3 Days Archaeological Hiking Tour in Southern Israel
Day 1:
Pick up from Tel Aviv/Jerusalem by your guide. Drive to Beth Guvrin National Park. Here we will hike around the archaeological excavations from the Greco-Roman period, entering a few unique man-made caves, used as industrial, cultural and human dwellings. If it is possible, we will take part in the "Dig-for-a-day" project, where you will have the opportunity to participate in the archaeological excavations of a dwelling-cave at the site. Drive to Hirbet Midras, a village from the Roman period, where we will hike through the well-preserved burial-caves, including the very unique "Pyramid Tomb", columbarium (dove-nest) but specially crawl in the sophisticated underground cave-system carved in the 2nd Century by the Jewish Bar-Kochba Rebels, in order to hide from the Romans. Drive to Kibbutz Mashabe Sade where we will spend the night.
Day 2:
First thing in the morning we visit the ancient Nabathean city Avdat, part of the "Incense Road" recognized by UNESCO as a "World Heritage Site". Then we follow the Incense Road to the Ramon Crater, a unique geological phenomena, only to be found in the Negev Desert. At the Ein Saharonim Oasis we leave the car for a 4-hour hike starting at the Caravanserai, the next station on the "Incense Road", and following this ancient road to the "Saharonim Horseshoe" and back to the well-preserved caravanserai. Drive to Eilat, where we spend the next 2 nights.
Day 3:
Full day hiking in the Timna park, where the most ancient mines in the world where found. We hike among some bizarre red sandstone-formations such as the "Arches", "Mushroom", "Salomon's Pillars" and more, and visit some unique archaeological sites such as the Hathor Temple, Rock Inscriptions, crawling inside ancient Chalkolithic mines , pharaonic mining-shafts and more… Over-night in Eilat.
You can either stay in Eilat at leisure, be transferred to Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or elsewhere, or combine this with one of our tours to Petra/Jordan, Sinai or Cairo/Egypt or continue your Israel-Tour with us…
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