Eilat
Israel · Southern District · 12 m
Description
Eilat (אֵילַת) occupies Israel's twelve kilometres of Red Sea coast at the head of the Gulf of Aqaba, wedged between the Egyptian and Jordanian borders with all four countries visible from the beach on a clear day. The coral reef starts a few metres offshore and is the northernmost in the world, which makes the diving unusually easy to reach and unusually cold-water tolerant. It is Israel's winter sun resort, a duty free zone with a hotel strip, and it sits on one of the great bird migration bottlenecks between Europe and Africa.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 3 to 7 days (optimal 4 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: November – April
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Coral Beach Nature Reserve and its shore reef
- Red Sea diving on the northernmost coral
- Hotel strip beaches and the lagoon promenade
- Underwater Observatory Marine Park
- Snorkelling straight off the beach
- Timna Park and the ancient copper mines(Day trip)
- Spring bird migration over the Arava (March - April)
- Dolphin Reef and its resident pod
- Red Canyon walk in the Eilat mountains(Day trip)
- Duty free shopping in the Ice Mall and the promenade
- Glass bottom boat trips over the reef
- Jordan and Egypt border crossings
- Eilat mountains sunset viewpoint
Getting there
- Airports:
- ETM
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry
- Border town:
- Israel