srettig24 I stayed in a town called Yeruham, about 3 hours from Tel Aviv via public transportation. The city is located in the Negev Desert and has about 10,000 residents. This sleepy town is near all the great hiking spots and wildlife in the Negev Desert.
Photo above from the Mitzpe Ramon Crater
Hiking in Yerocham
Yerocham has wide open spaces and plenty of areas to explore. I was able to hike a few trails in the area. The nice thing about Yerocham is that it’s still fairly underdeveloped allowing for the small-town charm to come through. It is quiet despite having a small college campus. Locals all seem to know each other and older people drive golf carts around on the road to grab a few things from the one main road with the shops on it.
Rare Desert Flower
The large sternbergia is one of the species of known as “harbingers of fall” which bloom before the seasons first rain. It’s flowers emerge from the dry earth (usually in November) before its leaves, which appear only after the first rains. Large Sternbergias are abundent in Turkey; the Negev highlands are it’s southmost global boundary.
Bougainvillea in Full Bloom
Speaking of flowers- this one you might have seen, the bougainvillea plant. A popular indoor or summer plant in the United States- here this plant really thrives. Growing upright or on a fence, this plant can be orange, pink, or yellow, and is very vibrant.
There is also a lake in Yeroham but to be honest… I was not very impressed. Yes- it is cool to see a lake in the middle of the desert but as far as natural beauty- can’t say that I felt that. It is a good place to have a picnic lunch if you have rented a car and are passing through. Luckily, Yeroham has another natural wonder that doesn’t disappoint, the Crater.
Yeroham Crater
This is a famous lookout on top of Mount Avnon in Yeroham. This is what makes the town a spot of interest primarily for tourists interested in wildlife and the outdoors. The Hebrew word for Crater is makhtesh. You will see lines of vegetation in both craters, this is where water collects and flows through the crater when it rains making those areas saturated with plants and animals.
The ground is a combination of sand and rocks. On the left, you can see the small and large rocks that make up much of the ground, and on the right areas with more sand. On the right winding through the center of the crater, you can see a road. The road takes you to a place called colored sands- where the color is more intense and contrasting.
Mitzpe Ramon
Wow. What a day. It was the first rain of the winter season! I was able to grab a few buses to take me to Mitzpe Ramon for the day. I arrived when it was still raining and the dark clouds made it difficult to get a good picture of the crater. In my pictures, the crater is quite dark this was from the rain but you can see more of the contrast in the color and the terrain. Unfortunately, these photos really don’t do it justice so you will just have to go and see it one day!
Looking at this you might be thinking… wow she just took a picture of the ground. Honestly, you’r not wrong this is a picture of the bottom of the crater. The color of the sand is made from different minerals found in the crater, copper, iron, and sulfur. The sand was red, brown, yellow, and a little green.
In this photo, you can really get a sense of the size of the crater by how small the people are. The crater takes up 55% of Israel’s land area it is about 13,000 square miles. There is a museum about the crater that you can go for about $30.
The Deer of the Desert
There was a few Ibex that were wandering around the Mitzpe Ramon and were very used to humans. I could have taken closer-up photos but it’s important to respect wild animals’ space. Regardless- it was amazing seeing these animals up close. I also saw a lizard, and almost stepped on a hedgehog! There were plenty of wild animals to see in this crater if you can spot them.
The Sunsets
There is no sunset like in the desert. I decided to try and take a photo of every sunset while I was in Yeruham. While I was not completely successful in reaching my goal, I saw most of them! Here is a picture of my favorite one below. I hope you will find a little challenge for yourself and enjoy the rewards like I have!
Thank you A for making sure I was comfortable and answering all my questions and being a person and a boss. Thank you, S for your energy, and generosity, and for teaching me so much about Israel. Shoutout to H for letting me live in your house for a week.
