The Middle Section

This section follows the left (western) bank of the stream for 13 km. Beside the track, a Recreation Area has been built, there are lookouts and historic sites. The track borders cultivated fields. The banks of HaBesor Stream are part of a nature reserve and therefore the road, for the most part, keeps its distance from the reserve.The track is marked with red trail markings.

Southern entrance: At Maon Junction (north of Kibbutz Magen) turn eastward off Road 232 toward Ofakim (Road 241). Proceed for one kilometer and turn left on the dirt road.

North entrance: Through a dirt road branching eastwards opposite Gama Junction (Road 232), next to milestone 35. Due to the white road striping, entry is only permitted for those approaching from the south. HaBesor Stream near where the Yarkon Negev water pipeline crosses it

The Pipe Bridge on the stream's west bank

The Middle Section - Attractions

Ya'ar Ma'arach HaMilu'im (Reservists Forest) - the road that runs along the water pipe of the Yarkon-Negev pipeline and the SHAFDAN, which is buried, passes through the Reservists Forest.
The first trees were planted during the British Mandate. KKL-JNF has subsequently added many more trees. At the northern end of the forest is a Recreation Area dedicated to Yaakov Harari, who developed the peanut farming industry in HaBesor Region.
Picnic tables and a drinking water spigot are available in the Recreation Area.

Gemila Stream Pond - the pond, which is surrounded by canes and tamarisks, is at the confluence of Gemila Stream (Wadi Jamila) with Besor Stream. Apparently, a reservoir was dug here already during the Byzantine era. That reservoir was renovated along with other reservoirs during World War I to serve the British cavalry. Past mining of pebbles for the aquifer's groundwater assures a steady supply of water for the pond. M4 - the two barrels mounted one on top of the other and painted black and white bear the Latin letter M and the number 4. These barrels mark the start of modern mapping in Israel, which began in 1921. The method was based on triangulation - measuring triangles, where the surveyors marked the triangles' vertex, which are referred to as triangulation stations, or trigs, in short. Trig M4 belongs to the vertex of the second triangle in the British survey.

Shai Lookout - commemorating Shai Dayan, rises to an altitude of 90 meters above sea level, but just a few meters about the western bank of HaBesor Stream. Nevertheless, this unpretentious observation point provides a sweeping view of the region between Gaza and Beer Sheva, to the Judean Foothills and the Hebron Mountains.

The Large Tamarisk - a large tree, whose canopy forms an expansive tapestry of branches and twigs. Tamarix aphylla, as it is known among botanists, is adapted to survival under extremely arid and saline conditions. It was therefore widely planted throughout the Western Negev. Beneath its branches is a pleasant resting corner.

Nirim Reservoir Observation point - the small deck overlooks the reservoir, built by Kibbutz Nirim in the 1970s as a buffer reservoir collecting floodwaters from HaBesor Stream. Adjoining the reservoir is a crossroads. Private cars (not buses) can descend the twists and turns toward Be'er Dekalim (Well of the Palms).

Be'er Dekalim - two tall palm trees, a handsome sycamore, a wellhouse and a pool, form a picturesque spot. The well is what remains from the village of Abu Baqara ("Cow Owner"), or perhaps Abu Bacra (Owner of the Female Camel). The small village consisted of about ten houses, spread out from one another. It was built of lumps of kurkar and pebbles mixed into mud bricks.