Leaving the coast of the Red Sea along the border with Egypt, the road leads back into the Negev desert. More rocky and hilly landscape, with dry valleys and small oasis. A few remote settlements along the way. But there are also groups of cyclists on the road, fighting against the heat and covering big distances. Myself prefers a short hike in the desert, enjoying the few colorful plants growing there. At the end of the day i was ending up in Mitzpe Ramon. More about it on my next blog.
There’s not just one En Gedi, i found out when i approached the area. My quick research earlier learned me about a kibbutz and a nature reserve, an oasis, with the same name. It’s not exactly the same spot, as i expected. The nature reserve lies not inside the kibbutz, as i thought, but a few kilometer up north of it. So be aware of it if you want visit it.
There’s a parking lot and big picnic area with some shops and cafe in front of the entrance. A friendly young lady at the booth explained me about the ways and activities within the UNESCO heritage nature park. I was poorly prepared about this spot and already bit late on the day. I was happy to learn, there are some shorter walks along a creek. So i followed the ‚wet trail‘ upstream. Beautifully along the green bushes inside a deep valley with incredible views over the Dead Sea. On some rocks i found to my surprise a couple rock hyrax glaring to wandering tourists. These cute mammals are seen often in Southern Africa, known also as rock dassies.
Along the way are several small waterfalls. Day visitors use the chance to have a dip in the tiny pools to cool off or just having a rest there. My walk ended on the higher and more famous David waterfalls. A cool rest under the spray of the falls, a couple pictures taken and the joy of the view for a few minutes longer. Too soon i had to walk back, but on a slightly different route to enjoy the view over the Dead Sea bit more.
rene bauer photography 