Desert Eco Tours consists of a small team of distinguished desert guides. Each one is driven by a love of nature and a passion for deserts. Erez Herrnstadt, desert guide of 20 years, established the operation in order to fulfill his longstanding ambition to create a tour operation that both focused on the spirit and beauty of the desert and utilized the many talents and insights of the excellent guides in the field. This alternative to the repetitive set-itinerary of tour operators came at a time when travelers were becoming far more intrepid and discerning about their trips. This helped to make the enterprise a success. Erez is also a gifted desert photographer and all the desert pictures in this site are taken from his vast collection of slides. A keen desert conservationist, Erez was recently granted ranger powers by the Israel Nature Reserve Authority. It was Erez's refusal to compromise the quality of his tours in exchange for mass-market tourism that earned him his excellent reputation in tourism in the region and amongst his colleagues. It is this consistency that keeps Desert Eco Tours in a class all of its own. Abraham Shaked- Along with Manachem Markus, 'Shaked' is Israel's leading expert on desert guiding. Author of several guidebooks, Shaked's distinguished guiding career of 30 years began while he was the manager of the Field School in Sinai's High Range (before accurate maps of the area even existed). Today Shaked is a professional and dedicated conservationist, working for the Society for the Protection of Nature, he still continues to lecture and write about the desert. An absolutely outstanding guide, Shaked is often imitated but impossible to match. Manachem Markus- An expert in geology and geomorphology, Manachem began his 30-year career guiding in the Sinai desert. He frequently conducts registered guide courses and both Erez and Itzick are amongst his former students. Manachem spent many years working for the Nature Reserve Authority and has written many books about the Sinai, Negev, Jordan and Israel. Manachem is probably the most renowned of Israel's elite guides. Itzick Makovsky- During his 20 years of guiding in these deserts, Itick took a break to study at Stanford and returned with a Geophysics Ph.D. Today Itzick's main career is in the world of Hi Tech Geophysics but his deep love for the desert has never left him and with Desert Eco Tours Itzick continues to guide and explore in his own highly energetic and enthusiastic style. Itzick almost always opts for the most physically demanding and adventurous of tours (especially trekking). Joza Vilf- Easy going and charismatic Joza loves guiding and his clients love him. He combines biblical quotations about places along his tour routes with modern day facts to bring the bible to life in an interesting and contemporary manner. Yariv- Amongst the youngest of the team, Yariv is an enthusiastic and energetic guide who has worked with Desert Eco Tours for three years, benefiting along the way from the knowledge of the ‘elders'. He has a pleasant and easy guiding style that suits most clients. Ilan Vered- manages our Sinai diving tours, a qualified diving instructor, he has been operating both 4X4 Jeep and live-aboard diving safaris to Sinai for five years. Young and enthusiastic he focuses his tours on quality diving, Sinai's natural beauty and not least - lots of fun.