The Eilat Mountains are a mountain range in the south of Israel surrounding the city of Eilat at the northern tip of the gulf of Akaba. The mountains are named after the nearby city and the biblical name of the city Eiloth, which was situated where today the city of Eilat is located. Most of the area is a natural reserve and offers some of the most breathtaking views and spectacular desert routes in all of Israel.
The most striking feature of the Eilat Mountains is the variety of rock formations and colors. The colors change radically from Black to White, Yellow, Red and purple, creating a festival of colors that cannot be found anywhere else. This color pallet is spread over craggy rock formations, some of which are very special. The 2 most famous ones that are certainly worth a visit are the Amram Pilars and the “Mushroom” in the Timna Park.
The highest peak is Mount Hezkitahu 838 ASL. The peak can be reach with car from road #12. From the Observation platforms you can see an amazing vista spreading over four countries: Israel, Jordan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
There are dozens of exciting hiking trails crossing the mountain range. The most famous one is the Red Canyon. It is an easy 5 km circular hike that passes a deep and narrow canyon carved into Red sandstone. In some sections the width is not more than a few feet and metal ladders assist the hikers to go down "natural slides" down the rocks.
