Its climate can be oppressively hot and arid, and its terrain rugged and forbidding, but the Negev Desert in southern Israel is undergoing a transformation -- from desolate land to a thriving tourist destination. In fact, travel guide publisher Lonely Planet ranked itsecond in its list of Top 10 regional travel destinations for 2013.

Framed by the borders of Jordan and Egypt, with its southernmost tip at Eilat, Negev Desert may be far from civilization, but it is also rich in history and highlighted by spectacular rocky landscapes, caves, waterfalls, and archeological sites. It is also home to the ibex, a species of wild goat indigenous to the Negev. View the slideshow above for images of the flora and the fauna of the Negev, as well as everyday scenes from the desert.

The Negev Desert, particularly around Route 40, is also developing into a premier wine-growing region.Within the last 10 years, new wineries have joined the Israeli wine boom, according to the Jerusalem Post. Winemakers have to watch out for camels, however, who are known to enter vineyards and immediately eat a vine into the ground.

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Eco-villages and spa resorts, such as the Beresheet Hotel, located near the Ramon Crater, is also attracting a cosmopolitan crowd to the region. The luxurious accommodations, set against the backdrop of a desert landscape, featurerooms that face the 24-mile-long crate, and an infinity pool that seems to flow into the crater itself, according to Conde Nast Traveler. Aside from the its desolate beauty, there's much to see (and experience) in the desert. Adrenaline junkies can explore the craters and rocky terrain in open jeeps, and history buffs can explore theruins of the ancient Nabataen city of Avdat.

Even in the "throes of development," as Lonely Planet called it, the Negev Desert still has an off-the-beaten-path allure, but time may be running out to truly experience the Negev Desert's stunning but stark natural beauty.

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