A three km walk along flat, even surface with optional side-climbs. The Ramon makhtesh is so huge that just seeing it from a single vantage point would be a shame. Bring a pullover and binoculars. This walk should not be undertaken in conditions of extreme heat or extreme wind. A sunny cool day in winter (November – March) or late afternoon in summer; early morning in the summer is also an option but you will have the sun directly in your eyes.
First Stretch: the Pile of Rocks at the End of the Road
The starting point is the Field School. If you are approaching the town on Route 40 from the North, you turn right into the town at the large roundabout and drive straight through for less than a kilometer, following signs for Albert Promenade. On the edge of town you will catch sight of the Camel Lookout which is where you turn right…
… and head to the Pile of Rocks at the end of the road; this is your starting point.
… and park your car.
Climb to the rise ahead of you to get to the rim of the makhtesh; this is where the walk begins and were you get the most unusual and surprising view into the crater (my personal favorite).
If you are young and have the balance of an ibex you can climb to the top and look down on the world. You are now almost 900 m above sea level and the wind can be strong. Be careful.
Second stretch: the Camel Lookout
Walk with the makhtesh to your right in the direction of another rockpile one km distant.
What makes this hike remarkable and unforgettable is the spectacle happening below you to your right. This desert landscape has no seasonal variation, there is no evident plant life to cause it, but the entire panorama varies in subtle ways from place to place, moment to moment and it is a feast.
If you have the legs, it is an easy climb to the observation platform.
If you can tear your eyes away from the Creator’s handiwork and look to your left you will observe a modern jerry-built town with bleached white pre-fab 1970’s apartment blocks, water tower etc.; this is a typical Negev development town [as in developing nations] and it might look to you to be a blot on the landscape. When I look at it I see the hundreds of families who were dumped here in the 1960’s and endured over three generations when this was a forgotten, neglected stop-over in the middle of nowhere. I have a lot of affection for this here burg.
Third stretch: the Albert Promenade
Continue another half kilometer and you get to the Albert Promenade…
…this is 1.5 km in length, it is paved, there are railings and the town has got a lot closer. Here you start to notice that the cliff is breaking off…
… evidently the geologists and engineers have decided that it is breaking off so incredibly slowly that it presents no danger to those above and below.
Ahead of you is the Visitors’ Center. I have never seen a Visitors’ Center that I liked and this is no exception.
This is the area where the snappling takes place along with restaurants, bathrooms, souvenirs and ice-cream; it is a coach stop and so there will always be a crowd of people here.
This is the end of the Albert Promenade and here you encounter a small logistical problem; your car is not here, it is parked next to the field school three kilometers distant. If you have come with friends and you have two cars, you can ferry the group back to the first car. Or you walk back. On the other hand if this three km walk has not been sufficient, keep walking. You can go on for six, eight or ten km if you like! The scenery to your right will be more of the same but slightly different…
Take the bridge to cross road 40. Ahead is Beresheet hotel
Fourth Stretch: Skirting Beresheet hotel
You brush past the posh hotel, right past the posh rooms with their posh private pools (I think it is rude to walk so close to people’s hotel rooms so that you can see inside but John thinks it is perfectly fine)…
… but here the ground is less even.
Fifth Stretch: the Sculpture Park
After about ten minutes you come onto a wide, bare plateau with standing rocks and artistic stuff. You are now in the Sculpture Park which runs for about one kilometer.
Beyond this you are in the wilderness and the path goes on… Now you are in real trouble because your car is miles away. So we might want to keep it for another time and maybe even rent a bike.
Footnote: Instead of walking the whole six km you can drive the car from point to point and explore by foot as much or as little as you want, this solves the logistical problem. Better still do what I did. I walked the whole way and John hopped from point to point in the car, coming at all the strategic points to take a peek at the view.
yoffee!!!