Backpack & Budget : Israel Adventure Programs Focus on Eilat

Each year, the Youth Hostel Assn. of Israel offers visitors a variety of guided and “go-on-your-own” packages combining transportation by public bus or rental car with accommodations, good at any of Israel’s 31 youth hostels. New for next year are one-week leisure and adventure programs starting from Eilat.

Israel’s southernmost city, Eilat is in a strategic location on the Red Sea. The Israelites stopped here on their way back to the Promised Land from Egypt. The Queen of Sheba landed here on her way to visit Solomon in Jerusalem. In the 12th Century, the city was conquered by Crusaders.

Eilat attracts visitors for its resort-style amenities. Travelers make the five-hour bus ride from Tel Aviv to swim and snorkel in the Red Sea and to enjoy the night life. Taba, an Egyptian border town, is about a mile south.

The “Eilat at Leisure” package includes seven nights’ accommodations, with breakfast and dinner, at the Eilat Youth Hostel, plus a half-day guided Jeep safari and a Red Sea cruise with stops for swimming and snorkeling (lunch included). The cost is $260. Expect to share dormitory accommodations at the youth hostel.

For more flexibility, there is the “Eilat Special,” which includes five nights with breakfast and dinner at the Eilat Youth Hostel, an air-conditioned rental car for three days, and two nights with breakfast and dinner at any of Israel’s 30 other youth hostels. Cost: $265 per person (two person minimum).

The Israel Youth Hostel Assn. is also offering packages from Eilat into the Sinai Desert and to Cairo. At present, you don’t need an Egyptian visa for a short Sinai tour (passports must be surrendered at the border), but it’s always wise to check for changes.

You will need an Egyptian visa for Cairo, however, and the Israel Youth Hostel Assn. advises that you obtain it before traveling abroad. Border taxes (approximately $20) are not included in tour rates.

A seven-night “Eilat Vacation” package, which includes four overnights with breakfast and dinner at the Eilat Youth Hostel, plus a four-day Sinai safari (including all meals), costs $380. During the camping safari, participants have the opportunity to climb Mt. Sinai and visit St. Catherine’s Monastery. You can begin the package any day of the week.

A seven-night “Sinai High Range” adventure package, which includes rugged hiking while camels carry your luggage, is available for $420. The package begins on Sundays with a night at the Eilat Youth Hostel. Guides, meals and camping equipment are provided.

For independent travelers, the Youth Hostel Assn. of Israel also offers car-rental holidays with hostel accommodations, and “Israel on the Youth Hostel Trail” packages, which offer travelers the freedom to explore in any direction they choose.

The popular “Youth Hostel Trail” packages include seven nights’ accommodations with breakfast and dinner at any of the 31 youth hostels in Israel, plus a seven-day bus pass and a travel kit with maps and information. The cost is $290.

Longer versions of the package, which include passes to visit the 31 national parks in Israel, are available. The 14-day “Youth Hostel Trail” package is $560; 21 days costs $785, and 28 days are $1,020.

All prices quoted are valid from March 1, 1994, to Feb. 28, 1995.

For information on packages available before March 1, or for more details on the deals mentioned above, contact Israel Youth Hostels, Youth Travel Bureau, P.O. Box 1075, Jerusalem 91009, Israel; telephone from the United States 011-972-2252-706, fax 011-972- 2250-676. Or make inquiries at the Tel Aviv Youth Hostel, on the banks of the Yarkon River at 36 Rehov Bnei Dan.

Two good resources are “Let’s Go: Israel and Egypt” ($16.95, St. Martin’s Press) and “Israel--A Travel Survival Kit” ($16.95, Lonely Planet).