Drylands, Deserts and Desertification: The Route to Restoration


Travel & Transportation

Travel

The Organizers of the Drylands, Deserts & Desertification Conference 2010 are planning to have the following coaches available, from the Airport-Tel-Aviv to the conference venues in Sde Boqer.
  • Sunday morning 10 am from Airport/TA, via short tour of Jerusalem, to Sde Boqer (arrival at 8 pm)
  • Sunday Afternoon, 4 pm from Airport/TA, to Sde Boqer (arrival at 6-6:30 pm)
  • Sunday Evening, 8 pm from Airport/TA, to Sde Boqer (arrival at 10 pm)
  • Sunday late night, 23:00 from Airport/TA, to Sde Boqer (arrival at 01:00 am)
  • Monday morning, 06:00 from Airport, 06:45 from TA, 8:00 from Beer-Sheva, to Sde Boqer (arrival at 8:45 am)
  • Tuesday morning, 06:00 from Airport, 06:45 from TA, 8:00 from Beer-Sheva, to Sde Boqer (arrival at 8:45 am)
  • Thursday morning, 07:00 from Dead-Sea to to Sde Boqer (arrival at 8:45 am)
On the way back from Sde Boqer, the following coaches shall be available:
  • Thursday afternoon, 3 pm to Beer-Sheva (arrival at 3:45 pm), Airport/TA (arrival at about 5:30 pm)
  • Thursday evening, 7:45 pm to Beer-Sheva (arrival at 8:30 pm), Airport/TA/Jerusalem (arrival at about 10:30 pm)
  • Monday evening, 7 pm to Beer-Sheva Central Bus Station / Railway Station (arrival at 7:45 pm)
  • Tuesday evening, 6:30 pm to Beer-Sheva Central Bus Station / Railway Station (arrival at 7:30 pm)
Please review and reserve a seat, using the form below, if you are interested in joining.

The coaches listed below depend on a minimum number of participants. Please make sure you receive a confirmation e-mail until 1 week before the conference.

Please let us know if you need an alternative time, by choosing "other" .For those arriving by plane, we have also included a question on your flight details.

Click here for form

International Arrival:
The nearest airport is Ben-Gurion Airport (near Tel-Aviv, and coded TLV) in Israel. The airport is situated about 2 hours drive north of the Sede Boqer campus.
For participants arriving from Sunday afternoon (12 pm on the 7th) until Monday morning (5am on the 8th), there will be conference representatives awaiting your arrival at Ben Gurion International airport to help shuttle you to your hotels/conference venues upon arrival. They will hold signs saying "Drylands, Desert & Desertification Conference".
Please be sure to inform the organizers of your itinerary, including flight number and expected arrival time.

Some general tips for international arrivals:
  • If you are flying El Al to Israel be prepared for a great deal of additional security from the airline employees, and occasionally to have to submit to a search of your belongings. Be sure to arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare.
  • Make sure you have all your paperwork lined up before you prepare to pass through customs. In contrast to its reputation, Israel is actually a safe country, but that's because Israelis take national security very seriously; please answer all the officials' questions honestly and concisely. Make sure that they are aware that you are traveling to meet a group and are participating in a conference at Ben Gurion University.
  • For participants arriving on Saturday morning, Friday or even earlier, we recommend spending the time in the Tel Aviv or Jerusalem area (using the inter-city bus system is an easy way to get around) and/or joining a number of regular day trips starting from these major cities (see section on pre-post conference tours for more details). You may then board a conference bus either on Sunday evening or Monday early morning (exact details will be provided upon request and pre-registration).

Local Transportation from the airport/Tel-Aviv to Sede Boqer campus:
Depending on the time of arrival, several modes of transportation are available from the airport, either through Be'er Sheva (by bus, train or taxi) or directly to Sede Boqer (via taxi).
  • By conference bus:
    A conference bus/minibus will be available to take participants to the Sede Boqer campus at no cost for those arriving between Sunday, Nov. 7, 2010 at noon and Monday, Nov. 8, 2010 at 5am (2-3 departure times within this time frame).
    Exact times will be published during October 2010.
  • By Bus to Beer Sheva/ Sede Boqer:
    Those arriving at the airport anytime other than between Friday afternoon and Saturday evening (the local Weekend), can take bus number 475 from the airport to the Central Bus Station (in Hebrew: Takhana Merkazit) in Tel-Aviv.
    From there take bus number 370 to Beer Sheva. Alternatively, bus number 222 from the airport takes you to the Tel-Aviv train station (Arlozorov station). From there number 380 goes directly to Beersheva. Either way, the journey takes 2-2.5 hours.
    Once a day there is a bus (number 391) that goes directly from the Central Bus Station in Tel-Aviv to Sede Boqer. It leaves Tel-Aviv at 14:45 on Sundays through Thursdays, and at 13:30 on Fridays.
  • By Train to Beer Sheva:
    Train transportation is available to Beer Sheva.
    The Israel Railway site is: http://www.israrail.org.il/english/.
    There is usually 1 train an hour (usually leaving Tel-Aviv Merkaz station a few minutes after the hour) and the journey takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes. You need to get off at the second (and last) Beer Sheva station: Beer-Sheva Merkaz, and NOT at the Ben-Gurion University station.
  • By bus from Beer Sheva to the Sede Boqer campus:
    In Beer Sheva central bus station, take bus number 060 (platform 13, Metropolitan buses), asking for Midreshet Ben Gurion (this is where the Sede Boqer Campus is located). The journey takes about 50 minutes.
    Please make sure to get off at the "Midrasha" and not at the "Sede Boqer" station, which is 5 km. north of campus...
    The No. 60 local bus operates at a rate of about a bus per hour (sometimes more)… The last number 060 bus leaves Beer Sheva for Sede Boqer at approximately 23:00.
  • By Taxi to Sede Boqer campus:
    You can take a taxi directly to Sde Boker, Mashabei Sade (for about 100 $) or Yerukham. Please confirm price before departing the airport to avoid any misunderstandings.



General Tips

  • Packing Suggestions: There are several out-door activities planned throughout the course of the conference. Therefore, please be sure to pack a pair of decent walking shoes, a swimming suit, a hat and warm cloths.
  • Weekends in Israel: The weekend in Israel begins Friday and goes through Saturday and most facilities would be closed during the weekend, in particular in peripheral areas. Thus, if you are arriving on Friday/ early Saturday, we suggest spending the night in Tel-Aviv. There will be a conference bus taking participants from the airport, via Beer-Sheva to the conference venues, both on Sunday afternoon and Monday early morning. If you do decide to arrive to your hotel during the weekend, please remember that there are no restaurants open at these times in any of these locations. Therefore, if you plan to stay in any of these locations, it is recommended to get some basic supplies to keep you through the weekend, or make suitable arrangements with your hotel.
  • Accompanying Non-participants: There will be on-site activities available for people accompanying conference participants; including, day trips to the local desert area and beyond, bike rental and arts activities. However, please feel free to attend any of the conference proceedings. You are welcome to enjoy them!
  • Please note that there are no banking services at Sede Boker.
  • Sede Boker is a small and isolated campus. Clothing is extremely informal. Entertainment is limited. You may well find it useful to bring with you a supply of reading matter, although we intend to keep you busy during the conference.



Visas

Israel has agreements for the abolition of visa requirements with over 60 countries. For all other countries, a VISITOR'S VISA should be pre-arranged to enter Israel. The process of obtaining this visa takes at least several weeks, and therefore should be started as soon as possible at the nearest Israeli mission.

All participants, including sponsored participants, are responsible for making their own visa arrangements.

For a list of Israeli Missions worldwide and to find out whether you require a Visa- click here.

Please note that, if a visa is necessary, the applicant is often required, in addition to filling up a formal application form (hyperlink to form), to present some proof of funds, copy of round-trip plane tickets, and other guarantees. For more details, please contact the Consular Section of the nearest Israeli mission.

The conference organizers will be happy to provide an official letter confirming your attendance at the conference to assist in the process of obtaining a Visa, provided that you have fully registered and (if applicable) that you received confirmation on acceptance of your abstract(s) from the academic committee.