Logistics

Getting to Israel

While it is quite possible to enter from Jordan it is much more likely you will fly into Tel Aviv. It is well connected to Europe including some cheaper airlines such as Ukrainian and Air Aegean amongst them. 

Visa
Most Europeans/North American citizens will get a three month tourist visa. This is plenty to do the whole trail followed by a bit of sightseeing. However realistically it is not enough to truly understand the country and its complex history and politics. That might take a lifetime, but it is a start at least to see the place from the inside. And most importantly meet the people.

Train
There is a train from the airport to the city which is quick (barely 15 mins) and efficient, but doesn't run all night. We waited in Arrivals until the first train (sometime around 6am). I stayed with a friend so can’t offer much advice about Tel Aviv itself, but there are hostels.

ATM
There are ATMs in the airport, but some do not have the Visa symbol only Mastercard.

SIM cards
We went to a small store (Green Mobile on Florentin Street) and bought SIM cards for our phones. We chose Hot Talk. Coverage was generally excellent, though in some very remote places there was no signal.

One really nice thing was that the guy in the shop was super helpful and twice recharged my phone for me remotely. A friend gave him the money and the Data pack arrived in my phone shortly afterwards. 

This is especially useful when you are in the desert. The new pack starts immediately so you can't buy it ahead of time to apply it on a future date. I bought monthly packs giving me 4Gb of data (plus free SMS and calls within Israel) which was fine. The card cost 30 shekels and the pack 50 shekels.

Getting to Dan (the northern end)

From the central bus station in Tel Aviv there are buses to Kiryat Shmona which take just a few hours. Some buses have USB charging ports above your head. Change in Kiryat Shmona for a bus to Kibbutz Dan.

When you leave the bus, walk to the centre of the village and find the shop. Not far away is a sports hall. You can camp there and use the facilities. Leaving Tel Aviv in the late morning we were in Dan just after dark.

Getting back from the end

This is not something you need worry about. Partly because there is so much else you need to deal with first and partly because by the time you reach this point you will have the entire country in your body and somehow you'll know exactly what to do and how to do it.

I met people on the trail that I stayed with near Eilat. Then caught a bus to Jerusalem where I stayed with other friends. Good things will happen to you too. I deliberately left side trips until I had finished the trail, on the basis that once I was "in the zone" I might as well stick with it until the end.

Leaving Israel

Unless you are going on (or back) to Jordan you will probably fly out of Tel Aviv. Very straightforward. Before check in there is a sign telling passengers to unlock their bags and I had two people question me about what I had done in Israel, who I had met and where I was going next. However once I confidently asserted that I had just walked the Shvil Israel I was immediately wished a safe journey and sent on my way. 

Despite a big beard the machine at immigration had no trouble recognising me. There were no stamps in my passport. Your entry and exit "stickers" are on bits of paper with a QR code which you scan at a barrier.