Eilat (the Red Sea)
Down at the very southern tip of the country, where the desert finally meets the water, sits Eilat, Israel's sunny little resort on the Red Sea. It is about as far from Jerusalem as you can go and still be in Israel, a place of bare ochre mountains, deep blue water and an easy, barefoot holiday mood. After the history and the heat of the north, many travelers come here to slow right down, to swim and to lie in the sun, and to discover that some of the finest coral reefs in the world lie just a few steps off the beach.
The wonder of Eilat is the water itself. The Red Sea here is warm and astonishingly clear, and the reefs grow right up close to the shore, so you do not need a boat or a long swim to reach them. Wade in from the beach, lower your face beneath the surface, and a whole world opens up: gardens of hard and soft coral in pinks, golds and lavenders, and clouds of small, bright fish darting among them. It is some of the most accessible reef snorkeling anywhere, gentle enough for beginners and rich enough to keep seasoned divers coming back.
What makes the setting so striking is the meeting of desert and sea. The reefs lie in the Gulf of Aqaba, a narrow finger of the Red Sea hemmed in by rugged, sun-baked mountains, and from the shore you can look out to where four countries nearly meet: Israel, Jordan, Egypt and, in the distance, Saudi Arabia. The desert behind, the coral below and the warm sun above make Eilat a lovely, restful note to end an Israel trip on, and a natural springboard for a day trip across the border to the rose-red city of Petra in Jordan.
