Where to Sleep in Israel: Campsites & RV Overnight Spots
The best places to park up for the night by region, with prices, facilities, Hebrew names and one-tap directions, plus the rules that keep you legal and how to book, so you always know where you can comfortably stop.
One of the joys of a camper trip is choosing where you wake up. Israel makes this easy, with a network of campgrounds and overnight areas that reach from the Upper Galilee to the shores of the Red Sea. It also has clear rules about where you can and cannot stop, and knowing them keeps your nights relaxed and legal.
The rules, in short
Israel is welcoming to campers, but overnight stays are limited to designated places. Here is what matters most:
- No overnight stays inside national parks and nature reserves except at their organised campgrounds, after dusk, protected areas belong to the wildlife.
- Beaches are off-limits for camping unless a sign specifically permits it.
- Free "night-camping" sites (marked chanion layla) are legal and plentiful, mostly in the Negev, but usually have no facilities.
- Equipped campgrounds require booking, and many open only on certain days, always confirm before arriving.
Your three main options
Overnight spots in Israel fall into three broad types, and most trips mix all three.
- Equipped campgrounds, run by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA), the KKL-JNF forestry body, or private operators. These offer drinking water, toilets, showers, and sometimes electricity and RV facilities, for a modest per-night fee. They are reserved in advance, and note that dogs are not permitted at INPA campgrounds.
- Free night-camping sites, simple marked areas, concentrated in the desert. Expect no water, toilets, or lighting, so arrive fully self-sufficient. In return you get silence and extraordinary night skies.
- Private desert camps and RV areas, near towns, parks, and along popular routes, offering a middle ground of basic facilities and a fixed spot.
Campsites by region
A hand-picked directory for each region, with prices and phone numbers where we have them, the local Hebrew name to match road signs, and one-tap Waze, Maps and Photos links. Opening days and facilities change by season, so book ahead and confirm current details.
If you do one thing in a camper in Israel, make it a night on the Kinneret. It has the country's best cluster of full-hook-up beaches and the only reliable black-water dump points (at Duga). Stays are capped at 14 days. Prices and opening change by season, so call ahead to confirm.
Duga (דוגה)
Kinneret beachLocal name חוף דוגה
The camper hub of the lake: 37 pitches and the main black-water dump station on the eastern shore, with water, power, showers and a playground.
Gofra (גופרה)
Kinneret beachLocal name חוף גופרה
A popular eastern-shore beach with grassy hook-up pitches and a mini-market, good for swimming and easy lakeside nights.
Haon (האון)
Kinneret beachLocal name חוף האון
A southern-shore beach with hot showers and full hook-ups, quieter than the northern beaches and good for a longer stay.
Hukok North / Green Beach
Kinneret beachLocal name חוף חוקוק
A shaded north-western beach with hook-ups and WiFi, handy for the Galilee hills and Safed.
More Kinneret hook-up beaches worth a call: Kinneret Yarden, HaYarden Park and the Gamla lookout. Park-only (no hook-up) beaches include Halukim, Levanon, Kursi, Dugit, Amnon Bay and Berniki.
Horshat Tal
INPALocal name חורשת טל
A beautiful natural campground of shady lawns and flowing spring-fed streams beneath Mount Hermon, with full facilities and RV-friendly pitches. One of the best-equipped sites in the country.
Gan HaShlosha (Sakhne)
INPALocal name גן השלושה (הסחנה)
Camp beside famously warm, clear natural pools that stay pleasant year-round. Lawns, trees and easy swimming make it a favourite family stop in the lower Galilee.
Nahal Amud
INPALocal name חניון נחל עמוד
A streamside campground in a Lower Galilee canyon between Safed and the Sea of Galilee, with pools, shade and hiking straight from the pitch.
Kokhav HaYarden (Belvoir)
INPALocal name כוכב הירדן
A Crusader fortress perched high above the Jordan Valley, with some of the best sunrise views in the north and dark, quiet nights.
Yehiam Fortress
INPALocal name מצודת יחיעם
A green, low-key campground beside a Crusader-Ottoman fortress in the western Galilee hills, a good base for the Montfort and Keziv stream trails.
Akhziv
INPALocal name גן לאומי אכזיב
Camp right on the Mediterranean on the northern coast, with lagoons and beaches on your doorstep. A rare chance to sleep beside the sea legally. Note: the Parks Authority lists no electric hook-ups here and generators are not permitted, so you are on your own battery and solar.
Yarkon Sources (Mekorot HaYarkon)
INPALocal name גן לאומי מקורות הירקון
A green riverside campground near Tel Aviv with spacious lawns and a full field kitchen, a convenient first or last night close to the airport.
Beit Yannai Beach
PrivateLocal name חוף בית ינאי
A eucalyptus grove ten minutes' walk from the Alexander Stream and a long, uncrowded Mediterranean beach, one of the most pleasant coastal camps in the centre.
Ashkelon
INPALocal name גן לאומי אשקלון
Seafront lawns inside an ancient walled city on the southern coast, with Roman ruins, sand dunes and Mediterranean sunsets.
Ein Gedi
Field schoolLocal name עין גדי
Base at the Ein Gedi oasis, moments from the nature reserve's springs and waterfalls and the Dead Sea shore. The classic Dead Sea overnight. Confirm motorhome parking directly with the field school, as it is not one of the Parks Authority campgrounds.
Masada West Night Camp
INPALocal name חניון מצדה מערב
A sanctioned campground at the base of Masada's western approach, the ideal launch point for a sunrise ascent of the fortress.
Tel Arad
INPALocal name גן לאומי תל ערד
A vast Canaanite and Israelite city on the edge of the Negev, with wide desert horizons and star-filled nights.
Be'erot Campsite
INPA · Makhtesh RamonLocal name חניון בארות (מכתש רמון)
Camp on the floor of the Ramon Crater itself, ringed by desert cliffs. Basic facilities, wind-sheltered pitches, and some of the darkest, most star-filled skies you'll ever see.
Mamshit
INPALocal name גן לאומי ממשית
Beside a beautifully preserved Nabatean city on the ancient Incense Route near Dimona. Desert camping with real history on your doorstep.
Eshkol Park
INPALocal name פארק לאומי אשכול
Green lawns and a spring-fed pool in the western Negev (the Besor region), a surprising oasis, lovely in the spring wildflower season.
Negev night-camping sites
Free · chanion laylaAcross the Negev you'll find dozens of free, marked night-camping areas. They have no facilities, so carry water and take everything out with you. Check the access road before committing: many are gravel or dirt tracks that suit a 4x4 but not a low, heavy motorhome.
Timna Park
Private parkLocal name פארק תמנע
Camp among the copper canyons and rock arches of Timna, just north of Eilat, with a designated campsite inside the park. A striking desert base near the Red Sea.
Every rental includes our overnight and parking guide, matched to your route, with the right sites for each stop, their facilities, and booking notes. Tell us your dates and we'll map it out.
Plan your tripQuick answers
Can you sleep in a campervan anywhere in Israel?
No. Use designated campgrounds and night-camping areas. Overnight stays inside national parks and nature reserves are not allowed, and beach camping is prohibited unless signed.
Can you camp for free?
Yes, at marked free night-camping sites, mostly in the Negev. They are basic with no facilities, so arrive self-sufficient. Equipped campgrounds charge a modest nightly fee.
Do you need to book in advance?
Equipped INPA campgrounds require a reservation through their website, and many open only on certain days. Book ahead on weekends and holidays, and confirm opening before arriving.
Are there water and dump stations?
Equipped sites have drinking water, toilets, and showers, and larger ones have RV facilities. The most reliable black-water dump points are on the Sea of Galilee at Duga. Refill and empty at equipped sites before heading into remote desert areas.