Touring Israel in a Jeep
The excitement of seeing Israel on your own
Letter Excerpts:
“We rented a jeep. Today we are taking the jeep down South to the oil fields……. I met another American from the ZOA group who is staying in Israel after the group leaves. We are hiring a jeep here and an Israeli
who works in the
Heletz oil fields…”
“It was a real pleasure with the jeep, stopping wherever you wanted and staying wherever something looked interesting…”
— August 27, 1957, night
From its beginnings, EL AL proudly flew the Jewish star on the tail of its aircraft.
After the group tour finished, the author decided, with a friend, to go on a personal tour to other parts of Israel which they didn’t see with their group. Many of the places were not accessible by bus, so the boys decided to rent a jeep.
Back in 1957, there were no paved roads to Masada and thus, it was off limits to tourist buses.
While most of the roads in Israel are paved today, a jeep can still prove useful when exploring rugged areas like the Negev, Galil, Golan as well as Judea, and Samaria.
Bob Jacobs took his rented Israeli jeep for a ride to the south but got a flat tire in the middle of the desert road. Israeli soldiers stopped along the road to help him change the tire. Bob (standing) holds the Israeli soldier’s gun during the tire change.
In fact, jeep tours in Israel are one of the most amazing and unique ways to experience the country. There are a mass of trails only accessible to jeeps, with professional guides waiting to show you around.
Only in Israel does a day full of adventure on a jeep coincide with ancient history. There are historical sites such as the biblical site of Jericho, and the Qumran Davies where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.
Today the rental jeeps in Israel are much more dependable and are less likely to blow a tire in rocky terrain.
While back in 1957 a jeep was the only way to reach Masada, today, a jeep is the still the optimal way to experience the breathtaking scenery and diverse terrain that are not accessible on the highways and main roads of Israel.
Today, the “tractoron” is one of the favorite
self-driven vehicles tourists use
when touring the Judean Desert.