Mornings in the desert are always sublime. The light of the dawn begins earlier because it appears far in the distance unobstructed by trees. Eventually, after an indeterminate amount of time, the sun rises and the mountains take on special shapes as the shadows move and dance amid the dry wadis and ridge lines.
In the desert between the southern city of Arad and the , this time of day is unique. Arad is built on a promontory – a raised mass of land that projects into a lowland. Below it, a single track road cuts through the desert, like a strange khaki line that takes on the glimmer of a long snake in the morning.
The road winds its way through a long valley that is itself bisected by a dirt road and bike paths. There are small clusters of houses on the southern side of the road where Bedouin live. Then there is a large explosion of greenery.
This is , a place to stay, to have fun, and to enjoy a weekend with family. Kfar Hanokdim evokes the Bedouin heritage of the area, with its large Bedouin-style tents and earthy feel, carved out of the desert and at one with it. It also feels like an oasis, with numerous palm trees creating a kind of wall around the place and the harsh desert outside.
Inside the oasis there is a variety of tented accommodation options, as well as small rooms for rent that have air conditioning. The variety of lodgings is overwhelming, so it takes several visits to get familiarized with all of them. I’ve come here several times and each time, the plac.
