Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the lower car park of Ein Avdat National Park (עין עבדת), beside the palms of Ein Mor, follow the blue-marked trail south-west up the floor of Nahal Zin. The path runs on a rock shelf beside the lower pools and passes an old Atlantic pistachio tree. Where the pools and the foot of the waterfall come into view, climb the narrow rock-cut steps, which bring you out above the waterfall and its pool. Carry on along the stream past a grove of Euphrates poplars to the foot of the cliff where the ladders begin, and turn back there.
It is 2.2 km there and back with 68 m of ascent; allow about half an hour. The grade is Easy: a well-made path on rock, with one short flight of narrow steps each way.
The ladders beyond the turn point are for walkers going up to the upper car park only. Entering the pools is forbidden and the water is not for drinking. INPA closes the canyon when floods threaten. Carry at least 3 litres of water each; rangers stop new walkers at 14:30 in summer time and 13:30 in winter (an hour earlier on Fridays).
Adults pay 31 NIS and booking a slot on the INPA site is advised. Metropoline bus 60 from Beersheva stops at Midreshet Ben-Gurion, about 3 km from the lower car park.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Nahal Zin has cut a deep canyon of white chalk below Midreshet Ben-Gurion; three springs, Ein Mor, Ein Avdat and Ein Ma'arif, keep water in it all year
- Nubian ibex come down to the pools, and griffon vultures nest on the cliffs from late autumn to summer
- A grove of Euphrates poplars grows in the upper canyon and turns yellow in winter; Byzantine monks once lived in caves in the cliffs
- The national park is off Route 40 between Sde Boker and Mitzpe Ramon, about 50 km south of Beersheva
Getting there
Start: Ein Avdat National Park, lower car park. 30.83176, 34.77065
Directions to the start
Google Maps Apple Maps Waze Moovit
Waze drives you to the car park; Moovit has the buses and trains to the start.
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Ein Avdat National Park: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.