Pre-information: Shvil 2020 - what to expect

Unbelievable nearly one year has gone by since I flew to Israel on March 1st to do the Northern part of the Israel National Trail (hebrew Shvil Israel) on my own.
As you can see in the old posts of my blog, I had an amazing time.
In approximately 2 weeks on February 24th I will come back to Israel to finish the Shvil Israel from Arad to Eilat.
With this post I want to introduce my fellow hikers.

Starting left: Ruben, Benny, Simon, Christian, Bernhard and Manni



Additionally I would like to introduce the southern part of the Shvil to you.
We will start in Arad and will then hike to Massada at the dead sea in the first two days.
Masada is an ancient fortification in the Southern District of Israel situated on top of an isolated rock plateau. It is located on the eastern edge of the Judaean Desert, overlooking the Dead Sea.Herod the Great built two palaces for himself on the mountain and fortified Masada between 37 and 31 BCE.
According to Josephus, the siege of Masada by Roman troops from 73 to 74 CE, at the end of the First Jewish–Roman War, ended in the mass suicide of the 960 Israelites who were hiding there.
Masada is one of Israel's most popular tourist attractions

The next highlight after some days will be the Small Crater (Maktesh Katan). 

One of five makhteshim in Israel, and seven in the world, it is the third largest in Israel at 5 km by 7 km. It was charted in 1942 by Jewish explorers.

Now we come to one of the best days but also hardest days on the Shvil Israel. Hiking on top of Mount Karbolet - this mountain is formed like a cockscomb and you have to hike the whole day on the edge. The Outlook seems to be awesome - so let's do it. Here we can benefit from Simons drone he is bringing with him.



Makhtesh Ramon is a geological feature of Israel's Negev desert. Located at the peak of Mount Negev, the landform is not an impact crater from a meteor nor a volcanic crater formed by a volcanic eruption, but rather is the world's largest "erosion cirque" (steephead valley or box canyons). The formation is 40 km long, 2–10 km wide and 500 meters deep, and is shaped like an elongated heart. The only settlement in the area is the small town of Mitzpe Ramon located on the northern edge of the depression. Today the area forms Israel's largest national park, the Ramon Nature Reserve.

 

Some days later we will reach Timna Park. One of the largest attractions in the south of Israel, the park, set in a beautifully majestic desert setting, has amazing history and geology, and a number of unexpected activities including those on the lake (yes, a lake in the desert!). Timna Park covers about 15,000 acres in a horseshoe-shaped valley surrounded by steep cliffs, with Mount Timna, the world’s first ever copper mine, standing tall in the center

Video about Timna Park

Eilat is Israels southern most city and the target of the Shvil Israel. We will enjoy reaching our goal and go snorkeling in the red sea! Halleluja!