En Avdat is a freak of nature in this otherwise bone-dry desert – a freshwater spring that miraculously flows via a waterfall into a narrow and winding ravine with steep sides of soft white chalk. Reached via an easy hike past caves that were inhabited by monks during the Byzantine period, it is home to Euphrates poplars and to fauna including ibex. Unfortunately, swimming in the ravine and its pools is prohibited.
There are two entrances to the park – southern and northern. The main ticket office is at the northern entrance, at Midreshet Ben-Gurion (next to the Ben-Gurion Graves and the Wilderness of Zin nature trail).
The most popular trail to the spring covers 7km and takes around four hours. Note that eating in the park is not allowed, and the only toilet facilities are at the main ticket office. Start from the inner parking lot and follow the blue markers into the ravine and on to the first waterfall. Climb the stairs on the right wall of the ravine and follow the markers to the grove of poplars at the upper end. The trail follows a series of stairs until it reaches two ladders attached to the ravine wall. Once you make it to the top, follow the cliff to the left (south) until you reach a spectacular observation point. Continue south along the dry creek, looking out for rock art on the western bank. In the winter, the waterholes at this point are full and quite beautiful. From here, you can make your way to the petrol station on Hwy 40 near the ruins of Avdat, from where you'll need to hitch or take a bus back to your starting point or to Mitzpe Ramon.
Another popular trail leads to En Akev, a freshwater spring on the other side of Wadi Zin. Starting from the car park next to the petrol station and the ticket office for the ruins, follow the blue markers as they circle the park fence on the north side, cross two shallow valleys and then take a short descent to the En Akev Elyon (Upper Akev Spring) trail crossing, where there are natural pools. From here, follow the black markers and walk north down the canyon for 3km until you reach a waterfall and large pool at En Akev. Then follow the green markers on the west side of the canyon to go along the Divshon Pass (Maale Divshon), a 6km trail along the plateau and down a steep windy trail (be careful!) to the paved entrance road to the national park. Take the road north (uphill) to Midreshet Ben-Gurion, where you will be able to take a bus back to your starting point or to Mitzpe Ramon. In all, this trail covers 13km and will take around seven hours.
A combined ticket to Avdat National Park and the En Avdat National Park costs adult/student/child 46/39/24NIS. All of these trails are best explored during winter, when the waterfalls flow.
