Bedouin Experience

The term Bedouin is traditionally used to describe the nomadic tribes of Israel. Over 200,000 Bedouins reside in the country. Most live in scattered villages across the desert, often in very precarious living conditions. There have been many issues that have caused conflict between the Bedouin and Israeli government, including land ownership rights and destruction of Bedouin villages.

Kfar Hanokdim is a popular tourist destination in the Judean desert. Its goal is to provide guests with some sense of an authentic desert experience, away from any civilization. There's no Wi-Fi either. However, it is quite literally in the middle of nowhere. For context:

After a long ride filled with the woes of motion sickness and nausea, my group reached Kfar Hanokdim. We were to spend the night here before a sunrise hike on Masada, camel rides, and visiting the Dead Sea.

Upon arriving, we were taken to our cabins. At first, I was bummed about not getting to stay in the tents and get the ~authentic~ experience. The cabins were pretty much like a hotel room, with a bathroom, heating/AC, electricity, etc. However, after hearing about the tent experience from friends who had visited in the past and seeing it with my own eyes, I realized that the group would most likely have gotten sick by sleeping in the cold desert weather. We did have a very hectic schedule ahead of us. Here's the cabin!

Next, we were treated to a feast which ended up being one of my favorite meals on the trip. Although I was getting tired of the constant pita, hummus, and Israeli salad spread, this meal came with a rich meat dish and mansaf (potatoes, lentils, rice, and stuffed vegetables). Absolutely amazing!

The night concluded with a talk with a woman from a Bedouin tribe. We were treated to traditional tea while listening to stories about the Bedouin way of life. One rule that stood out to me is how 1 woman is the equivalent of 7 men when it comes to the Bedouin court system.

The next morning, after hiking Masada (see other post), we went on camel rides, which I had been looking forward to for the entire trip. We had a lot of fun on the 30 minute ride in the surrounding desert. (Fun fact: camels don't store water in their hump - they store fat!)