Winter Weather: If You Can Stand the Summer, You Deserve...

Israel's relatively dry climate, even in winter, is great for desert outings, Enjoy!

Israel's dry climate is notorious in the summer. Especially in the southern parts of the country. In the winter, after a few days of rain, outdoor activity is a real treat. I heard this swaying in Maine (USA): "if you can stand the winter, you deserve the summer" ~ in Israel we should say: "if you can stand the summer, you deserve the winter". This canyon (pictured above) with steep walls was one of the most amazing places to hike in the Arava region (the desert section on the south-eastern side of Israel mostly bordering Jordan). Just north of Masada there are many trails in open terrain and canyons. Cool winter weather is a great time to go to the south. There are organized groups with trips for hikers, bikers or bus trips. If you are not able to hike a whole day, pick a trip with more sight seeing by bus. Families and individuals are also out in numbers. If you are a tourist and are not familiar with trips to the Israeli outdoors, ask at your hotel or look for organized trips (flyers and internet pages). Especially on Fridays and Saturdays, the Israeli weekend you can find trips to the outdoors.