The desert brings peace not only to our soul but also to the body. The desert allows us to experience the true tranquility we so often seek in our busy lives

And there is no more perfect or peaceful place than the desert in Mitzpe Ramon in the Negev in Israel. Mitzpe Ramon is two and a half hours south of Tel Aviv and two hours north of Eilat.

I can forgive you if you think you landed on Mars or a set of a science fiction movie, you will probably be mesmerized by the sheer size of one of the most fascinating and breathtaking sites in the country.

Mitzpe Ramon is often described as Israel’s ‘Grand Canyon’, this unique huge crater – about 14 km wide and 40 km long – was created over hundreds of millions of years and today, you can go out on one of the hiking trails and enjoy the many activities that you can find in the area. For example, you can enjoy hiking, abseiling, mountain biking, and star gazing.

Like Ramon Crater, the sleepy town of Mitzpe Ramon took some time to grow. The town was founded in 1951 as a labor camp for the construction of Highway 40, the first residents arrived in 1956, and immigrants from North Africa, Romania, and India in the 1960s joined them.

Mitzpe Ramon has become one of the southernmost development towns in Negev. Today it is home to about 5,500 people and various desert wildlife, living life at their own pace – the rhythm of the desert.

Whether you arrive at Mitzpe Ramon from Tel Aviv (about 185 km), Jerusalem (about 160 km), or Eilat (about 150 km), the best place to start is the Ramon Crater Visitor Center in Mitzpe Ramon. It tells the geological story of the formation of the Ramon Crater, the largest of five craters in the Negev desert.

You will learn how these craters were formed through a fascinating process of erosion, instead of meteors. Discover the amazing rock layers, unique ancient volcanic sites, and water springs. At a depth of 500 meters, the deepest point of Saharonim Spring contains the crater’s natural water source and maintains a large portion of wildlife, including birds and chamois.

So how was Ramon Crater formed?

To put it briefly, a long time ago, in the Mesozoic era, between 66 and 250 million years ago, the central Negev desert was on the vast Tethys Sea coast, when suddenly – about 80 million years ago – a geological event occurred: an African collision. And the Eurasian continent. The result: a huge geological fold and the formation of mountains from Egypt to modern-day Syria.

The folds created were part of a system called the “Syrian Rainbow” and include Negev, Judea, and Galilee. The highest mountain range in the Negev was submerged under the Tethys Sea, but its summit was exposed to long weathering and erosion processes, and we finally got the Ramon Crater where an ancient mountain once stood.

So if you are looking for attractions in the Land of Israel, we recommend you to come to Ramon Crater and experience the beauty and peace, and quiet that the place offers.

We at the Lala Hotel in Tel Aviv will of course be happy to advise you on other places of entertainment and attractions that Israel has to offer.

We will also be able to guide you and explain to you the most convenient ways to get from the hotel in Tel Aviv to the crater in the Negev.

Feel free to contact us with any questions.