Ein Avdat National Park is a protected area situated just off the highway 40. It consists of several canyons in a pleasant cool oasis in the middle of the Negev desert.
Location: Map
Tel: 08 655 5684 (info)
Hours:
Apr-Sep 8 am - 5
Oct-Mar 8 am - 4 pm
Entrance Fee
Adult: NIS 28
Children: NIS 14
Students: NIS 24
Group (over 30):
Adult: NIS 23
Children: NIS 13
Open:
Summer:
Sun- Thu, Sat: 8am- 5pm
Fridays and the eve of holidays: 8am- 4pm
Winter:
Sun- Thu, Sat: 8am- 4pm
Fridays and the eve of holidays: 8am- 4pm
First evidence of human presence in Ein Avdat National Park date back 90,000 years ago when prehistoric people of the Mousterian culture first settled here. During Classical Antiquity this splendid oasis became a major stopping point at the Nabatean Incense Route that united Middle East, North- East Africa and India. Several settlements and military forts were established around the time. As Roman Empire went into a decline the area was largely abandoned. First Christian monks began to flock here to find solitude and peace in the middle of the Negev desert. They used natural caves and gave them the shape they required. To this day you can find numerous living cells, cave churches and cisterns spread through out a region.
There are two entrances to Ein Avdat National Park and most tourists enter from the North (lower) entrance located near Ben Gurion family grave and Midreshet Sde Boker. South (upper) is located 5 km to the south. One of the most popular trail in this natural park is a Wilderness of Zin nature trail that is relatively easy and is 5 km (3.1 mi) long.