Eilat Sightseeing: The Real Highlights
Sightseeing in Eilat
From the ridge above Coral Beach you can pick out four countries without moving your feet: Israel underfoot, Jordan’s Aqaba mountains east, Egypt’s Sinai southwest, and Saudi Arabia’s coastline across the water to the south. That view, from Mount Zefahot, is the single sight most worth planning a trip around.
A quick word on the current situation
Israel is at US State Department Level 3, “Reconsider Travel” (reissued 26 Aug 2026); Eilat city itself is not on the Level 4 do-not-travel list, only the narrow strip near the Egyptian border is. The UK FCDO lifted its blanket warning against travel to Eilat around June 2026 while still flagging Houthi drone and missile risk. Drones hit Eilat and Ramon Airport in September 2025, and the Israel-Iran ceasefire holding since April 2026 is described by both sides as fragile. Eilat keeps functioning as a normal resort city day to day, but check your government’s current advisory before you fly.
Mount Zefahot
The southern terminus of the 1,000km Israel National Trail, rising about 260 meters directly above Coral Beach. Go for sunset if you can; the light on the four-country panorama is the whole point.
King Solomon’s Pillars, Timna Park
Towering natural sandstone buttresses roughly 25km north, sculpted by wind and rain over millennia, sitting inside a 15,000-acre park that also holds an Egyptian temple to the goddess Hathor and copper mining shafts worked more than 6,000 years ago. A Timna Park jeep tour covers the pillars without you needing a rental car.
Red Canyon
A twisting, brilliant-red sandstone slot canyon 20km northwest via Route 12, its swirling red, pink, and white rock layers at their best in morning light.
The Underwater Observatory
A submerged viewing tower 6 meters below the surface with 360-degree views of living wild coral, the closest thing Eilat has to a window straight into the Red Sea without getting wet. The wider Eilat sightseeing listing turns up current Red Canyon and observatory options.
Flamingo Pools at IBRCE
The International Birding and Research Center sits on the northern salt flats near the Jordanian border, on one of the busiest migratory flyways on the planet: over 500 million birds pass through each spring and autumn, and the flamingo-filled salt pans against the red mountains are worth the detour even for non-birders.
Tips
- June through August, air temperatures hit 38-44°C. See Zefahot and Red Canyon at dawn or dusk, not midday.
- Bring binoculars if you’re stopping at IBRCE; the birds are real but distant.
- Basic Underwater Observatory tickets run 105 NIS for an adult and 85 NIS for a child, with the Aquadome-plus-coffee upgrade at 125/105 NIS, and the ticket stays valid for 3 consecutive days.
For trail maps and hours, see the Timna Park official site and the IBRCE official site for migration season dates.
If you only have one afternoon, take Zefahot over the observatory: the four-country view doesn’t repeat anywhere else on this trip, and the coral reef is easy enough to see for real at Coral Beach.
For a longer route that strings these sights into one trip, see day trips from Eilat .