Bedouin towns and villages sit an hour or less from Be'er Sheva, Mitzpe Ramon, Nazareth and Akko, so a Bedouin day fits easily into a trip around Israel. Below are three one-day routes, the Bedouin hosts and craft centres we could confirm from published sources, and every Bedouin town in the Negev (17) and the Galilee (13).
Most hosts are families who work by booking, not walk-in restaurants: call ahead, dress modestly, and expect coffee before anything else.
Updated:
Three one-day routes
1. Northern Negev: crafts, museum and Rahat
From Be'er Sheva or Tel Aviv, by car
Three stops within about 12 km of each other. Public transport between them is limited, so drive or hire a taxi for the day.
Morning
Joe Alon Center – Museum of Bedouin Culture
📍 Lahav, northern Negev
Museum of Bedouin life with a hospitality tent where visitors sit with a local Bedouin host over coffee.
Late morning
Sidreh – Lakiya Negev Weaving
📍 Lakiya
Bedouin women's weaving centre, running since 1991: watch rugs being woven from hand-spun wool and, for a small fee, try it yourself.
Midday
Desert Embroidery
📍 Lakiya
Women's embroidery project founded in 1996; the workshop doubles as a visitors' centre for traditional Bedouin motifs. Village roads are unsigned, so call ahead.
Afternoon
Rahat
Late lunch and the town market in Rahat, Israel's largest Bedouin city.
Open the guide
2. Negev Highlands: desert hike and a Bedouin tent
From Mitzpe Ramon or Sde Boker
Hike in the morning, then spend the afternoon and evening with a Bedouin host on the Tents Route. Choose one host and book ahead; the hosts are families, not restaurants.
Morning
Mitzpe Ramon
A morning walk on the Ramon Crater rim, or a hike in the Zin Valley near Ein Avdat.
Open the guideAfternoon
The Tents Route (Derech HaOhalim)
📍 Negev Highlands, between Sde Boker and Mitzpe Ramon
Network of Bedouin family hosts started in 2018 in Ramat Tziporim, Abde, the Nahal Hava triangle and Nahal Aricha: traditional meals, coffee and tea, workshops, or a walk with a shepherd.
Evening (option 1)
Salem's Tent
📍 Negev Highlands, near Nahal Hava, Nahal Havarim and Ein Avdat
Bedouin hospitality after a desert hike: herbal tea and Bedouin coffee by the fire and a meal made on site, in tents for groups of up to 15 or 30.
Evening (option 2)
Salman Sadan's hospitality tent
📍 Negev Highlands, near Ein Avdat and Nahal Hava
Bedouin hospitality with bread baked on the saj and a traditional Bedouin meal, with views of the desert mountains; a stop after hiking in the Zin Valley.
3. Galilee: Mount Tabor to Mount Kammon
From Nazareth, Haifa or Akko, by car
Three Bedouin hosts across the Lower and Western Galilee. All of them work by booking, so call each one before you set out.
Sunset and dinner
Al E'in Tent
📍 Kamanneh, on Mount Kammon (Western Galilee)
Run by Eid and Ekhlass Sawaid: coffee ceremony, Bedouin or kosher meals, overnight tent stays and a walk to the village spring. Book ahead.
Bedouin hosts, museums and craft centres
Negev
Joe Alon Center – Museum of Bedouin Culture
📍 Lahav, northern Negev
Museum of Bedouin life with a hospitality tent where visitors sit with a local Bedouin host over coffee.
Sidreh – Lakiya Negev Weaving
📍 Lakiya
Bedouin women's weaving centre, running since 1991: watch rugs being woven from hand-spun wool and, for a small fee, try it yourself.
Desert Embroidery
📍 Lakiya
Women's embroidery project founded in 1996; the workshop doubles as a visitors' centre for traditional Bedouin motifs. Village roads are unsigned, so call ahead.
The Tents Route (Derech HaOhalim)
📍 Negev Highlands, between Sde Boker and Mitzpe Ramon
Network of Bedouin family hosts started in 2018 in Ramat Tziporim, Abde, the Nahal Hava triangle and Nahal Aricha: traditional meals, coffee and tea, workshops, or a walk with a shepherd.
Salem's Tent
📍 Negev Highlands, near Nahal Hava, Nahal Havarim and Ein Avdat
Bedouin hospitality after a desert hike: herbal tea and Bedouin coffee by the fire and a meal made on site, in tents for groups of up to 15 or 30.
Salman Sadan's hospitality tent
📍 Negev Highlands, near Ein Avdat and Nahal Hava
Bedouin hospitality with bread baked on the saj and a traditional Bedouin meal, with views of the desert mountains; a stop after hiking in the Zin Valley.
Galilee
Al E'in Tent
📍 Kamanneh, on Mount Kammon (Western Galilee)
Run by Eid and Ekhlass Sawaid: coffee ceremony, Bedouin or kosher meals, overnight tent stays and a walk to the village spring. Book ahead.
Bedouin towns in the Negev (17)
Rahat
Rahat is an Arab Bedouin city in the Southern District of Israel. In 2024 it had a population of 77,997.
Tel Sheva
Tel Sheva or Tel as-Sabi is a Bedouin town in the Southern District of Israel, bordering the city of Beersheba. In 2024, it had a population of 24,782.
Hura
Hura, or Houra is a Bedouin town in the Southern District of Israel. It is located near Beersheba and beside the town Meitar.
Lakiya
Lakiya or Laqye is a Bedouin town in the Southern District of Israel. In 2024 it had a population of 19,362.
Kuseife
Kuseife or Kseifa is a Bedouin town organized as a local council in the Southern District of Israel. Kuseife was founded in 1982 as part of a government project to plan and build towns for Negev Bedouins.
Ar'arat an-Naqab
Ar'arat an-Naqab or Ar'ara BaNegev, previously called Aro'er, is a Bedouin town in the Southern District of Israel. Its name stands for "the juniper tree in Negev".
Shaqib al-Salam
Shaqib al-Salam or Shqeb as-Salam, official Hebrew name Segev Shalom, is a Bedouin town and a local council in the Southern District of Israel, southeast of Beersheba. In 2024 it had a population of 16,736.
Abu Talul
Abu Talul is a Bedouin township in southern Israel. Located in the Negev desert around ten kilometres east of Beersheba and to the south of highway 25, it falls under the jurisdiction of Neve Midbar Regional Council.
Abu Qrenat
Abu Qrenat is a Bedouin village in southern Israel. It's located in the Negev desert, south of Highway 25, between the village of Abu Talul to the west and the Al-Talma mountain ridge to the east.
Bir Hadaj
Bir Hadaj is a Bedouin agricultural town located in the Negev desert, near Revivim, Israel. In 2024 its population was 2,899.
Kukhleh
Kukhleh is a Negev Bedouin village in southern Israel. Located between the Bedouin towns of Hura and Kuseife, it falls under the jurisdiction of al-Kasom Regional Council.
Makhul
Makhul is a Bedouin village in the Negev desert in southern Israel. Located near Tel Arad, it falls under the jurisdiction of al-Kasom Regional Council.
Mulada
Mulada, also known as Sa'wa, is a Bedouin village in the Negev desert in southern Israel.
Umm Batin
Umm Batin is a Bedouin village in southern Israel. Located in the northern Negev desert, 12 km northeast of Beersheba and adjacent to the highway 60, it falls under the jurisdiction of al-Kasom Regional Council.
Tirabin al-Sana
Tirabin al-Sana, also Tarabin, is a Bedouin village in the Negev desert in southern Israel. The village was built for the Tarabin tribe.
Qasr al-Sir
Qasr al-Sir is a Bedouin village in the Negev desert in southern Israel, adjacent to highway 25. The village covers 4,776 dunams.
Al-Sayyid
Al-Sayyid or al-Sayed is a Bedouin village in Israel. Located in the Negev desert between Arad and Beersheba and just south of Hura, it falls under the jurisdiction of al-Kasom Regional Council.
Bedouin towns in the Galilee (13)
Basmat Tab'un
Basmat Tab'un is a Bedouin town in the Northern District of Israel. In 2024 it had a population of 8,268.
Shibli–Umm al-Ghanam
Shibli–Umm al-Ghanam is an Arab Bedouin town at the foot of Mount Tabor in Israel's Northern District. Originally called Arab al-Subayh, In 2024 it had a population of 6,476.
Tuba-Zangariyye
Tuba-Zangariyye or Tuba al-Zanghariyya is a Bedouin town in the Northern District of Israel. Located in the Korazim Plateau, it achieved local council status in 1988 It was formed by the merger of two villages, Tuba and al-Zangariyye.
Zarzir
Zarzir, also known as Beit Zarzir, is an Arab local council located 10 kilometres west of the city of Nazareth in the Northern District of Israel. The residents are primarily Bedouin, made up of five Bedouin tribes, Mazarib, Grifat, Haib, Jawamis, and Eyadat.
Bir al-Maksur
Bir al-Maksur or Beer el-Maksura is an Arab Bedouin local council in the Northern District of Israel located 15 kilometres north-west of Nazareth. In 2024 its population was 11,068.
Kamanneh
Kammaneh is a Bedouin village in northern Israel. It is the result of the merger between Sawae'd and Kamun.
Arab al-Na'im
Arab al-Na'im is a Bedouin village in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee near Karmiel, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council.
Arab al-Aramshe
Arab al-Aramshe officially Aramsha, is a Bedouin village located in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel, straddling the Israel–Lebanon border, approximately five kilometers south of the Lebanese border fence…
Dmeide
Dmeide is a Bedouin village in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee near Kafr Manda, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council.
Rumat al-Heib
Rumat al-Heib is a Bedouin village in northern Israel. Located near Nazareth in the Lower Galilee, it falls under the jurisdiction of the al-Batuf Regional Council.
Khawaled
Khawaled or al-Khawled is a Bedouin village in northern Israel. Located near Nofit, it falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council.
Sallama
Sallama is a Bedouin village in northern Israel. Located in the Galilee near the Tzalmon Stream, it falls under the jurisdiction of Misgav Regional Council.
Ibtin
Ibtin is a Bedouin village in northern Israel. Located in the Lower Galilee around half a kilometre from Kfar Hasidim, it falls under the jurisdiction of Zevulun Regional Council.
Questions travellers ask
- Do I need to book a Bedouin hospitality visit?
- Yes. The hosts on this page are families and small centres that prepare for each group; call or message before you go.
- Can I do a Bedouin day without a car?
- Hardly. Public transport between the Bedouin towns and hosts is limited; drive or hire a taxi for the day.
- Where does the information on this page come from?
- Town facts come from Wikipedia and each business links the article or tourism page it was taken from. We do not list prices or opening hours that no source gives.