Mitzpe Ramon Visitors Center to Eilat
Motorcyclist Map
Route Suggested By: Helio Diamant - https://diamant.org.il/blog
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Description: OK, leaving the Mitzpe Ramon Visitors Center, we will go into the Mitzpe Ramon crater and continue to Eilat. At the entry to the crater there is a viewpoint, be sure to stop there to grab a view of the crater and of the road down to it. Yes, after the serpentine here we will cross the whole crater and get to another serpentine (smaller, though) on the other side. This road is known as road 40, and it is a continuation of road 40 that we know since the North of the country. We will continue on this road until we see an intersection to Road 12 at a place called Neot Smadar. There we will take a right exit into road 12. Travelling on road 12 is a special experience. First, there is almost no traffic. Secondly, you will be travelling almost all the way with the Israel-Egypt border fence at your right, and see after the fence, Egypt's border patrolling posts that are either a king of an elevated house or a big building where there are military forces ready to go on action in case of need. Usually, the needs are connected to drug trafficking or terror attempts. The Israeli military are also present, to your left, but they are more difficult to be found. But this is not all: a special surprise is waiting for you at the end of the road, when on your left you suddenly see the view of Eilat and the Red Sea from the Eilat Mountains for the first time. Be ready to stop and take pictures immediately when you see it, because you will only see it for a couple of seconds. What to do in Eilat and vicinities After this whole trip, you will probably arrive in Eilat in the evening. No matter how early you have left the Dead Sea. So, it is time to think about our first dinner in the place. I have two suggestions for your first Eilat dinner experience: 1. If you want to stay at the hotel quarters, and like live music, try the Three Monkeys Pub. It is a great bar with great beer, live music, and a good cuisine. Just don't do it on a Friday, since the cuisine is closed and all you can get there are cold sandwiches. 2. If you are ready to take the bike again and travel for 10-15 minutes to the Eilat Industrial area, then you are in for a wonderful experience at The Brewery. I ate there one of the best meals I have had in Israel. Prices are also accessible, comparing to other Israeli restaurants. You will also be able to taste different beers to decide which beer to order. What to do in Eilat? Well, the first evening is gone, and now you need to fill your time in Eilat. Eilat is a touristic city and as such they have a lot of activities to do there. Some idea: 1. Walk the Eilat promenade - in front of the sea, full of shops, hotels and even a small amusement park, this is the place to be to know the city. You can go down to the beach sand at any moment you want, and also see a good view of the neighbor city of Aqaba, in Jordan. 2. Go to other beaches in Eilat - Eilat has other beaches for you to sit down and enjoy, on the way to the Israel-Egypt Taba border. In the order of appearance, from North to south, you will find at your left the Dekel Beach, the Dolphin Reef beach, and the Princess beach, which is the one I like most. 3. Visit the underwater observatory - this attraction has two parts - first, an aquarium with diverse types of regional species, and second, an observatory in which you go underwater inside a dome and there you will be able to see all the corals and fishes that live in the area. This is already an open area and is not limited by any kind of nets, so fishes go in and out at their decision. 4. Take a big boat trip - there are big boats (that sometimes look regular and sometimes like pirate boats) that take tourists to the sea. They usually have meals, music, dancing, and some of them also have water activities. Check what is available in all companies and then choose the idea you like most. Sometimes these boat trips can take 2-4 hours. 5. Take a window-bottom boat - additionally to the big boats, there are the window-bottom boats, which will take you to a tour through the coral reefs in Eilat. Usually these are boats that have a bar with food and beverages, and they announce to travelers when they arrive to the area of the coral reefs, so that people can go to the bottom floor of the boat and see the reefs through the windows. 6. Visit Timna Park - Timna park, also referred to sometimes as King Salomon's Mines, is a beautiful desert park with stunning rock formations. It is located around 30 minutes North of Eilat on Road 90. The trip there with the motorcycles takes around 20 minutes, and you can travel around parts of the park on the motorcycle. Other parts must be done on foot. It is also recommended to try to visit Timna also after dark, the lights on the mountain are very beautiful. 7. Shopping - there are a variety of shops at the central promenade, where one can get whatever, they want. Additionally, there are two shopping malls in the city: the most well-known one is the Mall Hayam, just in front of the main Eilat beach. The second one is the Ice Mall, which is a mall built around an ice-skating ring, having its main advantage in the cool temperature that they have there - especially compared to the natural temperatures in the city, which can get to 45 Celsius. Additional to these options, you can take the bikes and go to the industrial area of Eilat, where you will find open malls or commercial centers with discounted prices - reminding you that all the city of Eilat is a duty-free shopping city. 8. Eilat Musical Fountain - this is a program for the evening, before eating dinner. The Eilat Musical Fountain provides a show of water, music and lights which is incredibly beautiful to see. The show runs at 20:30 and at 21:30 every day in the summer.
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