3 Best Sights in Eilat and the Negev, Israel

Just west of Mitzpe Ramon you'll find this farm and its herd of 200 sweet-faced alpacas and llamas. Young and old get a kick out of feeding the animals, even if they receive the occasional spit in the face from these long-lashed creatures. Children weighing less than about 55 pounds can take a llama ride, and grown-ups can enjoy horseback rides. You can also weave wool on a loom, purchase items at the local factory, and enjoy a picnic on the grounds. The shearing festival, which takes place around Passover, is worth catching if you're here.

This farm lets you watch adorable goats being fed and milked daily. You also have the opportunity to buy cheese or to sample the dairy's superb (and often quite pungent) cheeses at the charming restaurant. Perched on a beautiful desert hillside, the wooden restaurant offers indoor or outdoor seating and a menu that includes goat-cheese pizza, bruschetta, and calzones—there's even a tender goat-cheese cheesecake lavished in fruit sauce.

Make sure to sample the local goat cheeses that have become cult favorites around the country. At this farm, Gadi and Lea Nachimov craft soft and hard cheeses, yogurt, and other products from a herd of 150 goats who clamber over their land. Sign up for 45-minute tours of the facility.