Introduction

The Israel National Trail stretches 1000km from Dan in the North to Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba. It crosses a wide variety of terrain: hills, forest, scrub, fields, towns and above all desert. 

The trail passes through a landscape rich in historical and religious sites, although at times it is hard to accept "Yes, this is the actual Sea of Galilee, over there is the real Nazareth and later on I will see the real Bethlehem and Jerusalem". I sat in caves where people had lived over two millennia ago. Places of such long historical significance have acquired a mythological aura so they seem more like Troy or El Dorado. Until you actually walk into them.

I was first alerted to the INT in Patagonia in 2013, but it took me a couple of years to finally get there. In that time I met a number of Israeli travellers who encouraged me to come and see for myself. Some of them had actually walked the trail. Others wished that they could. I am glad that I did.

Above all I am glad that I met the people. So that I have a much richer variety of actual encounters and experiences, and thus rely less on stereotypes and the small sample of travellers that I have met elsewhere in the world. And the diversity of the people was extraordinary, though everyone I met shared a remarkable warmth and generosity. Admittedly I was perhaps a little favoured by my status as a rare foreigner walking the entire length of the country.

Initially I was a little concerned at the complexity of the logistics for the desert - indeed that was much more of a concern to me than reports about the deteriorating security situation (in late summer 2015). While evidently this is a serious matter, I considered that the situation on the ground was likely to be very different from the international news and also that it was very unlikely to impact someone who is way out in the middle of the country. And this proved to be exactly the case.

Now that I have finished even the question of how to get through the desert does not seem quite so challenging. And of all the information in these pages the one that might prove to be the most useful is a description of how I managed the last three and a half weeks, with the minimum of support or cost. There are certainly other ways of doing it, and the way I did may not suit everyone, and is certainly not suitable at all times of year. However it does add to the list of options that people might consider.

There is quite a lot of information out there, even in English, but I hope this helps to condense some of the essentials into an easily accessible form.

For what it is worth here is a map of all the places I camped or stayed. Your trip will differ entirely from mine. Your timing and weather will be different, you may go in the opposite direction, your friends and acquaintances will live elsewhere than mine and your random encounters will be whatever they are. You may also probably take a different approach to where you want to camp. But this at least will tell you what is one of many possibilities.

Enjoy exploring the Shvil for yourself. Shalom!