The place to hike is Ein Avdat Nature Reserve; if you peer over the canyon rim you’ll see it at the southern end (to your right) where the gorge narrows. It’s a 45-minute walk from the Ben Gurion Institute gate, down the road into the canyon to the lower parking lot, which is the entrance to the reserve. From there you’ll want a couple of hours to explore the incredible canyon of Ein Avdat, with its cold pools, towering walls, and rich wildlife. The nature reserve can also be reached from the highway between Sdeh Boker and Mitzpeh Ramon. Take bus ^60 10km out of town, and have the driver drop you at Ein Avdat trailhead (not the Avdat archeolog-ical site). From here a staircase hewn into the cliff wall plunges you into the canyon.