The camel was domesticated some 4,500 years ago and thanks to its unique qualities and perfect suitability to desert conditions, it served the nomadic desert dwellers.

The Be’erotayim Khan has a herd of 25 well-kept, friendly camels for our guests to ride on hidden desert paths found in gullies – those same paths taken by the ancient camel caravans.

Camel-caravan tours are led by the staff of Khan Be’erotayim, people who have chosen a desert life-style, who are familiar with these gullies, the caravan routes and the desert lore. During the camel-ride, visitors learn about the ancient settlements and agriculture; the adaptation of flora and fauna to the desert climate; survival in the desert; the vital need for water; the spice-route caravans and other fascinating stories about the people of the desert: nomads, researchers, travelers and dreamers… A taste of the desert (about an hour and a half) This is a camel-caravan tour that leaves from Khan Be’erotayim, offering an experience of the immediate surroundings. Thanks to the superficial aquifers, the region is unusually blessed with natural features and archaeological sites: ancient farms, the largest Byzantine water-catchment basin, etc. – all seen during the short tour. The tour includes some walking.

In the footsteps of the hunters and gatherers (4-5 hours)

This is a camel-caravan tour that starts at the Khan Be’erotayim and goes to the “Painted Hill”, where there are 55,000 year old rock drawings, unique flora, ancient agriculture and more, fascinating caravan tales… During this tour, there is a rest-stop in the shade of the acacia trees, where desert cookery is taught, including the preparation of libah (bread charcoal-baked in an earthen pit) and other desert delicacies. The tourists both learn and participate in desert ways.

Preparing libah

Following the caravan routes

These are tours deep into the desert on natural paths, passing through wadis (dry seasonal watercourses) and unspoiled ecospheres, where plants, trees and creatures thrive in complete harmony. The camel-caravan routes pass through ancient natural gullies that served the desert folk hundreds and thousands of years ago.The necessary equipment and provisions for this tour are loaded on camels, so the pace is slow, but steady – the pace of the desert. Some tourists may share in leading the caravan.All the meals are made outdoors, as the tourists learn and participate in their preparation, using traditional desert herbs and methods. There is a special taste to the long-cooked food with desert spices made over the open bonfire.

Only desert – leave your cell phones, wrist-watches and the modern world behind! Adopt the pace of the desert!