This year Passover brings a spirit of freedom and good weather - and also guarding attendants in the Negev parking lots courtesy of the local tourists association.
We take this opportunity to hike on one of the most beautiful hikes that have lots of interest points - cisterns, dry waterfalls, observation points, giant rock cracks, and a bit of a challenge for the one who fears heights.
We started our hike at Ein Yorkeam parking, on rout 206. According to archaeologists, in the byzantine age a stronghold was at the place of the parking spot but now one needs a great deal of imagination to see the remains.
From here a green colored trail leads to Ein Yorkeam that is an impressive cistern and as luck will have it - this year also full of water.
Byzantine times stairs are caved in the rock to lead to the cistern.
The cistern is located at the bottom of a dry waterfall, giving photogenic light and shade mixes.
We go back to the trail and cross Hatira wadi to the opposite bank, where a great view of the wadi bend is revealed to us.
After a kilometer we come to a giant horse shoe waterfall, where an amazing view of the wadi below is revealed.
On the right side of the bank, a very narrow and hard descent goes sharply over the chasm to the bottom of the waterfall.
As luck will have it, the road is equipped with a ladder and iron holdings that make the descent much easier.
This trail was first created by the "Palmah" forces that were seeking a way to go around the British patrols on the Mamshit Dead Sea road.
Looking up the cliffs we are amazed at the bravery of the men and woman who have opened the trail on this steep and almost non-passable cliff.
We continue with the trail up to the crossing of wadi Hatira and wadi Yamin, where we take the green trail to Yamin ascent.
The steep but comfortable ascent allows a great view from above on the wadies crossing and a view to the giant Yamin waterfall across the wadi.
After the ascent an interesting geological surprise, a crack in rock - a meter wide, that crosses the trail along the cliffs edge and forces us to jump over it.
We try to measure it's depth by throwing small stones into it, but we never hear the impact sound. apparently the crack continues all the way to the earth's core...
We continue along the Yamin wadi and soon hear children playing from afar, is it a "fata morgana" (desert hallucinations)? A quick crossing of the wadi bend reveals Yamin cisterns, full with water and creating chains of beautiful pools where a few families are playing.
After resting and swimming we continue with the trail to Yamin parking and from there due the lack of better transportation, back on the road on a small trek back to the car at Yorkeam parking
