Eilat lies at Israel's southernmost tip. The sun always shines in Eilat (it rains about a half dozen days a year) and the average daytime temperatures rarely dip below 70°F, even in winter. During the summer, temperatures can soar well above 100°F and the water can feel almost like a Jacuzzi. Even in winter, the average daytime water temperature stays above 68°F.

The main attraction of Eilat is diving in the Red Sea, one of the world's most spectacular underwater preserves. You can see brightly colored coral and fish and may see everything from a venomous lion fish to a moray eel to a shark to a sea turtle to a manta ray. Even if you're not a diver, you can enjoy the magnificent coral reef from thesurface with a snorkel and mask or on a glass-bottom boat ride. If you're really a landlubber, there's the Coral World Underwater Observatory that lets you enjoy the wonders of the Sea as if it were anaquarium. One of the newer Eilat attractions is Dolphin Reef, where you can swim and dive with dolphins.

Less well known is the fact that Eilat is one of the best places in the world for bird watching. Approximately one billion birds traverse the area between the Mediterranean coast and the Jordan mountains, making southern Israel the site of one of the greatest concentrations of migrating birds in the world.

And there's plenty of activities outside the water, including rappelling on craggy cliffs of the desert mountains, hiking in the desert and mountain biking.

If the searing heat hasn't sapped all your energy, Eilat is also known as a great place to party at night with lots of restaurants, barsand nightclubs. It's also a good place to shop because the city is afree trade zone.

Learn more about Eilat.

Virtual Tour content provided by the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise(AICE). To find more information about the sites on our trip and general facts about Israel visit the Virtual Israel Experience at AICE's Web site.