Sde Boker is a small kibbutz in the central Negev, famous because Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, chose to live out his later years here rather than in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem. That choice still gives the place its character. The settlement is quiet, sun-baked, and practical, with the desert pressing in from every side.
The main sights are close together but different in tone. Ben-Gurion's hut is modest almost to the point of stubbornness, while Ben-Gurion's tomb sits on a high terrace above the Zin Valley. Nearby Midreshet Ben-Gurion is a desert research campus and the usual jumping-off point for Ein Avdat, one of the Negev's best short hikes.
Sde Boker is not a conventional town break. Come for Ben-Gurion history, pale desert light, ibex on the canyon walls, and the feeling that the Negev is not empty at all if you slow down enough to look.