Highway 40 is Israel’s second-longest road and its most dramatic inland drive — 302 km of sealed two-lane asphalt threading south from Beer-Sheva through the heart of the Negev to the Arabah Valley junction near Eilat. Unlike the Dead Sea’s Route 90 (flat, salty, relentlessly linear), Highway 40 climbs loess plateaus, drops into chalk canyons, and ends at the lip of the world’s largest erosion crater. The four stops between Beer-Sheva and Mitzpe Ramon pack Nabataean archaeology, a UNESCO Incense Route site, ibex-filled canyon springs, and the grave of Israel’s founding prime minister into a single 80 km corridor.
This guide covers the drive as most visitors do it: Beer-Sheva south to Mitzpe Ramon in a day, with overnight options at the crater before continuing to Eilat or looping back north. For the full Beer-Sheva–Eilat route see the south Israel itinerary. For the wider context of Israel’s best road trips see Israel’s most scenic drives.
At a glance
| Segment | Distance from Beer-Sheva | Key stop | Time needed |
|---|
| Beer-Sheva → Sde Boker junction | 38 km | Ben-Gurion Desert Home + grave | 45 min |
| Sde Boker → Ein Avdat | 7 km | Ein Avdat canyon, north entrance | 1–1.5 hr |
| Ein Avdat → Avdat ruins | 5 km | Nabataean–Byzantine city, INPA | 1.5–2 hr |
| Avdat → Mitzpe Ramon | 30 km | Ramon Crater rim viewpoint | 30 min + stop |
| Total Beer-Sheva → Mitzpe Ramon | 80 km | | 5–6 hr with stops |
Car essential. The Egged 60 bus runs Beer-Sheva to Eilat via Route 40 but stops are several kilometres from every site listed here. For rental options at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv and Beer-Sheva see the Israel car rental guide; for what to expect behind the wheel see driving in Israel.
Before you leave Beer-Sheva: fuel and water
Fill your tank in Beer-Sheva. The next reliable fuel stop is the Avdat junction station at km 50, and south of Mitzpe Ramon the next station is 155 km away near Eilat. Carry a minimum 2 litres of drinking water per person regardless of season; in summer carry 4 litres and consider skipping midday outdoor stops entirely.
Beer-Sheva’s Old City and Bedouin market are worth an early-morning hour if you arrive the night before — the Beer-Sheva region page has details. A 08:00 departure from Beer-Sheva puts you at Sde Boker before the heat builds.
Stop 1 — Sde Boker (km 38): Ben-Gurion’s Desert Home
David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, retired to Kibbutz Sde Boker in 1953, a deliberate act of ideological faith in the Negev as Israel’s future. His one-room cabin — exactly as he left it, books piled to the ceiling and reading notes pinned to the walls — is preserved as a national monument at Ben-Gurion’s Desert Home (Midreshet Ben-Gurion). The adjacent Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute provides the political and Zionist context with multilingual exhibitions.
A short drive 2 km south of the kibbutz, the Ben-Gurion National Memorial marks the hilltop grave where Ben-Gurion and his wife Paula are buried, looking out over the white chalk cliffs of the Zin Valley canyon — the same canyon that shelters Ein Avdat immediately below.
Practical notes. Ben-Gurion’s Desert Home: open Sun–Thu 08:30–17:00, Fri 08:30–14:00. The grave site is open daily and free of charge. Allow 45–60 minutes for both.
Stop 2 — Ein Avdat National Park (km 45): The Canyon Oasis
Ein Avdat is the most visually dramatic stop on the drive: a white chalk canyon carved by the ancient Nahal Zin river, with a natural spring-fed pool, seasonal waterfall, and cliffs so sheer that Egyptian vultures and griffon vultures nest on ledges above the trail. Nubian ibex drink from the pool in early morning and evening.
Two entrances, different experiences. The north entrance (Midreshet Ben-Gurion side) leads to the spring pool via a short, mostly flat trail — suitable for all fitness levels. The south entrance (Avdat side) is a longer, steeper route with metal staircases carved into the cliff face that exits onto the plateau above; it requires reasonable fitness. Most day visitors enter at the north and return the same way (1 hour return). If you have two cars or a group with a driver willing to move the vehicle, the through-route from north to south is the more memorable walk.
INPA pass valid here. Ein Avdat is an Israel Nature and Parks Authority site covered by the Orange national parks pass. Visiting Ein Avdat plus Avdat ruins makes the pass viable if you plan three or more INPA sites on your trip.
Flash flood warning. The canyon is a drainage channel. If rain has fallen anywhere in the catchment — even if the sky above you is blue — do not enter the canyon. Flash floods arrive without warning and the gorge has no escape route. Check the INPA website or ask at the gate before entering.
Stop 3 — Avdat Nabataean City (km 50): The Incense Route
Avdat (also written Ovdat or Oboda) is the best-preserved Nabataean city on Israeli territory and a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Incense Route — Desert Cities in the Negev. The Nabataeans, Arab traders who controlled the spice and incense routes from Arabia to the Mediterranean between roughly 400 BCE and 100 CE, built Avdat as a waystation on the route from Petra to Gaza. Later Byzantine inhabitants added churches and a wine press complex on the same plateau; the stone walls visible today are mostly 6th-century Byzantine overlying Nabataean foundations.
What to see. The visitors’ trail (1.5–2 hours at a relaxed pace) passes the Nabataean residential quarter, two Byzantine churches on the acropolis, a large Byzantine wine press, Roman-era bathhouse ruins, and a reconstructed Nabataean tower. The view south from the acropolis across the plateau to the Negev highlands is one of the finest in Israel. Explanatory signs are in Hebrew, Arabic and English throughout.
INPA pass valid here. Avdat is covered by the same Orange national parks pass as Ein Avdat. To visit all four Nabataean cities on the Incense Route inscription — Avdat, Mamshit, Haluza and Shivta — see the Negev Incense Route guide for a two-day self-drive circuit from Beer Sheva or Mitzpe Ramon.
Fuel at Avdat junction. There is a petrol station at the Avdat junction (the Route 40/Route 204 interchange, 2 km west of the park entrance). This is a critical stop: south of Mitzpe Ramon, Highway 40 has virtually no services for 155 km. Fill up before continuing.
Stop 4 — Mitzpe Ramon (km 80): The Crater Rim
Mitzpe Ramon sits on the northern rim of Makhtesh Ramon, the world’s largest erosion crater — 40 km long, 9 km wide, and 500 m deep. A makhtesh is geologically unique to Israel and the Sinai: an erosion crater formed when an ancient sea bed was uplifted, exposed, and carved away by water over 200 million years. The result is a flat-bottomed, cliff-walled depression filled with coloured sandstone, fossil beds, quartz formations, and desert wildlife.
The Ramon Crater Visitor Centre on the rim (operated by INPA; separate admission from the Orange pass) has geology and natural history displays, a 3D film about the makhtesh formation, and a rooftop terrace with the definitive panoramic view. Most visitors spend 30–60 minutes at the visitor centre and rim before descending to the crater floor on the jeep track.
Overnight strongly recommended. Mitzpe Ramon earns its reputation as Israel’s best stargazing town — the town observes a strict dark-sky ordinance, and the Negev plateau altitude of 900 m puts you above much of the heat haze. Spring and autumn nights are cold enough for a jacket. See the Mitzpe Ramon guide for accommodation, the crater floor trail, the alpaca farm, and the Spice Route Quarter in town.
Continuing south to Eilat
From Mitzpe Ramon, Highway 40 continues 155 km to the Arabah Valley, where it meets Route 90 northbound (Dead Sea, Jordan Valley) and Route 12 south to Eilat (35 km). The road south of the crater is largely empty plateau with one small community and no fuel. Timna Park — copper mines, King Solomon’s Pillars, an artificial lake — sits 25 km north of Eilat and is privately operated (not covered by the INPA pass). Allow 2.5 hours for the Mitzpe Ramon to Eilat drive without stops; 3.5–4 hours with a Timna stop.
Best season. October to April. March and April bring wildflowers and flowing water at Ein Avdat; September and October are warm and dry with long evenings. Summer (June–August) is extreme: 38–44°C on the plateau and 42°C on the crater floor. If you must drive in summer, be on the road before 07:00 and inside by 10:00.
Getting there. Highway 40 begins at the Beer-Sheva interchange on Highway 6 (Cross-Israel Highway). From Tel Aviv allow 1.5 hours to Beer-Sheva; from Jerusalem allow 1.5 hours via Highway 6 or 2 hours via Beer-Sheva on Route 60. Ben Gurion Airport to Beer-Sheva is 1 hour by express train or 1 hour by car.
Mobile coverage. Good along most of the route; some dead zones between km 50–60 south of Avdat and on the crater descent track. Download offline maps before leaving Beer-Sheva.
Emergency contacts. Israel Police emergency: 100. Magen David Adom (ambulance): 101. INPA ranger stations at Ein Avdat and Avdat can raise the alarm. Do not attempt off-road driving alone.
Linked guides. Car rental Israel · Driving in Israel · Israel national parks pass · Israel’s most scenic drives · Mitzpe Ramon guide · South Israel itinerary · Israel UNESCO sites
