We would be happy to place our knowledge and contacts at your disposal to help you organize the best visit to the desert.