Among the multitude of places to see in Israel , there is one where incomprehensibly, and fortunately, too many tourists still do not reach, a spot usually excluded from the most traditional circuits. However, this remote place, a small town lost in the middle of the Negev Desert, boasts an attractive honor: being the guardian of the abyss.
It is called Mitzpe Ramon and, with the permission of the nearby fortress of Masada, it has the most special viewpoint in all of Israel. Why? Because only from Mitzpe Ramon can you challenge your vertigo by looking out at Makhtesh Ramon, Israel’s Grand Canyon.
Makhtesh Ramon, Israel’s Grand Canyon
There, inside the Ramon Makhtesh Nature Reserve, the largest protected area in all of Israel, the Negev Desert has a gigantic gap, the earth opens up into a whimsical geological formation of which there are only seven in the world and this is the largest of all, an immense crater of disproportionate dimensions. Take note: 40 kilometers long, up to eight kilometers wide and 300 meters deep.
A geological giant that has nothing to envy of the famous Grand Canyon. But although it is sometimes spoken of as a canyon, in reality it is a very special crater since it is neither of volcanic origin, nor formed by a meteorite strike, but rather an erosion cirque, a wound in the ground that has been slowly shaped over millions of years of geological evolution.
The best way to encompass with your gaze part of this abyss filled with fossils and volcanic rocks with striking chromatic contrasts is from the town. Mitzpe Ramon seems to swing on the edge of that abyss, among dusty clouds that, at times, hesitate between swallowing it or simply blurring it under a curtain of dust and sand.
To contemplate Makhtesh Ramon, Israel’s Grand Canyon, you can choose between walking along the path at the viewpoint or, if you are braver, look out over the platform suspended in the air not suitable for people with vertigo. From that rickety platform, an infinite horizon in ocher tones unfolds before you that will leave you mesmerized for longer than you thought until some goat wakes you from your daydream.
Or until, as happened to me, your gaze wanders until it crosses paths, at the edge of the crater, with several young people from the town who kill time sitting on the rocks with their legs dangling over the void. At times, with conversations sprinkled with laughter. At times, with intense silences that seem to cover themselves, little by little, in that leaden dust swayed at the whim of the wind.
Incomprehensibly still, as if this atmosphere of sand suspended in the air had been falling grain by grain upon them until covering them with a dense layer that prevented them from moving.
A bit further down, one of those young men, with no fear of falling at all, entertains himself in solitude throwing stones into the canyon, like that child who cannot stop throwing pebbles into the lake. But the boy, covered with a hood, who knows if to protect himself from the wind or to hide from the eyes of others like mine, throws them stripped of that childhood curiosity. Sometimes, he doesn’t even follow the trajectory of the stones with his gaze. He simply throws them, sometimes in a random way, at others with a certain rhythm. And suddenly, he stops doing it, and his hand remains suspended in the air for a few seconds. It is then that I would have liked to sneak unseen into his mind.
Having discarded the idea, I look for another point of view of the canyon and, dodging the goats that wander around the area with a look halfway between defiance and weariness, I walk to the Makhtesh Ramon Visitor Center, right at the edge of the crater. A circular building that I recommend you enter and where you can also find detailed information on the hiking routes that descend towards the bottom of the abyss. Among other things of interest about the crater, there you will also learn about the history of Israel’s first astronaut.
Upon leaving, I finally confirm that the edge of the abyss must have something addictive for the young people of the town who swarm there as if it exerted some kind of spell. Again, at the edge of the canyon, flirting with the void, I find a young woman sitting, her head covered with a veil, writing in a notebook while her gaze wavers between the paper and the horizon.
The Carpentry
For another of the recommended stops, you must take the car and follow the impressive road that winds into the crater to discover HaMinsara, which in Hebrew means the sawmill, a place also known as The Carpentry. It is a curious geological formation that, from a distance, looks like a pile of dark brown sawdust. As you get closer, you will see that it is quartz crystallized into prisms which creates a singular optical illusion that will make you believe it is wood.
What to see near Mitzpe Ramon: Avdat, Sodom and Timna
Take advantage of being in the Negev Desert to visit the ancient Nabataean city of Avdat, located on top of a hill just over 20 kilometers from Mitzpe Ramon. Today, little remains of the splendor it experienced in the 2nd and 3rd centuries BC, when Avdat was an important stop on the way for caravans following the Incense Route that connected Petra with the Mediterranean Sea. Still, it is worth walking among the ruins of Roman baths, arches, catacombs, and even churches. An archaeological and historical legacy that has earned Avdat World Heritage status, according to UNESCO.
If you have a rental car, I recommend going a little further and heading north to visit another desert, the Judean Desert, where you can discover Mount Sodom on a 4×4 excursion. If you like adventure, you will love to see this peculiar hill made of rock salt, just over an hour and a half from Mitzpe Ramon, and discover that under your feet is Malham, the longest salt cave in the world, ten kilometers long.
Almost at the same distance, but heading south, towards Eilat, and without leaving the Negev Desert, the Timna National Park awaits you. This valley, which I missed the chance to see, is famous for housing the oldest copper mines in the world and for landscapes with large rock formations such as Solomon’s Pillars. If I return to Israel, I would definitely go on the excursion to Timna because it looks incredible.
What to do in Mitzpe Ramon
The Negev desert is becoming increasingly attractive, and several companies have already established themselves around the Makhtesh Ramon crater, offering various activities: guided 4×4 tours, adventure packages with rappelling to descend the crater walls, hot air balloon flights, excursions to canyons with springs… If you stay overnight in Mitzpe Ramon, don’t miss its famous sunset, as well as its spectacular starry sky free of light pollution.
But one of the best things to do in Mitzpe Ramon is to choose one of the hiking trails that descend into the bottom of Makhtesh Ramon. It is a unique opportunity to experience from within what the depths of the abyss are like, and if you also choose to go with a guide, you will learn about this curious geological phenomenon and about the fauna of the Negev desert, such as mountain goats or foxes. There is also a curious outdoor stone sculpture park and Bio-Ramon, a small desert wildlife reserve where you can see some of the species that inhabit the Negev, such as snakes, porcupines, or lizards.
Practical Information
How to get to Mitzpe Ramon
The simplest way to do it is with your own vehicle. Israel is a very easy country to get around by rental car, distances are not excessive and that way you have total freedom.
In any case, you can also arrive by bus from Eilat on a direct journey of about three hours. From Be’erSheva, there are also direct bus connections that drop you off in Mitzpe Ramon in just over an hour. To get there from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, you will have to make transfers.
Where to stay in Mitzpe Ramon
Unfortunately, I didn’t stay overnight in Mitzpe Ramon, so I can’t advise you on any specific place. In any case, the hotel offer is already varied, and you have everything from basic guesthouses to great hotels in the middle of the desert with viewpoints overlooking the crater. Search here for your accommodation in Mitzpe Ramon.
But if adventure is your thing, you should know that you can camp at the bottom of the Mahktesh Ramon crater at the Khan Be’erot campsite. Would you be up for it?
Where to eat in Mitzpe Ramon
The only place I can recommend for eating in Mitzpe Ramon is the modest Haksa restaurant on HarAdon street where you could try authentic and very tasty homemade Israeli food for little money. That said, I don’t know if it’s still open.
More articles about Israel:
What to see in Israel in one week
Tel Aviv, 10 things to enjoy it
4x4 route through Mount Sodom
Mitzpe Ramon, the guardian of the abyss
Things to do in Jerusalem during shabbat
Jerusalem, the holy city of sounds
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