Things to Do in Eilat: Israel’s Southernmost Tip Delivers

Eilat sits at the very bottom of Israel, where the Negev desert meets the Red Sea and Jordan is visible across the water. It is unlike anywhere else in the country – less about history and religion, more about sun, sea, and switching off. I visited Israel again, as part of the Where Else? Israel Tourism Conference which takes travel agents on a week-long tour of the country each year. Our southern circuit covered Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea, Masada, Eilat, and Jerusalem in seven days, and Eilat was the breath of fresh (hot) air in the middle of it all.

Dolphin Reef Eilat

Dolphin Reef sits on the shores of the Red Sea and is one of Eilat’s most visited attractions, and rightly so. What makes it different from most marine parks is that the dolphins here are not performing. They live in the open sea and choose whether or not to interact with visitors. That distinction matters.

Your entrance fee covers access for the full day, including the relaxation pools – three shallow pools right on the water, each with a different theme of calming underwater music. You float, the water team assists you, and someone gives you a massage. It is as good as it sounds. There is a VIP lounge above the pools, a restaurant, a café-bar, and a souvenir shop for when you eventually surface.

Later in the day we got to spend time near the dolphins themselves. Watching them move through the water on their own terms, without any performance cues, is genuinely moving. They also run programmes here for children with learning disabilities – the interaction is therapeutic in ways that are hard to explain until you see it.

A few resident cats and a peacock wander the grounds, which only adds to the feeling of being somewhere quietly wild. And from the upper levels, the view across to Aqaba in Jordan is beautiful.

You can book snorkelling on the coral reef or an introduction to scuba diving as add-ons. The Red Sea coral here is genuinely spectacular, one of the northernmost coral reefs in the world.

Information about Dolphin Reef Eilat:
Southern Beach, Eilat, Israel
Phone: +972- 8- 6300111
Website: dolphinreef.co.il
Open Sunday – Thursday 09:00-17:00
Friday-Saturday & Holidays 09:00-16:30
Closed on the Israeli National Memorial Day and Yom Kippur.
Kids below 15 yrs have to be accompanied by an adult.

Ice Mall Eilat

That evening we visited the Ice Mall – one of the few shopping centres in the world with an Olympic-size skating rink inside. In the desert. In Israel. We watched a skating and saxophone performance that was genuinely charming, and then had time to explore the mall itself.

I’ll be honest though: most of the shops were firmly in the “rich and famous” bracket, so I did more window shopping than actual shopping. But the food options are good: restaurants, coffee shops, and food stalls, and there are rides and games for families. It is also a VAT-free shopping zone, which matters if you are buying anything significant.

Ice Mall Eilat practical info:
8 Kampen St., Eilat, Israel
Phone: +972-8-6379552
Open Sun–Thu 9:30–23:00 | Fri 9:30–22:00 | Sat 9:30–midnight

Where to Stay in Eilat

We stayed at the Queen of Sheba Hilton, and the view of the sunset over the reef from my room was worth the trip on its own. Eilat has a wide range of accommodation options, from large resort hotels along the beach to smaller guesthouses, and most of the main attractions are within easy reach of the seafront.

More Things to Do in Eilat

Beyond Dolphin Reef and the Ice Mall, Eilat has a lot to offer. The coral reef itself is one of the main draws — the Red Sea here has some of the most accessible reef snorkelling in the world, with good visibility and water warm enough to swim in for most of the year. You can also book a diving experience directly on the water.

If you want to cross the border, a day trip to Petra and Wadi Rum is possible from Eilat — the border crossing into Jordan is straightforward and the journey is short. Worth knowing if you have an extra day.

You can also browse all Eilat tours and experiences on Viator, there is quite a range, from glass-bottom boat rides to jeep tours of the surrounding desert.

Getting to Eilat

Eilat has its own airport — Ramon Airport (ETM) — with domestic flights from Tel Aviv taking about an hour. Driving from Tel Aviv takes around four to five hours through the Negev. Most organised tours of the southern circuit include transport between stops.

More Israel Travel Posts

• Jerusalem: The Old City and Eternal City
• Visiting Masada: Israel’s Fortress in the Desert
• The Dead Sea: Floating at the Lowest Point on Earth
• Best places to eat in Jaffa
• Israel: A Biblical and Christian Summary