Eilat Mountains early summer – From the smaller to the larger scale

Eilat mountains are located at the southern tip of the Negev Desert, part of the world desert belt, facing the Sinai Desert. The port city of Eilat enjoys a perfect location on the northern part of the Gulf of Aqaba/Eilat – one of the “fingers” of the Red Sea. 2017-2018 rain season was exceptionally wet in Eilat area. Yep – 47 millimeters of rain is more than double the average annual precipitation. Several rain events occurred late in the spring – during the months of April and May, and Eilat area remained green even into the month of June. I visited Eilat on June 4th and 5th 2018, and was welcomed with a relatively pleasant weather. This was the sign to hike in the mountains surrounding Eilat.

Here are some wonderful sights I was surprised to discover around the city of Eilat in that trip, from the smaller to the larger scale.

Naturally we shall start with refreshing blossom (Many thanks to Mimi Ron for the help identifying the plants).

Abutilon fruticosum אבוטילון השיח

Blepharis attenuata ריסן דק

Capparis sinaica צלף סחוסי

Abutilon fruticosum אבוטילון השיח

Haplophyllum tuberculatum פיגמית מגובששת

Morettia parviflora מורטיה קטנת-פרחים

Fagonia mollis פגוניה רכה

Aerva javanica  לובד המדבר

Zygophyllum coccineum זוגן אדום

Forsskaolea tenacissima פורסקליאה שבירה

These might be holes made by hail

We now turn to look at some rock formations. Eilat Mountains are rich with beautiful granite, limestone, metamorphic and sand rock formations.

and a view to one of the wadis dotted with greenery

Looking at a larger scale we come across an unofficial pets cemetery, where contemporary tumuli can be found…

We shall now climb higher to get some views. Let’s do it from south to north, starting with a view from Tzfahot Ridge – the southernmost mountain in Israel.

Here’s a view to the border with Egypt, with Taba area and the Salah El-Din Marine Castle beyond.

This Arkia airplane is about to turn and land in Eilat Airport. Such a sight will be a history in a few months, when the new Eilat Airport, located 20 Kilometers to the north of the existing airport, will be inaugurated.

We continue north to get a glimpse of the Inter-University Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat

Further to the north is the Eilat Coral Beach Nature Reserve

Here’s someone pointing towards Almog (“Coral”) beach and the Eilat Ashkelon Pipeline Co. (EAPC) pier.

This is a better view to the main EAPC pier, as well as the old EAPC pier. The latter is not operational any more, and the nearby beach was recently opened to the public. Further north (to the left on the picture) is Eilat Dolphin Reef and the southern edge of Eilat Port. On the other side of the bay, note how Aqaba – Eilat’s Jordanian sister – is built on alluvial fans.

Further south, we climb Mount Shahamon for a superb evening view of Eilat’s northern beach and hotels area.

Further north you can see Aqaba and the Edom Mountains in the sunset, reflecting in Eilat’s Salt Pools.

Have a great summer!