Article Eilat and surroundings

Arrivals are from March 2019 directed to Ramon Airport, which is only 15km from the city of Eilat. From the airport you can comfortably get to the city by bus No. 30 to the bus station or No. 50 to the hotel part of town by the sea. A one-way ticket costs 4.2 shekels and can be purchased at a vending machine at the airport with a card. It is said that the money to exchange is paid off only in the city, where they have a better exchange rate and ATMs do not have such high fees.

Another advantage of the new Ramon airport over the old military Ovda is, in addition to its proximity, the rapid reduction in inspection time. Upon arrival and departure, yours will be asked several security questions at the airport, such as: what is the relationship between you and what you are traveling, how long will you stay, if you have ever been to Israel and so on. The same will happen during departure. If you do not speak English and Hebrew, then they have these questions ready in all languages and then you just choose from the obvious options. This was also the only airport where the departure control allowed the transfer of liquids (still 1.5L of water), yoghurts, milk, etc. We did not take anything out of the backpack on the X-ray belt (or laptop, or cosmetics, water, nothing). I see this as a big progress compared to the former airport, where the inspections were said to be up to 3 o'clock and several times they asked you the same personal questions and scanned the individual pieces of food separately. Israel's concern about security is understandable given their history, and count on an X-ray frame and control when entering shopping malls.

The city lies on the shores of the Red Sea and it is also a major attraction for most visitors. The sea is beautifully clean, warm even in winter, as well as the climate in this time of year. At the same time it is rich in underwater life. People come here to dive or snorkel and watch corals.

You don't have to leave the city to swim. Right in the city are beautiful city beaches next to each other. You can rent a sun lounger here or just spread a towel on the pleasant pebble beach. Shelter from the bright sun can be found under the large, permanently fixed parasols that are available on the beaches or in the shade of palm trees. At the same time, there are clean public toilets, which are mostly free, and you can also catch city wifi on the beaches near the promenade.

The city of Eilat is located in the immediate vicinity of the border with Jordan. If you walk along the promenade that leads between the hotels and the beach, at the end of it you will find such a deserted beach near the camp and behind it only barbed wire and the border with Jordan.

In Eilat, as in any seaside town, you will also find several marinas with moored yachts. Marinas and canals cut into the mainland and flow around luxury hotels. The promenade crosses these waterways by means of opening bridges.

The city lives even after dark. An illuminated promenade along the shops will take you through the city and you will also find fairground attractions or vendors at stalls with a variety of sweets. The city is also home to several karaoke bars, discos and modern escape rooms.

If you have had enough of rolling by the sea, you can go for a walk in the mountains, but preferably only in the winter months and with plenty of water. Just behind the town, rocky hills begin to rise, which lie in the Negev Desert. It is one of the driest and most inhospitable uses of Israel, but also protected and with interesting animals to see.

The effort associated with climbing is definitely worth it. We find ourselves in a landscape of all-colored rocks, some of which shine until red, reminiscent of landings on Mars.

The culmination of our efforts was Mt. Shlomo at an altitude of 705m.nm and there was nothing left but to climb the way up. The advantage of trekking in the mountains of Israel are well-marked trails with tourist signs, almost exactly the same as ours.

Mt Shlomo is the highest in the wider area and thus provides a beautiful 360 ° view all around. The city of Eilat and the sea bay stretch out in the palm of your hand. Surrounding hills in all possible colors from black to red. Because the borders of Jordan and Egypt are not too far away, you can see the two surrounding states.

The city of Eilat from the top of Mt Shlomo.

We went this route directly from our accommodation in Eilat perpendicular to the north over the top of Mt. Shlomo and down to the west. But most locals walk the other way around, which came to us as a much longer descent, which is always more unpleasant, especially on slippery rocks, where you are not sure about anything. The whole trip was for us for about 4 hours of hiking and 13 km. After the descent and connection to the road, it was possible to catch a bus that runs about once an hour. But he passed us in front of the nose, because he had a stop about 500 meters. So we caught a trail back to the city and went to enjoy a well-deserved swimming and rolling on the beach.