Eilat & the Arava: Coral, Desert Wildlife & Ancient Copper

At Israel’s southern tip, the Red Sea, the Arava Desert, and the mountains around Eilat create a landscape unlike anywhere else in the country.

A private day or multi-day route can combine Coral Beach Nature Reserve, where snorkeling reveals the Red Sea reef; Yotvata Hai-Bar, a conservation reserve for desert animals; and Timna Park, where ancient copper mining took place among red sandstone cliffs. The route can be adapted for families, nature lovers, snorkelers, photographers, and travellers interested in desert history.

This is a story of connections across extremes: reef and desert, wildlife conservation and ancient industry, and a remote border region linked for thousands of years to trade routes across the Red Sea and Arabian deserts.