Haim is a tour guide, he works day and night and I think he should slow down.
It’s difficult to say what drives him, it’s not the money for sure, I suppose it’s the way he’s made. If you put him in a forest with an axe he would chop until the forest was cleared or until he dropped, whichever came first. He wrote a PhD thesis on predators – he is a zoologist – he is called into TV studios to talk about leopards, wolves and suchlike, he is a proper authority.
One of his most popular outings is his night safari. He takes guests out into the desert in the pitch dark and with the aid of powerful flashlights picks out points of light in the darkness and drives towards them. The points of light are the eyes of animals staring at the vehicle. One point of light is prey, two points of light is predator; think about it. The animals are not greatly disturbed by the vehicle so long as they neither smell nor hear humans. He draws up alongside them until they are fully illuminated and sometimes they will just stand there sniffing the air, or walk off with Haim’s Jeep following at a polite distance. Some outings are more successful than others, you don’t always get to see large predators but he will show you lesser wonders of the desert like small reptiles, and scorpions of which there is no shortage and even if you are less lucky, his many stories will make the outing worthwhile.
Being a specialist in fauna, he also operates Negev Safari, a small museum situated right at the entrance of Midreshet Ben Gurion. The perfect outing for families and adults alike, especially during the hot hours of the day as it is indoors. It has a very eclectic collection. Snakes, butterflies, stuffed animals, skeletons, but also stone age tools, and a bedouin collection. And the collections are getting richier and richier all the time.
Another of his specialty tours is Har Karkom. There are hundreds if not thousands of historians, theologians, archaeologists who claim to have found the Mountain of G-d; the mountain on which Moses received the Law from G-d. There are about ten main contenders for this title and Har Karkom is one of them. It is a four-hour drive to the mountain, sometimes over rough terrain – it is not an outing for everyone – and during the drive Haim prepares you for what you are going to see by describing the habits and beliefs of the ancient peoples for whom Har Karkom was sacred ground. By the time you arrive you have a working knowledge of the history and archaeology of the matter, you are primed. Another hour and a bit on foot brings you to the two great discoveries which are the kernel of the case for Har Karkom.
Of course, Haim and his trained team will also take you to more conventional jeep tours like Ein Akev, Ein Zik, Ramon crater, desert cisterns. He also has a very compelling explanation of meaning of all the rock art recently discovered in the area.
They can also provide all the logistics you will need if you are planning to go on longer hikes or sleep in a tent in the desert
Haim’s understated manner and great learning makes it hard to resist his conclusions. He is good with introverts, annoying extroverts, hyperactive children, nothing ruffles his feathers, altogether the best tour guide in the Negev
Dr Haim Berger +972545343797 or
negevjeep@gmail.com
Français
Lovley!!
We would like to visit in Negev Mar.11&12 coming from the Middle West USA by was of Jerusalem….perhaps by bus in Israel.
I am not sure of my footing on uneven surfaces but walk okay on flat or holding on to someone who is sturdy & understanding. We are a couple in our 70s & haven’t been to Mitpze Ramon. Where should we stay that is clean & reasonable this time (3/11-12)? Have you a few ideas & 4wheel drive? Cost to be a guide? I need ideas from which to create new paintings while I still can. engerart.blogspot.com
Shalom Frank, you can stay at Krivine Guesthouse, of course!
https://krivine-guesthouse.com
Shalom, je suis au mois septembre chez mes amies á Haifa et je suis intéressé de participer á un tour au désert avec vous et une petite groupe. Je parle un peu anglais et français.
vous avez quelques projets en septembre? Quand et pour combien de jours et quoi est le prix??
je sera bien contente de votre réponse.
many regards de Hambourg in Germany, Konny Küster
Shalom Kornelia, I am sorry I didn’t reply to your comment, I only saw it now. It was a pleasure having you in September and I hope you had a nice time.
Thank you, John and Marion, for 2 blissful days in early October. Roni Bar-Or, my madrich from 50 years ago when I lived on the midrasha for six months and who knows and loves every inch of the Negev, my friend David Collins and I were at Krivine Guesthouse and have never before felt as comfortable, welcomed and happy in any guesthouse any of us has ever stayed in anywhere in the world. Our visit to the midrasha was something of a pilgrimage: each of us was seeking solace for traumas we have experienced over the past two years – bereavement and grief, displacement and the “thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to”. I knew that the only place which could offer that solace was the Negev and it did not fail to do so, with its haunting beauty, the wisdom transmitted through its ancient geology (listen carefully and you hear voices in the wind, the stones and ravines imparting their secrets) and its massive, reassuring permanence. We were bewitched – Roni and i all over again and David for the first time – and we knew that we should have spent two weeks there, not just 2 days. We plan to return as soon as we can, within the next 24 months or so. Thank you John and Marian for your wonderful, unobtrusive but warm and attentive hospitality and kindness, and for channelling the magic of the Negev into your guesthouse. And do brace for impact – we will return, and return again and again.
Thank you for your warm words. It was a pleasure having you and we are hugely looking forward to seeing you again.