Mount Karkom

Mount Karkom is one of the most mysterious and interesting sites in Israel, But also, one of the least known and most rarely visited.

Mount Karkom is a Table-Shaped mountain with an altitude of 840 meters ASL that rises very steeply, 200 meters above the surrounding landscape, and is clearly visible from afar. It is situated in a remote location in the Negev Desert in Israel and can be reached only on foot. But, reaching it on foot is not an easy task. First, you have to reach the desert town on Mitspe Ramon. From there you will need to drive an additional 80 Km. Most of the way is on rough dirt roads that can be managed only with a 4WD vehicle. From the foot of the mountain, it's a short but steep 5-10 Km hike to tour the mountain. To make it more difficult, the mount Karkom is located in the middle of an IDF training zone that is closed to the public most of the year. It is open for travelers on the Hanukah holiday (1 week in December), and on Passover (1 week in April). Given all these limitations, one can understand why even most Israeli's had never visited it.

I was lucky to visit it during a four days mountain bike journey from Mitspe Ramon to Eilat. During the 2nd day of the journey, we parked our bikes at the foot of the mountain and made a truly memorable hike to the summit …