Hi,
We were thinking of having a camping in desert during Passover. But realizing we can join Yuzik family and enjoy better camping food (for it is not Passover) we decided this weekend down in the desert. The location Lotz Cisterns (See Wikipedia article) in the Negev.
The place is isolated and near the Israeli- Egyptian border. Atzva got pretty nervous when she realized how far away we are. Each minute on the empty road she hold the car seat harder and harder. Until we got the night campsite and saw 30 cars and a bus… “Why there are some many people here?!” She cried.
But the camping site was quiet (no private electric generator was running to our surprise) and the stars were so bright for the distance from other places.
The day after we the 4km hike to Lotz Cisterns on the red trail. It was pretty intensive for the Mindal and Jannaeus, and so for us well.
The cisterns are on the start of the trail, if you go anti clockwise. We of course walked clockwise and only saw it in the end. It was better so we had the fun in the end, where we needed the motivation 🙂
The cisterns are probably from the Nabataean time. Those and the walls built on the streams around creating terraces allowed agriculture and life in the desert.
It isn’t clear were the name Lotz came from. Might be from Arabic to dirty water, or from the Arabic word for Almonds (Loz) although we did not see any. It might also come from an ancient Hebrew word for thieves as the area is near the border.
Take Care
Gad
In the end of the world – turn right
The campsite
The Poike – unconventional it was ready before time, by Atzva.
One of the many hiking trails going out of the campsite
A nice hill with a small hiking trail up
Jannaeus and Mindal have climbed it easily 
The campsite from above
The sunset from the hill
Elot stream from the hill
Our tents
The blooming flowers around the campsite
The terraces on one of the streams leading to the campsite
Going out to the hike – a bit on the blue and then left on the red all the back
Nabatian house
The huge Atlantic Pistacia in the middle of Elot stream. We were sure it has birds on it….
The Pistachio Orchard
The first Cistern we met
The second Cistern – Lotz Cisterns
Walking in the desert
Treshing floor
The second Cistern
Third Cistern
Keep walking in the desert
Open Cistern (5th)
6th Cistern
The twin Cistern (7th)
The central Cistern
The trail back to the campsite
The small Cistern (8th)