Any season is a great time to get over to the desert.
By BARRY DAVISKfar Hanokdim, Judean desert(photo credit: JONI GRITZNER)
With the coronavirus pandemonium still in full flow and not showing signs of abating any time soon, perhaps the global health scare, Mother Earth and/or the Cosmos in all their glory are trying to tell us something. Perhaps it’s time to stop plane-hopping – with the resultant pollution levels – and think local.With the tourism and entertainment sectors suffering severe financial difficulties, taking domestic vacations can be a winner all around, particularly when the clientele has less ready cash on hand.But what to do if you really want to get away from everything? We’re not talking lazing by the pool at one of Eilat’s myriad hotels, or taking a similarly passive furlough over by the Dead Sea. If your prime goal in going abroad is to leave the hustle-bustle of your everyday grind behind and try something different and quieter, with plenty of fresh unsullied air, you might want to head over to the southern reaches of the Judean Desert, to Kfar Hanokdim.Anyone old enough to recall the wondrous chill-out seclusion of the Sinai, back when all you needed to do to get over “the border” was change Egged buses – sans air conditioning – in Eilat and continue on southward, should appreciate the getaway benefits of veering from the main highway and wending your way along the desert side roads to the rustic vacation retreat.Yet despite the delightful sense of remoteness, Kfar Hanokdim isn’t really that far away. It is all of 7 km. from Arad and just 11 km. from Masada. Naturally, should you fancy that floating feeling, you can easily access the briny Dead Sea, and even Eilat isn’t that long a drive away.As you come around the bend from Arad, the village comes into view. It almost looks like a mirage, with its biblical-looking palm trees and mostly single-story buildings in hues that blend in with the natural sandy milieu.That is a theme of the place and you sense that the people who run the resort feel at home in the wide-open spaces of that arid part of the country. Actually, when I visited, back when winter was still in full elemental flow, it was anything but dry. We had some torrential downpours and enjoyed a breathtaking view of a waterfall over at Birkat Zefira, a stone’s throw away from the village. It was definitively spectacular.Naturally, you can’t always bank on catching such a momentous event during a stay there, but any season is a great time to get over to the desert.And there’s plenty to do there unless, of course, you’d rather lounge around in one of several chill out spots dotted around the place, with hammocks, benches, chairs, rugs, and all manner of seating and just hanging out accouterments laid on for your personal and/or group pleasure.The accommodations are also pretty varied, ranging from cavernous and more modestly proportioned tent-like quarters for large and medium-sized groups, to rooms with double beds and bunk beds, and family-friendly suites.THE VILLAGE staff were all helpful and friendly, and seemed to be constantly on the go. Some take the trouble to decorate rooms with a wide range of designs – I found some to be a little over the top in terms of ornamentation but I appreciated the fervor to spice up the aesthetics. One accommodation category that particularly caught my eye was the Sukkah Guest Lodge, festooned with goat and camel hair rugs and with an abundance of wooden fittings.Generous helpings of food are offered, buffet style, in large tent-like structures. It was pretty nippy during our stay, but the plentiful wood heaters did their job. And the various accommodation structures are designed to withstand much of the desert heat, much like Nabatean houses were designed to keep the elements at bay, across the seasons.You can tell the place has been around for a while, as befitting the gradually evolving landscape and natural environment of the desert. Established almost 30 years ago, in 1991 to be precise, the idea was very much to try to recreate the sense of remoteness and wide-open spaces that made the Sinai Peninsula such a favored getaway destination for thousands of Israelis and others for so many years. That has been pretty well achieved.Some urban lizards may only see the vast open spaces of the desert as a blur of nothingness as they speed their way to Eilat or some other resort. But the arid region offers a hive of natural activity to be discovered.While staying at the village you can take part on a scorpion hunt, enjoy a loping camel ride, meet a local Bedouin and learn about the traditions and lifestyle of the region’s indigenous human population, and also learn about the unique plant life there.Swapping stories and singing songs by a campfire is also a favored slot in any star at Kfar Hanokdim, with some hands on arts-related items for the younger crowd too.The village management is keen to generate some kind of visitor momentum, and hopes the situation begins to improve as the pandemic works its way out. With that in mind, the village intends to hold its traditional Nokdim im Kochavim (Pointing with Stars) festival, which is due to take place August 7, 14 and 21.The principal premise of the three-weekend program is to enjoy the meteor showers that a regular occurrence in the summer, with visitors looking on with mouths agape and with an excellent view of the night sky, unsullied by electric lighting or vehicle-generated pollution. The village instructors also take the opportunity to enlighten festival-goers about the glories of the celestial bodies that populate the nocturnal firmament.The village offers a couple of packages for individuals and families: The “Nokdim Overnight Experience” includes accommodation, a camel ride, breakfast and dinner. Or you could go for “A Day in the Desert,” for those looking for a whistle-stop taste of Kfar Hanokdim and desert life.While you’re in the neighborhood, you might get some idea of what the burgeoning artist colony in Arad is up to. Should you be interested in a different kind of experience oin the southeast desert region, there is an abundance of B&B accommodations to be had in Arad as well.For more information: Kfar Hanokdim: 08-995-0097, kfarhanokdim.co.il/en; Arad: travelarad.com/en
