Cool breezes and heavenly stars in Mitzpe Ramon

The summer is surprisingly pleasant at Mitzpe Ramon with a cool breeze in the early morning hours and evening. This night festival is an escape from the heat with plenty of activities for the whole family. With new places to stay such as Smart Hotels and some good options to eat, including Ultra Israeli and Caucasian Restaurant, why bother to drive all the way to Eilat?!

 

This astronomy event will take place at D-MARS compound at Ramon Crater and will include lectures, observations, 360° movies, and other events such as light circus performances, exhibitions and more. D-MARS complex is a field laboratory (one of 10 in the world) situated at Ramon Crater where research missions are performed to accumulate knowledge and experience in preparation for manned flights to Mars. It also serves as an educational facility showing the astronauts habitat and space technologies. When entering the festival area, visitors receive phone covers to reduce light disturbances (known as light contamination). The attractions are organized as stations, each offering a different activity.

It is best to the start with the Sky Dome tutorials. With the help of a green laser pointer, the experienced guides of the observatory will lead you on a spectacular trip across the desert sky. Get to know a little about the world of cosmic concepts, the lives of the stars and the vast distances that separate them, as well as our little corner, the solar system. Remember the Big Dipper (or the Wagon)? How to find Polaris? What is the Milky Way? It is a real joy to recap all this knowledge about our solar system and see it in real time!

The heart of the festival is the telescopes area designed for viewing the solar system with the largest mobile telescope in Israel. Here we can see the Moon, different planets such as Jupiter, Saturn with its rings (looked like a pita bread to me on the telescope) and other phenomena. You might want to be aware that because the Earth is spinning, the sky changes constantly, and the guides need to find interesting things and constantly adjust the telescopes.

There are scientific lectures for all ages in the fields of astronomy, cosmology, space photography and the future of humanity outside the Earth.

Field Planetarium features a 360-degree movie projection. In the evening, the film STARS, an introductory film on astronomy for the whole family, will be screened on the dome of the Platinum, and in the later hours, a variety of films on contemporary challenges in the world of science will be screened.

A tour of D-MARS the “Habitat” includes a look at where the astronauts live and provides familiarity with space technologies that allow us to explore and reach Mars and their equipment.

There is also a tribute exhibition to renowned star photographer Philip Bono.

In addition, there are light circus performances, arts-and-crafts activities for the little ones, a bonfire, and food and drinks available. Make sure you get your ticket in advance, and bring something warm to wear since it gets windy here at night.

Even Derech (road stone or milestone in a Hebrew pun) is quite like a motel, but of high quality. Situated on the upper floors of Even Derech Mall, it provides free parking and easy access to the nearby attractions. The hotel features the colors of desert: brown, beige and wood. The lobby has no windows yet it is modern, cool (well air-conditioned) and has soft lighting. I really liked the ambience as I entered – very relaxing and calm. The rooms are small, somewhat minimal but their décor is appealing, there are designers touch in every corner, from the lamps to the wood finish in the bathroom. The rooms are equipped with all amenities such as a TV, mini-fridge, safe, free WIFI, rain showers and toiletries.

We stayed in a room with a balcony. In the evening when the weather cools down, we sat, had coffee and watched the people coming and going from the mall. During the day we could watch the ibex naturally mowing the lawn.

There is no breakfast at Even Derech, only coffee at the lobby. The concept is like a motel. Situated in the mall, on the lower level, there are coffee shops such as Aroma, McDonald’s, supermarket etc. so there are plenty of options for breakfast.

We had breakfast at Ramon Suites, the other Smart Hotel at Mitzpe Ramon located less than a kilometer away. Ramon Suites is a full-service hotel. It is an all-suites hotel with studios and small apartments suitable for couples and families. The hotel has a small covered swimming pool, a back yard with mini-football and free bikes. It is situated a stone’s throw from the famous cliff promenade “Tayelet Ha’machtesh.”

Breakfast was very good. Ramon Suites has a small dining room with a rich buffet. The food was very tasty and included antipasti, cherry tomatoes, a variety of cheeses, shakshuka, and eggs made to order. Fruit buffet, dessert and fresh coffee were included.

We had lunch at Ultra, a family-run restaurant at the Spice Quarter. Shlomo, the owner, greeted us and took our order. He cooks the food himself and makes sure everyone is comfortable, including the little ones. The restaurant serves grilled meat and Caucasus specialties such as dumplings and Georgian rice.

The prices here are comfortable and the portions are huge. Portions are big enough for two to share one dish, although it is tempting to taste more of this food, so it is best to come with company and share. The meal starts with the house salads, all fresh and homemade. There were grilled boneless chicken thighs that were beautifully served on a large butcher block with flowers made of grilled tomato, pepper, eggplant and a side of fries. We also had incredible Caucasian rice that was made especially for us, and velvety potato dumplings. It’s a really special restaurant. Closed on Shabbat, as it is Kosher.