Driving through the desert from Eilat to Mitzpe Ramon, there was little to see except some lonely farms and lots of military bases. At the end of the ride we drove down into the Ramon Crater and then up from it again into the town of Mitzpe Ramon.
Well settled into my hostel, the Green Backpackers I found a map and planned my next three days of hiking through the crater. The owners and the people at the hostel quickly felt like a family after we all celebrated Hannukah with songs and candles- I love those kind of small and personal hostels.
The first day of hiking I did a short green trail that lead me down to a viewpoint where you could see the borders of the different sand colors. After the short hike I still had time to have a shower, check out the Monday market and then go up to the Camel Mountain for a small sunset picnic.
For my second day of trekking I had planned to walk almost 30 kilometers, so I started right after sunrise around six o clock in the morning. The first part was the same green track as before, then I crossed into a red path leading all across the crater before I went up again to walk along the crater edge. The scenery changed quite a bit along the way, going from red sandstone to brown, green and even sand filled with tiny white crystals.
On the third day I was absolutely too sore and tired to be hiking again, so I hitchhiked my way northwards to Jerusalem.
