City Description:
Mitzpe Ramon is in the Negev Desert of southern Israel and is situated on the edge of the Ramon Crater; the largest natural crater in the world. Her landscape and scenery have turned her into a center of tourism and desert experience. Mitzpe Ramon was established in 1956 as a camp for workers paving the road to Eilat and later became a permanent settlement. In 1964 Mitzpe Ramon was declared a Local Council and is home to approximately 4,500 residents.
Mitzpe Ramon has the only astronomical observatory in the country. The Wise Observatory is owned and operated by Tel Aviv University and has a one meter diameter telescope; it is located five km west of the city.
Culture:
Located in the city is the Har Hanegev Field School, one of the largest Llama and Alpaca Farms in the world, a Visitors Center overlooking the Ramon Crater and the Mitzpe Ramon Hotel and indoor swimming pool. In recent years a growing interest in Mitzpe Ramon has begun; attracting ecotourisim, hiking, cycling and jeep trekking as well as a new wave of artists arriving from all over the country who have begun discovering the unique charm of Mitzpe Ramon and establishing new communities there.