Social Program

The tours require preregistration – please register in the link

Please note that the activities are subject to change upon weather conditions

🔹 Poster session & Beer – Tuesday Evening, February 5, 20:15
      To be held at Amihai hall after dinner.

🔹 Gala Dinner – 20:00, Wednesday, February 6, 20:00
      To be held at Ficus gardens
.

🔹 The conference will include a guided Sunrise tour at Masada:

  • The tour will take place on 06/02/2018, between 04:45-08:00. 
  • The shuttle will depart from the lobby area of the hotel at exactly 04:50.
  • Difficulty level – High level
  • The cable car opens at 8am – Thus, all those who will join the tour will have to climb the Masada Snake Path.
    You can use the cable car individually on your way down from the Masada – Tickets will be available for individual purchasing at the box offices on site.  
  • Please make sure to wear walking shoes and comfortable clothes.
  • Please note that even in February we have hot days in Israel, especially in the desert – so make sure to prepare ahead with sunscreen and hats for the trips.

Start your day with a sunrise climb of Masada, ascending to the top of the ancient fortress in darkness and gradually witness the lighting-up of the surroundings.
The Snake Path is a winding path which leads from the base of Masada to the summit.

The path is on the eastern side of Masada and takes you up 349.9 meters in altitude (1,148 feet). Because of the twists and turns in the winding path hikers cover about 2km while scaling the 400 cliff using more than 700 steps; The path itself is a combination of hard dirt, some loose rocks and 700 stone steps of varying sizes. The Masada Snake Path takes an hour to ninety minutes to climb, and thirty to forty minutes to descend.

Once reaching the top of the mountain, sit back, relax and take in the beauty of this extraordinary event. Climbing to experience sunrise at Masada is a unique experience that is so often embedded in the minds of visitors to Israel long after their trips here have finished. The sunrise at Masada is something special, and is often considered to be one of the world’s most impressive, with the slowness of the light emerging over the Jordanian Moab Mountains and the Dead Sea, quite spectacular.

Read more about The Masada Snake Path

Read more about The Masada Site

 

 

🔹 The conference will include a guided tour to Wadi David (Nahal David, David Waterfall):

  • The trip will take place on 05/02/2018, between 13:00-17:00. 
  • The shuttle will depart from the lobby area of the hotel at exactly 13:30.
  • Difficulty level – Easy level
  • Please make sure to wear walking shoes and comfortable clothes.
  • Please note that even in February we have hot days in Israel, especially in the desert – so make sure to prepare ahead with sunscreen and hats for the trips.

The Ein Gedi Nature Reserve offers over nine different hiking trails, suitable for everyone from family groups to experienced hikers, and lasting from just half an hour in length to a full day, some of the most popular hiking trails are those which head through Nahal David. There are two streams running through Ein-gedi, David and Arugot. The reserve hosts a variety of birds, reptiles, insects and mammals such as ibex and hyrex. 

The first section of the Nahal David Hike (the ‘lower section’) is a scenic hike from the Nahal David ticket office to David’s Waterfall. A circular walk, it’s a pretty walk which is expected to take no longer than 90 minutes  to complete.The trail is well marked and setting out from the ticket office, you enter the wadi. A wadi is a dry river stream in the desert, although here, due to the David Spring, there is water flowing. The contrast that the wadi provides in its lush green landscape, compared to the surrounding desert is the first astonishing thing you will notice. As you continue, you will soon reach the beautiful David’s Waterfall and the pools in which people will be refreshing themselves.
You can also make a short 10-minute trip from the ticket box to the waterfall and back.
The site is handicap accessible. 

 

 

🔹 Tour to Wastewater Treatment Plant (SHAFDAN) Visitor Center in Rishon Letzion

  • The trip will take place on 07/02/2018, after the workshop ends
  • The shuttle will depart from the lobby area of the hotel at exactly 13:00.

SHAFDAN is the Dan Region Wastewater Treatment Plant (SHAFDAN) in Rishon Le’tzion, located approximately 10 km south of Tel Aviv. The plant currently treats 370,000 m3/d of municipal wastewater from a population of over 2.0 million in the Greater Tel Aviv area.

It employs a unique solution to recycle wastewater for irrigating agricultural areas and greenhouses in the arid South of Israel. This includes the conventional secondary biological treatment following by polishing the secondary effluent in a series of rapid infiltration (RI) basins in the Yavne area.


Nearby Dead Sea Attractions   – Independently

Kalia beach:
A beach with black mud, canopies, lawns, toilets, wash-rooms, cloak-rooms, a snack bar, a cosmetics and gift shop. Entrance fee applies.
Open: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Seasonal changes).
Telephone: 02-9942391, Fax: 02-9942533.

Biankini beach:
(Siesta): A beach with cloak-rooms and toilets. Offers camping, black mud, lawns and a Moroccan restaurant. Entrance fee applies.
Open: 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Tel: 02-9400266, Fax: 02-9947303. Internet address – www.biankini.co.il

Kumera national park:
An archeological site with relics of the Essene sect that lived there. Entrance fee applies. The site is handicap accessible.
Open: October-March: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Fridays and Holiday eve: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Last entrance – one hour before above closing time.
Tel: 02-9942235, Fax: 02-9942235.

Einot Zukim (Ein feshcha) nature reserve:
Paddling pools, organized picnic areas and guided tours of the nature reserve. No access to the Dead Sea. Entrance fee applies.
Open: Weekdays, October-April: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Fridays and holiday eve: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Last entrance – one hour before above closing time. Guided tours on Fridays and Saturdays: 10:00 a.m. 12:00 noon, 2:00 p.m. Unnecessary to book in advance!
Tel: 02-9942355, Fax: 02-9947815.

“Ahava” visitor center:
“Ahava” is a worldwide expert in mineral skin care with a line of Dead Sea products.
Open: Sunday-Thursday: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Fridays and Holiday eve: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. Saturdays and Holidays: 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Tel: 02- 9945117/23, Fax: 02-9945122.

Metsokei dragot:
Rappelling tours, rappelling combined with lunch, rappelling courses, drummers` circle, jeep tours, meals and more.
Tel: 02-9944777.

Wadi Arugot (Nahal Arugot , Arugot stream):
Open: April-September: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., October-March: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. On Fridays and holiday eve: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Last entry – one hour before above closing time. As from October and during all winter months: last admission to Nahal Arugot: 2:00 p.m. Exit the nature reserves by 4:00 p.m. This is for reasons determined by the nature reserve.
Tel: 08-6584285, fax: 08-6520228.

Ancient synagogue:
Open: April-September: 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., October-March: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. On Fridays and holiday eve: 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Entrance by payment.

Ein Gedi botanic garden:
The botanic garden, open to individual and group tours, contains a diverse and rich number of plants that come from different continents and create a unique desert oasis. Entrance fee applies. The office is open every day between 8:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and on Fridays until 2:00 p.m.
For additional information, phone: 08-6584444.