WHERE SHOULD ONE START? /WHICH DIRECTION SHOULD ONE GO?
The most common way is North to South and doing it this way has certain benefits:
a. The Northern part is easier and gives your body a better chance to get in shape, acclimatize and adjust to the trail life. The amount of water you need to carry is smaller and again it gives your body time to get stronger.
b. During the Spring (March, April) one will hike in a green landscape for the first half if not more. If hiked in the opposite direction, one could easily reach the north after mid-April, missing most of the flowers.
c. The finish line of Eilat is generally more rewarding than the region of Dan in the north. Eilat is a resort town filled with luxury hotels, which will likely be more relaxing and rewarding than Kibbutz Dan's, especially when contrasted to the desert that one is exiting.
d. There are many more villages and kibbutzes on the Northern part with more resupply possibilities. For most of the hikers it's the first long trail they have experienced and many mistakes are made with water, food and gear. These mistakes are much easier to ¨fix¨ on the Northern part of the trail. By the time one gets to the desert, important lessons on water and food quantities and gear should have been learned.
e. Expect however more rainy days in the north during March-April and consequently more delays.
South to North:
a. If one is hiking in the spring it makes more sense to hike the desert section before it gets too hot. Hiking in May in the desert is associated with more very hot days when one must stop the day's hike at about 10:00 and continue hiking in the afternoon, when temperatures drop.
b. There is a higher likelihood of experiencing desert floods after a heavy rain, which are beautiful. However, such rains and floods can also be dangerous. Floods are not very frequent in the desert section.
TIME TAKEN FOR A GOOD HIKER
The Israel National Trail is in a marked trail along 940 kilometers, crossing the nation of Israel from north to south. The trail is about 950 km (600 miles) long. For the average hiker, it should take from 40 to 60 days.
WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION?