Eilat, the southernmost city of Israel, is a unique oasis extended on the coast of the Red Sea. A city that lies between the crystal clear waters of the Gulf of Aqaba and the steeply rising mountains of the Negev Desert at Israel’s most southerly point. The sun always shines in Eilat (it rains about a half dozen days a year) and the average daytime temperatures rarely dip below 70°F (21°C), even in winter. Eilat’s breathtakingly beautiful Coral Reefs and an enchanted underwater world, featuring thousands of varieties of fish and other marine life forms, and its location at the junction of two deserts makes it a unique seaside resort with a year-round tourist season. The gulf is ideal for every imaginable water sport. If you are looking for excitement and thrills windsurfing, water skiing, sailing and even paragliding are available at all levels.
If you are not a diver, you can enjoy the magnificent coral reef from the surface with a snorkel and mask or on a glass-bottom boat ride. And, if you’re really a landlubber, there’s the Coral World Underwater Observatory that lets you enjoy the wonders of the Sea as if it were an aquarium. One of only four in the world, the observatory offers a kaleidoscopic view of the reef and sea life 15 feet below the surface. One of the newer Eilat attractions is Dolphin Reef, where you can swim and dive with dolphins.
And there’s plenty of activities outside the water, including rappelling on craggy cliffs of the desert mountains, hiking in the desert and mountain biking.
Eilat is one of the best places in the world for bird watching.
An estimated half to one billion birds pass through the area twice a year on their spring and autumn migrations. Eilat is an important stopover and staging point for many of the more than 230 species recorded to date. Soaring migrants especially avail of this only land bridge that connects Europe and Asia to the wintering grounds in Africa and an estimated 3 to 5 million fly through the Eilat region. The migration from Europe to Africa takes place from September to November and the return flight begins in March and lasts through May. Eilat is the headquarters for the International Bird watching Center.
If the searing heat hasn’t sapped all your energy, Eilat is also known as a great place to party at night with lots of restaurants, bars and nightclubs. It’s also a good place to shop because the city is a free trade zone with no VAT.
The great advantage of a well facilitated town like Eilat is that it offers a wide range of hotels for various recreation activities, as well as attractions, tours, a choice of restaurants and all sorts of exciting nightlife entertainment.
