Planted with more than 1000 different types of tropical trees, plants and bushes from around the world, this lovely, privately run botanical garden (it began as a plant nursery) features a stream, waterfalls, walking tracks and – a lush surprise in this arid landscape – a misty rainforest. A taxi from the centre of town costs about 22NIS.
Botanical Garden of Eilat
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Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Hai-Bar Yotvata Nature Reserve
19.15 MILES
Established in 1968 to reintroduce animals that had died out in Israel, this 32-sq-km reserve on the Yotvata salt flats is home to a wide variety of…
5.05 MILES
The crystal-clear waters of this 1km-long reserve are the best place on the Israeli Red Sea coast for snorkelling. Access to the reef wall is by two…
27.91 MILES
An easy siq to explore is the narrow fissure that cuts into Jebel Khazali. You can explore on foot for about 150m, far enough to appreciate the cool shade…
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28.74 MILES
While there are dunes in several places around Wadi Rum, the most striking are the red sands that bank up against Jebel Umm Ulaydiyya. If you are on a 4WD…
14.88 MILES
The site of some of the world's earliest copper mines (c 5000 BCE), the Timna Valley offers an awe-inspiring desert landscape of cliffs and rock…
International Birding & Research Center in Eilat
0.52 MILES
Hundreds of millions of migrating birds pass through Eilat twice a year as they fly between Europe and Africa. The best place to spot them is this…
Underwater Observatory Marine Park
5.6 MILES
The stand-out feature of this aquarium complex, hugely popular with families, is the observatory, which takes you 12m below the surface of the Red Sea…
4.26 MILES
The fort (currently closed for renovation with no set reopening date) was built between 1510 and 1517, as attested by the Arabic inscriptions inside the…
Nearby attractions
1. International Birding & Research Center in Eilat
0.52 MILES
Hundreds of millions of migrating birds pass through Eilat twice a year as they fly between Europe and Africa. The best place to spot them is this…
1.21 MILES
Run by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, this bird sanctuary is an artificially created wetland that's become host to a variety of species…
1.66 MILES
Tells the fascinating history of Israel's Red Sea outpost. Exhibits cover the capture of Eilat in 1949 and include some great photos of the city's…
1.72 MILES
Pebbly North Beach and its promenade are often very crowded – for some people, that's one of the main draws. This is by far the most popular place in…
2.56 MILES
Wedged between the port and the naval base about 1.5km south of the city centre, Dekel is less crowded than North Beach and is a popular snorkelling spot.
3.51 MILES
To the untrained eye, these ruins look unprepossessing to say the least, but archaeologists maintain that the remains of this ancient mud-brick complex…
3.66 MILES
Located along the Corniche and incongruously squeezed between the marina and the Mövenpick Resort Hotel, Ayla is the site of the ancient port of Aqaba…
3.67 MILES
This privately run beach is famous for its abundant shade trees, free-range peacocks and resident pod of semi-wild bottlenose dolphins. Originally from…