Shivta national park in southern Israel.

© Seth Aronstam/Shutterstock

Shivta National Park


One of the most gloriously isolated spots in Israel, Shivta was founded during the early Roman period (1st century BCE). Its well-preserved ruins – including three churches, houses, tiled streets and an impressive irrigation system – date from the Byzantine period (5th to 7th centuries CE), when it was an important stop on the caravan route between Egypt and Anatolia. Shivta is 60km southwest of Be’er Sheva, 8km south off Rte 211.

To fully enjoy Shivta's splendid desert isolation, you can stay overnight (www.nabato.co.il); a double (including breakfast and air-con), in a stone building constructed in the 1930s by an archaeological research team, costs 420NIS to 550NIS from September to May, 380NIS to 480NIS the rest of the year.

The Israel Defence Forces' Shivta artillery base, 5km north, is linked to Be'er Sheva (13NIS, three to five times daily Sunday to Friday) by Metropoline bus 44; inn owner Ami is happy to pick up B&B guests.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Carmey Avdat Winery

7.63 MILES

Nestled in a valley richly planted with olive and other fruit trees, surrounded by stony Negev slopes, this family-run boutique winery was built on the…

2. Boker Valley Vineyards Farm

8.95 MILES

At the the Boker Valley Vineyards Farm, run by a friendly Israeli-Dutch family, the heady aromas of red wine permeate the cooperative wine cellar, where…

3. Avdat National Park

9.14 MILES

Dominating the surrounding desert, the beautifully preserved ancient Nabataean city of Avdat served as a caravan stop on the road from Petra to the…

4. En Avdat National Park

9.22 MILES

En (Ein) Avdat comes as a huge surprise in this otherwise bone-dry desert: a year-round, freshwater spring that miraculously flows over a waterfall and…

5. Ben-Gurion Graves

9.35 MILES

The graves of David (1886–1973) and Paula (1892–1968) Ben-Gurion lie in a spectacular clifftop setting overlooking sublimely beautiful Wadi Tzin (Zin)…

6. Sde Boker Winery

9.54 MILES

This winery was established in 1999 in association with the Hebrew University's School of Agriculture in Rehovot to test the possibility of growing wine…

7. Ben-Gurion's Desert Home

9.55 MILES

In his will, Israel's founding father asked that the unassuming kibbutz quarters where he lived with his wife Paula remain exactly as he left them, and…

8. Rota Winery

13.09 MILES

Rota is one of the northernmost wineries along the Negev Highlands Wine Route. Run by artist Erez Rota, this small vineyard and winery, set amongst cacti…