Going off-road in the Negev

With the last 35 kilometers of the Israel Bike Trail complete, thrill-seeking, history-enthusiast, nature-loving athletes can spend a week cycling in the South.

By DARA FRANK
Mountain biking enthusiasts explore the Israel Bike Trail in Mitzpe Ramon in February. (photo credit: GIL COHEN MAGEN)
Mountain biking enthusiasts explore the Israel Bike Trail in Mitzpe Ramon in February.
(photo credit: GIL COHEN MAGEN)
Little drops of rain began to fall, but the bikers gathered at the Be’erot campground in Mitzpe Ramon wouldn’t be deterred. We were preparing to test out 12 km. of a completed 35-km. mountain biking trail that runs from Khan Be’erot – in the heart of Machtesh Ramon (the Ramon Crater) – to Moa in the Arava.
“The future of tourism is niche tourism, and we believe that desert mountain-biking can become a unique niche,” Tourism Ministry Director-General Amir Halevi said at the trail’s unveiling and first ride, last week. Also present were Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael-Jewish National Fund director-general Meir Spiegler, Israel Nature and Parks Authority director- general Saul Goldstein, Mitzpe Ramon Regional Council head Ronnie Marom, and Israel Government Tourism Corporation director-general Shai Wiener.
This final completed segment is part of a 300-km.
trail that stretches from Mitzpe Ramon down to Eilat – a trail that can take an intermediate-level mountain biker eight days to complete.
In a press statement, the Tourism Ministry estimated that the southern segment would serve as an engine for economic growth in the region as new initiatives opened up alongside existing tourism enterprises.
These will include identifying overnight accommodation, restaurants and coordinating logistics for cyclists traveling along the trail.
“Every year, we have more and more tourists traveling to Israel for sports events,” Halevi said. “The world of tourism is changing, and people are looking for something new. We need to accommodate that.”
Part of the Tourism Ministry’s broader vision for the bike trail is to mirror the success of the Israel National Trail, beginning the mountain biking trail on the Golan Heights. When completed, the trail will be 1,200 km., consist of 27 segments and allow for year-round cycling.
This, too, is part of the larger goal of bringing more mountain-biking opportunities to the country.
Under a five-year plan that the Tourism Ministry has prepared, infrastructure has been developed for many bicycle paths – a total of 3,500 km. for amateur, family and extreme cycling. The overall cost of the government project is about NIS 100 million, which is coming from a pool of several government ministries, the KKL-JNF and Toto (the national lottery).
In the South, and despite flooding two days previously, the trail through Machtesh Ramon is in great condition, tightly packed dirt and a clear path to ride. We daring bikers set off to test-ride the first 12 km.
The trail started as a relatively easy double track – wide enough for four-wheel off-road vehicles – but just as we passed a group of high school students on their annual school trip, the landscape changed dramatically: A single track twisted and turned through fallen boulders and over the rocky floor of the machtesh. Sand traps forced riders to disembark and walk their bikes through. I fell a few times myself, and it’s true what they say: This trail is not for the faint of heart.
Mountain biking is a rigorous sport that requires technical skills, strength and courage. Anyone who is moderately physically active (exercising at least three times a week) is fit enough to try the trail – and they would be rewarded with an exhilarating and challenging activity. Not to mention breathtaking scenery: The trail offers plenty of opportunities to pull off to the side to take in the archeological and environmental history of the area.
Halevi explained that the desert component in particular is a huge draw in niche tourism. The desert in Israel is beautiful, and the climatic conditions are comfortable. The Tourism Ministry believes this trail offers a tourism product that is of particular interest to sports-lovers in Europe, and is hoping to provide an alternative to the typical European vacation.
“With the high quality of the trail and the archeological sites along the way, there is nothing like this trail in the world. There are hardly any long-distance trails for mountain bikers; there is nothing of this length in Europe,” said Hillel Sussman, the Israel Bike Trail Project’s chief architect.
“Road trails, yes, but off-road in nature like this, no.”
According to Sussman, “the whole trail is planned for tourists. The signs are all in English, and each day ends in a tourist site and has places for accommodations.”
Each section has a theme, he added, and when the full North-to-South trail is complete, tourists can go from the Golan and Lake Kinneret to Tel Aviv and then on to Masada.
Sussman adds that “here in the South, we are on part of the Nabatean spice trail, and tourists can see Nabatean and Roman ruins.”
At the end of 12 km., the track was difficult but definitely exhilarating. In taking stock of sore muscles, it’s hard to decide if I’d attempt it again. When I admitted my hesitation to Halevi, he said reassuringly, “You just have to practice more.”