(Sergio)
between the mountains of Eilat,
there is an interesting place.
A place that is dry, desolate,
and yet, absolutely stunning.
♪ (music) ♪
This is so cool. I can't believe we're in Israel even.
This is like being in the Grand Canyon, but smaller.
A miniature Grand Canyon.
♪ (music) ♪
(Rhoda) This is such a cool road, because it goes by the border of Egypt,
and I love borders for some reason.
I just love them.
If you are going to visit the Red Canyon,
because of its remote location, we recommend to stay in Eilat.
And then, early in the morning, before it gets hot,
take a short 20-minute drive to the Red Canyon.
(Sergio)
It is so different than anything else in Israel.
And I'm looking through the window of this car,
and I'm seeing those mountains of Sinai,
and I can just feel them call our names for another hike...
but not this time, because today,
we are heading to the Red Canyon.
♪ (music) ♪
(Rhoda)
Basically, there's just some rocks that define the parking lot,
and that's it.
This canyon is not protected by the National Parks Authority,
so you will not find any buildings, restrooms, or fences.
Instead, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel
commissioned park rangers to clean and protect this canyon
while keeping it in its raw and untouched form.
(Sergio)
The color is different than the rock.
It's almost red or, like, I don't know... purple?
It's so cool.
So, this hike is actually a short section
of the river Shani.
This river starts all the way in Egypt, in the Sinai Mountains.
It crosses the border into Israel, and goes through the Eilat Mountains.
And we're doing just a small portion of it, right here.
(Rhoda)
this wasteland is home to some peculiar plants,
like the rare bean-caper plant and the shrubby saltbush,
which can be seen in abundance here.
The saltbush is an edible plant which is naturally salty.
Some believe this is the same plant that Job mentions in Chapter 30,
where he speaks about the sons of fools roaming the desolate wastelands at night
and plucking the saltbush for food.
(Sergio)
Water to be seen nowhere.
And I'm thinking... what if it rains somewhere far off
and all that rainwater comes gushing in here like a flood?
(Rhoda)
It gets so flooded that it would be impossible
to walk through this riverbed or the Red Canyon.
(water rushing)
Look at what I found.
How does she find 5 shekels in the middle of nowhere?
♪ (music) ♪
A dollar and a half.
You could buy a lot of things with 5 shekels.
You could buy a pack of gum.
I got 5 shekels!
You could buy a little milk.
You could buy... something.
So, it's pretty cool.
♪ (music) ♪
(Rhoda)
we arrive at the canyon.
(Sergio)
it does have a few spots where we have to climb down the steep walls.
Are you proud of me?
Maybe this should be Tarzan and Jane in Israel.
- (groans) - (Rhoda)
That was a muscle twister.
(snickers)
(Sergio)
they all say this is a family-friendly hike.
Good job, Tarzan.
(Sergio)
is kind of obvious.
The rock here is red,
and that's because it is a red sandstone rock.
(Rhoda)
Look.
It's like... Look.
(Sergio)
So, when the rainwater comes,
it is able to carve out, in this rock, a beautiful canyon.
But the bad thing is...
it crumbles easily.
So, if you try climbing it, it can be quite dangerous.
(Rhoda)
(Sergio) Once you get to the end of the canyon,
you don't have to go back.
You can just climb up...
and go on the straight path.
But this climb does look a little worrisome.
♪ (music) ♪
-
Babe.
I was so scared. My heart just dropped.
(Sergio)
(man)
(Rhoda)
and we had not the appropriate shoes.
If you've seen our videos before,
then you know that I don't really take high risks.
I gotta tell you, this was a pretty close call.
♪ (music) ♪
(man)
(Rhoda)
Oh, you also have worse... worse flip flops than mine.
- (woman 1)
(man)
- It's beautiful, actually. I like it. - (man)
(woman)
Let's do it again.
(woman)
(Sergio)
We can just keep going straight all the way back to the parking lot.
♪ (music) ♪
It is so beautiful out here.
I'm not ready to go back to the car just yet.
I'm thinking to climb up the mountain...
and check out the raw beauty of this place.
It's just so cool. It's like I'm not even on Earth.
Look at all these rocks.
It looks like Mars or something. I don't know.
Look at that black mountain behind me. Look at that.
♪ (music) ♪
I'll meet you down there.
- (Rhoda)
The land of Israel is so astonishing.
I mean, think how small it is,
and yet you've got all kinds of climates,
you've got different land features.
You've even got a canyon that you can walk through.
It is really incredible.
So, if you ever get a chance to visit Eilat,
I highly recommend to make a stop in this place.
Oh, yeah! [inaudible]
- (Rhoda)
♪ (music) ♪
- We hope you enjoy this video. - That's right.
And if you did, then... Well, you know what?
You know how all the YouTube channels say:
If you enjoy this video, then subscribe below.
But I feel like it's redundant.
If you like this video, you're gonna subscribe anyway.
And if you didn't like this video,
you're not going to subscribe even if we tell you to do so.
So, what's the point, right?
(whispers) Subscribe.
Subscribe.
(singsong voice) Subscribe.
(chuckles)
(Fifi growls)