Six Senses Shaharut

The Negev Desert covers 60% of Israel’s land area but holds less than 10% of its population. At Shaharut, on a plateau above the Nahal Paran canyon, the emptiness is complete: horizon-to-horizon rocky desert, unobstructed sky, and a geological record of 600 million years visible in the exposed cliff faces. The Nabataeans — the ancient Arab civilisation that controlled the regional spice trade from roughly 400 BCE to 100 CE — built settlements and caravanserais throughout this landscape, and the UNESCO-listed Incense Route passes within kilometres of the property.

Six Senses interpreted the Nabataean heritage architecturally: the sixty villas are constructed from local sandstone in cliff-integrated configurations that reference the ancient structures, with private pools that appear to overhang the canyon. The aesthetic is simultaneously ancient and precise — the spa pavilions use traditional building materials in forms that are unmistakably contemporary. The signature Six Senses health programming (biohacking, sleep analysis, personalised detox) is available throughout.

The Negev is one of Israel’s designated dark sky reserves: on new moon nights, the Milky Way is visible from horizon to horizon, and the absence of any significant light source within 50 kilometres makes this genuinely extraordinary. The hotel’s astronomy programme includes guided stargazing with professional telescopes.

Hiking the Negev Highlands — the Israel National Trail, the Incense Route sections, and the nearby crater of Makhtesh Ramon (a geological feature unique to this region) — is the outdoor activity core. Eilat is 50 kilometres south, with international connections; Tel Aviv is 3.5 hours by road or 1 hour by domestic flight to Eilat then transfer.