The hike from Upper Ein Avdat to the ancient city of Avdat is highly recommended in most tourist guides…
… but I would never send one of my guests along it. Upper Ein Avdat is delightful, the city of Avdat is beautiful and fascinating, but
the walk in between is dull and, to make matters worse, the whole of its second half runs parallel to a busy road.However, at a certain time of the year the first half of this hike is surely the most enjoyable walk in the Negev, especially if you have small children. The time to walk the blue trail south from Upper Ein Avdat is after the rain. Typically, the weather will be cool with bright sun-shine, bring bathing costume, sandwiches and sun cream.
Directions
At the first drop of rain, the bottom part of Ein Avdat will close down, so you will only be able to access the upper part by car. Leave from our village and drive south on Road 40 for about eight minutes until you see a sign on your left Upper Ein Avdat.
There is obstructed visibility for oncoming traffic at this junction, so don’t dally, be alert. The road runs in a straight line for about half a kilometer until you come to a small stone building. Occasionally, you will have to pay 14 shekels to go in (only if the bottom part of the Ein Avdat National Park is open and you don’t already have a ticket). Continue to the parking area where there are restrooms and a small truck for snacks. To find the point of departure you go to the lookout (you don’t want to miss it anyway)
You don’t want to miss it anyway…
The hike
Just behind, you will find the first blue mark which leads you to the second lookout. You might find yourself staying at our guesthouse during a rainstorm! To witness this river in full flood is a thing to behold, but it happens only two to five times a year, is impossible to predict and is usually accompanied by rain and cold winds. The path runs along the river bank with the swiftly-flowing water to your left. (best and safest place to see some floodings).
You are walking on the blue trail along a limestone river bed which is now full of pools large and small, you can paddle and splash, and swim in places.
I could stay in this shaded spot with a good book for an entire day.
If you are there mid-week, there is a good chance that the only disturbance will come from the twittering of birds or the sound of ibex chewing on saltbush (which you can also chew on)
If you follow the blue path, it will take you across the riverbed several time (depending on the amount of water, you might not be able to cross without getting wet so you can just stay on one side, as long as you are on the stones, you will be mud free). You will also pass ancient rock inscriptions…
And all along some beautifullyjagged rock formations
Continue walking to the point where the blue track meets the road (after around 45 minutes)
or just stop at any place along the way that takes your fancy and then splash your way back to Upper Ein Avdat taking the same blue trail.
After a flood the pools will remain full and clear for about five days before they start to evaporate in the sun, then only the deeper pools will still have some water for another week or so. So you are looking at two to five ten-days windows per winter for this charming hike.
Traveling by bus
If you don’t have a car waiting for you at upper Ein Avdat, you can carry on to Avdat (another 45 minutes following a green path) where you will find a bus stop to come back.
But bear in mind that
- This is the most exciting it will ever get
- If it has just been raining, the green path will be extremely muddy (it might even be inaccessible as it will be cut by a temporary river).
- There is only 1 bus an hour (no service on Shabbat and religious holidays).
If you don’t have a car and you want to do both Ein Avdat and Avdat, I think you will have a much nicer experience if you separate the two.
A nicer way to come back from Upper Ein Avdat, is doing it via Nahal Haverim.
It is an easy and pleasant full day hike. Count 5 to 6 hours for the whole loop. Note that this is not an option during the summer because of the restricted opening hours of Ein Avdat.
And the next morning, you can take a bus straight to Avdat and combine it with a visit to Mitzpe Ramon. Trust me, it will be a much better use of your time.
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