Mitzpe Ramon
Israel · Southern District · 860 m
Description
Mitzpe Ramon (מִצְפֵּה רָמוֹן) is a small town on the northern rim of Makhtesh Ramon, an erosion cirque forty kilometres long, ten wide and five hundred metres deep that formed when a soft layer under a hard cap washed out through a single drainage channel. The landform occurs only in the Negev and Sinai and has no English name, so the Hebrew word is used internationally. The town looks straight into it. Nubian ibex wander the streets, there is almost no light pollution, and the stargazing is the best in Israel.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 1 to 3 days (optimal 2 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: March – April or October – December
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Makhtesh Ramon rim viewpoint
- Stargazing in the Negev dark sky
- Nubian ibex in the town streets
- Crater floor jeep and cycling routes
- Ramon Crater visitor centre and the Ilan Ramon memorial
- Ammonite Wall and the Carpentry rock prisms
- Desert sunrise over the crater rim
- Alpaca farm on the rim
- Israel National Trail section through the makhtesh
- Bedouin hospitality tents and the desert cooking
- Sde Boker and the Ben-Gurion desert grave(Day trip)