Recommendation (Henry Colt):

Israel is a land of contrasts. More than a home and birth site of Christian, Jewish, and Muslim religions, it is a country in which marvelous desert landscapes contrast with lush green valleys, vineyards, historic hills, canyons, and archeological treasures buried beneath mounds of earth, sand and stone. I spent several days with exploring biblical sites, hiking ancient trails, studying complex and unique geology dating back thousands of years guide with my guide, Atar Zehavi, owner and operator of Israeliwild (www.israeliwild.com).
During this informative and often inspiring trip I also learned much about the effects of economic, political and military policies on the environment. Atar is a former military artilleryman who subsequently became an environmental scientist and ecologist. His love for hiking, wandering though isolated places, history, and off-road vehicles (he likes to call it “jeeping”), however, ultimately prompted him to form his tour-guide company, Israeliwild. While Atar gladly takes clients through the Old City of Jerusalem, and is eager to point out historic or potentially mythical biblical sites in and around this and other ancient cities, his greatest love is to venture off the beaten path in his all-terrain Land Rover Defender to sites far from easy-to-access dirt roads or civilization.
After a few email exchanges, Atar custom-designed a journey to fit my needs and desires. More as a friend than a guide, he enthusiastically shared his extensive knowledge of the environment, military history, and geology to significantly augment my knowledge of the area and my understanding of the Israeli people and their Palestinian, Egyptian, Syrian, and Jordanian neighbors. We shared coffee more than once, diligently prepared while sitting on our heels, ancient style, with desert sand or grassy slopes beneath our feet. Thus, I look forward to my next trip to Israel, when we shall wind, bounce, and glide across dirt roads and high rock to the Makhtesh in a journey to explore the amazing erosion craters of the Negev.



Figures: (1) Bedouin watering hold deep in the Judean desert. (2) Extraordinary and recently excavated ruins of Khirbet Quiyafa in the Elah valley, where David most likely really did vanquish Goliath. (3) Jordan, seen from the desert cliffs high above the Dead Sea.



Atar Zehavi (off-road aficionado and Israeliwild tour operator) with Henri Colt (physician-writer and climber) sharing coffee in the shade of their Land Rover deep in the Judean desert.