Recommended activities

Camel treks

Kfar Hanokdim offers a wide range of options, from short rides (mostly for photo ops) to camel treks deep into the desert.

Photograph on a camel as a souvenir

Getting up onto the camel for a photo op and getting back down.

Camel trek in the Kana’im Valley

 And how would we manage in the desert without camels, which are Nature’s four-wheel drive? Choose a camel, climb onto the saddle, and upsy daisy!

First we’ll take the camel for a “test drive” in the desert. Guided by the Bedouin, for whom the camels are like part of the family, we will ride into the heart of the desert, into its breathtaking primeval landscape.

The trek lasts for about half an hour.

Camel riding is on two-person saddles.
Camel riding is allowed from age 8 to age 67, and donkey riding from age of five, accompanied by an adult.

Camel trek to Gurney Hill

Guided by the Bedouin, for whom the camels are like part of the family, we will ride into the heart of the desert, into its breathtaking primeval landscape. Gurney Hill is called “Joron” in Arabic, which means “crater”. According to the Bedouin elders, their fighters used to prepare gunpowder for their rifles here, before going out to hunt or to fight in inter-tribal wars. They would prepare the gunpowder from raw materials found in the desert, grinding them to a fine powder in the hollows of the rocks on the hill. There are stunning primal views from the lookout point at the top of the Hill: Hahe’etakim Cliff, the Dead Sea and the Moab Mountains to the East, Nahal Tse’elim and Ein Namer to the north and Mt. Sedom to the south.

The trek takes about an hour and a half

The return from the lookout point is in independently arranged vehicles and involves driving on dirt roads.

Camel riding is on two-person saddles.
Camel riding is allowed from age 8 to age 67, and donkey riding from age of five, accompanied by an adult.

** The workshops described below take place only by appointment, contingent upon the minimum number of participants required for each workshop, and there is a charge for participation.

Tracking the desert

Come listen and discover the secret sights and sounds of the desert that help the tracker find his way in the desert. During the workshop we will try out tracking techniques, we will detect animal tracks and we will learn how to read the mysteries hidden in the recent and far off past of the desert. We will talk about the importance of the work of the trackers for both individual and political security, and we will understand how great disasters can be prevented with the help of simple tracking. And you will learn at first hand the way the secrets of the trackers are passed down through the generations in Bedouin society.

Drum circle

Come with us and discover with us the soul of drums from all around the globe. Let the rhythms into your body and your soul and let them take you to new places. In the drum circle you will become a drummers yourselves, you will learn different techniques and about ways of life in cultures in which drums play a major role. Together we will create a rhythmic energy that releases tensions and we will learn the language of the drums, a language that needs no words. There is also an option to expand the activity and to add karaoke to the drum circle.

Yoga on top of Masada

Imagine that you’re standing on top of Mount Masada, surrounded by the ancient desert wilderness, while the sun begins to rise, revealing more and more of the infinite primeval beauty around you. And by the light of dawn, on the mountaintop, you devote yourself to guided yoga. And with every movement, inhalation and exhalation, you feel your heart expanding to take in the power of the mountain and the desert.

Nokdim single-track cycling trip

The Kana’im Valley, a wild nature preserve almost untouched by humankind, winds between the towering canyons of Nahal Tse’elim and Nahal Rahaf. The only inhabitants are the Bedouin, the people of the desert who live in the wadis around Kfar Hanokdim in Ohalei Keidar, and continue to graze their flocks of sheep and camels as in the days of yore.
Single Nokdim offers experiential and enjoyable cycling in the heart of the Kana’im Valley, on a marked circular route. The route is seven km long and the level of difficulty is easy to medium.
Bicycles can be rented for independent or guided cycling trips.

Star trek

Welcome to the kingdom of the night….when night paints the desert black, the sky fills with small twinkling points of light. The sky stretches out over the mountains in all its power and you can see the North Star, the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper, revealed in all their glory. The sky seems huge and we will stargaze to our heart’s content, will look at images relayed by the space telescope and will hear mythological tales about the sky. And with a little luck, we will see a falling star and make a wish.

Ecological survival in the desert

In the Kfar Nokdim tent village we will learn how to live comfortably and in harmony with nature, and through practical experience we will crack the riddle of the Beouin pa-Tent! We will learn how to cook with the heat of the sun and how to produce water in the desert, how to light fires in different ways and more.

Campfire

We will sit around the campfire under the night sky, black velvet studded with twinkling stars. We will roast potatoes, onions and marshmallows and will drink authentic tea and coffee cooked in the flames of the campfire. The heat of the fire and the desert breezes will wrap us in quiet tranquility, in the serenity found only in the desert.

Desert Café

Our desert café is designed in the best tradition of eastern coffee houses, with corners for reclining on colorful rugs and pillows with hookahs and backgammon. Relax and enjoy the delicious menu: mezze of various types, a variety of nuts and pickles, Bedouin tea, Turkish coffee, beer, wine and fresh lemon-mint drink.

Contingent upon ordering a meal for a minimum of 40 participants

There is a charge for reserving the desert café without ordering a meal