August with the kids: When the desert comes alive after the sun disappears

In the Israeli summer, some search for air conditioning, the sea, or a pool, but in the High Negev, they offer a different solution: Wait for the sun to set and discover an entire world that begins at night. Throughout August, the Cool Summer Nights festival in the High Negev invites travelers to enjoy desert accommodations, moonlit hikes, spring dips, workshops, and experiences with local residents, as the stars replace the heat of the day.

Every weekend, from Thursday to Saturday, participating hospitality sites and activity venues open to the public, offering a chance to experience the High Negev from a slightly different angle.

One of the main experiences is the night hikes in the familiar Havarim Stream, a route that takes on an almost magical appearance under a full or half moon, as the chalky rock walls reflect the light and create a natural backdrop. This is also where Noa Barnea comes into the picture, leading Moments in Motion workshops as part of the festival: Mobile photography sessions that combine the desert, the night, and creativity.

During the workshop, participants learn how to make better use of their phone cameras, work with light and shadow, choose shooting angles, create compositions, and tell a story through a photograph. The night workshops in Havarim Stream allow participants to experiment with photography under unique lighting conditions and discover the desert through a mobile lens, even for those whose only camera is the one in their pocket.

For those wishing to venture a bit further, night jeep tours are offered by the Desert Tour Center of the Sela family, founded in 1991 by Adam Sela. His son, Nadav, later joined the business, turning the center into a family enterprise specializing in off-road trips and introducing visitors to the Negev region.

The tours set out to the Ramon Crater, Zin Valley, Sde Boker, and the High Negev, combining off-road driving with scenic observation stops, such as the Ashalim Power Station, alongside guided explanations on local nature, geology, and history. The jeep is merely the means to reach corners of the desert inaccessible to regular vehicles. And yes, it has air conditioning.

Among the places the jeep drivers can take you is Ein Akev, one of the permanent and almost exclusive water sources in the area. Located in the Ein Avdat Nature Reserve, the spring provides a refreshing respite in the heart of the arid landscape, serving as a reminder that even in the toughest desert, there are cooling surprises that are hard to leave. Note that in summer, visitors must leave the area by late afternoon, as a Nature and Parks Authority ranger is on site, allowing local wildlife to enjoy the water.

One of the festival's stops is Naot Farm, established in 2003 by the Nachimov couple, who moved from Kfar Harif to build a tourism farm in the heart of the High Negev. The accommodation complex features six cabins and 14 pipe units, offering a more accessible desert experience. The size of the units starts at nine square meters for the pipes, while the cabins range from 28 to 140 square meters. Each cabin includes an adjacent plunge pool.

The price for a night in a pipe ranges from NIS 490 to NIS 590, compared to NIS 1,200 to NIS 1,600 for a cabin, including breakfast. Guests staying in the pipes must pay an additional NIS 75 for a high-quality meal with a special menu, though portions were somewhat small in our opinion. Meals are served in a bistro set inside a roughly 100-year-old train car that was brought to the site, restored, and converted into a cafe open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Evyatar, the founders' son, notes that the venue is open 365 days a year. Yes, even on Yom Kippur.

Those who prefer to cook for themselves may bring their own food. The farm provides poike pots on loan and sells bags of firewood for a campfire for NIS 74. Breakfast costs NIS 75 per person, or guests can order dishes from the menu.

On Friday evenings, the site hosts a sunset yoga class, and on Thursday evenings, guests can join a scorpion tour equipped with ultraviolet flashlights that reveal the small creatures glowing in the dark. It is unfortunate, however, that guests must pay an additional NIS 65 per person for each of these activities. When people pay NIS 1,600 a night, these small activities should be included free of charge.

Khan Nahal Hava, operating under the Trail of Tents project, offers a different connection to the desert through the people who live there. Travelers can sleep in tents, stay with local families, enjoy meals, and embark on trekking journeys between villages while the hosts handle luggage transfer.

Shtewi Abu Balaya, a member of the Al-Azzazme tribe, grew up tending a herd of about 300 sheep. After completing his studies, he worked for the Nature and Parks Authority for 14 years before joining the Trail of Tents project about five years ago. "I felt an obligation to utilize the knowledge I gained in tourism and pass it on to people," he says.

The khan hosts tracking and goat-herding workshops, and guests can choose between pitching an independent tent, renting a mattress for NIS 100, staying in an air-conditioned family khusha for NIS 200 per person, or renting a double cabin. Breakfast and dinner are available for an additional fee.