overview
Although at a distance from the center of Israel and its tourism options Mizpe Ramon has become an attractive tourism destination thanks to the fragrance of the desert and the relaxing atmosphere and this is perhaps the secret of its charm. Mizpe offers the tourist visiting it a wide range of attractions together with good restaurants, activities for children, all terrain tours and hikes and of course the spectacularly beautiful Ramon Crater.
At its beginning Mizpe Ramon was a small town housing the workers who worked on building the road to Eilat. In 1956 the first settlers arrived and established it as a cooperative settlement which broke up shortly afterwards. In its early years the settlement had difficulties such as water supply, garbage disposal and problems with electricity which hadn’t reached the town. During the sixties immigrants from North Africa and Romania began arriving and the settlement started to develop. Today about 5000 residents live in Mizpe Ramon.
Amongst the Acremmodation options in Mizpe Ramon you will be able to find the Ramon Inn. This is a four star hotel in the heart of the desert. Succat Hamidbar describes itself as an ecological site, the electricity for instance is supplied at night via solar systems. The site merges with the desert scenery and is located at the end of a track close to the Alpaca Farm. You could also sleep at the Field School which pleasant and minimalist. The Be’erot Encampment is a Bedouin style encampment where you sleep on mattresses in tents. Children will also have fun in Mizpe Ramon. You will be able to visit the Hai Ramon with them which is a friendly and well maintained small zoo close to the Visitors Center. Adjacent to it you will find creativity workshops led by the artists of the town. The Alpaca Farm is a well known site with more than 600 alpacas and llamas.
Thanks to the desert landscape and mainly thanks to the Ramon Crater, Mizpe Ramon is full of spectacular hiking trails. You will be able to go down by foot to the crater via the Prism Hill, the Ramon Tooth and the Ammonite Wall. This trail will take about 7 hours of walking, about 12 km in total. You will also be able to get to this important attraction directly from the road. Another option is a jeep tour. This is a route that goes along the ancient Spice Route, the Nekorot River, Harif Mountain and Ma’ale Aroud. The Ramon Crater is a unique and wonderful area for hiking and terrain tours of various levels of difficulty. You must take maps and detailed trail markings before you depart.
Another hiking trail is via the Adron Mountain, Ein Sharonim and the Horseshoe Caves. South of Road 40 you will find a sign pointing upwards to Ein Saharonim which is the start of the trail.
