Khava Stream

Outside the crater and to the north is the Khava stream, offering two main attractions: a small canyon that's filled with deep, cool (and somewhat murky) water all year round, and the "cracks" – trails that climb in narrow crevices in the cliffsides of the stream, which you have to see to believe. It's a difficult 5-hour round-trail hike. The access dirt-road goes through army firing zones so it's only accessible on Saturdays or with prior coordination. If you arrive by car, drive on highway 40 a few km to the north of the Nafha prison (15 minutes north of Mitzpe Ramon), then turn right on a black dirt road (perfectly accessible for normal cars). After about 25 km you'll get to the Khava Stream campground, indicated by Hebrew writing sprayed in black on a big rock. Park your car there and continue by foot, descending into the stream. There, turn left to a blue trail descending into the canyon. Once at the bottom, you can turn left on a "transparent trail mark" to get to the one water source in the area (mentioned above), a 5-minute walk each way; while the blue trail itself goes right inside the canyon. After a few kilometers inside the stream, the trail will take you climbing out through the cracks to the highland, from which you'll get a breathtaking view of Makhtesh Ramon on your south and the Zin valley to the north. The blue trail eventually encounters a red one near a small, unimpressive, ancient stone building, where you should take left to cover the last 1-2 km back to the campground.

• outdoors
• history