The zimmerbuses in Ezuz drive the concept of eco-tourism home. Beep beep!
Eco-tourism is a broad term and can encompass a wide range of green vacations. For some, it may mean experiencing life in an eco village, for others it may mean volunteering to make a positive green impact on a community. And for certain people it may be more laid back than that – in the form of enjoying the local vegetarian food of a green village or the organic goat cheese produced by a small independent farm. But for the Hirschfeld family in Ezuz, Israel, eco-tourism means recycling old tour buses into beautiful suites at their family-run bed and breakfast – Exodia.
A truly distinctive experience, the zimmerbuses (or converted buses) are covered with adobe, palm leaves, and decorated with natural elements. The insides of the bus are completely changed as well by the Hirschfeld family, as you can see from the photo of one of the zimmerbuses above.
There are currently two zimmerbuses at Exodia – one was a long concertina bus in its previous life and the other was a wide airport bus. Each has two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen in the center of the zimmerbus. And just in case you were concerned about the comfort level in these buses, they have been fitted with air conditioning as well. Handmade ceramics adorn the bathrooms.
Guests can choose to prepare their own meals (the kitchens are fully equipped), use an outdoor barbeque, or order home-cooked meals from the Hirschfelds who produce many of their own organic products. Since they have their own milking goats, organic cheeses and yogurts are available, as well as bread and organic eggs from the family’s chickens.
The zimmerbuses and the Hirschfelds are both located in Ezuz, a small village of 14 families situated on a hill-top in the Negev. The village has unique architecture, since there are a few old buses, train carriages and other materials that have been covered with local mud and converted into living spaces. The population of Ezuz is very international and includes artists, cheese-makers, wine-producers, and bee-keepers.
:: Exodia
Read more about eco-tourism in the Middle East:
WWOOF Your Way to Organic Food in the Middle East
Book Your Tickets for the Arava Institute’s Ultimate Trans-Boundary Middle East Eco Tour this Winter
A Quick Guide to Traveling by Bike in the Middle East
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
