WALK ISRAEL 2018
ISRAEL NATIONAL TRAIL MISSION - 3rd Journey
Sunday, 28 October - Welcome to Israel!
15:00 – 17:00 Pickup:
-
From Jerusalem at 15:00
-
From Tel-Aviv at 15:30
-
From Ben Gurion airport at 17:00
Drive to the Upper Galilee and check in to the Galilion Hotel
The Upper Galilee an enchanting haven of greenery and tranquility, with green forests and woodlands, flowing streams, and natural water springs – ideal for resting the body and healing the soul. In ancient times, the region was inhabited primarily by the tribes of Naftali.
19:30 – 20:00 Hotel Check in
20:00 – 21:00 Dinner
21:00 – 22:00 Mission opening & briefing
Overnight: Wings – The Galilion Guest Club, Upper Galilee
Monday, 29 October
Breakfast
Leave for the hiking trail
A Day in the Golan Heights. Rising close to 2,000 meters above sea level at its highest point, the Golan Heights is a basaltic plateau characterized by its rugged beauty, spectacular landscapes and flowing streams.
7:30 – 13:30 Hiking
-
Difficult level: Zavitan
-
Average level: Yehudia
-
Easy level: Gamla
The Zavitan Stream runs through basalt canyons down to the Beit Tsaida (Bethesda) basin on the northeastern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Along the way, it creates dozens of pools and flows down waterfalls - the highest of which, the Zavitan Waterfall, is 25 meters high.
-
Hiking time: 7 hours
-
Section length: up to 13 km
14:00 – 15:00 Lunch in the field
15:00 – 16:00 Bental mountain lookout + explanation
18:00 – 18:30 Briefing
19:00 – 21:30 Tour + Dinner at boutique winery- Ramat Hagolan winery - Katzerin
Overnight: Wings – The Galilion Guest Club, Upper Galilee
Tuesday, 30 October
Agamon HaHula
Up before sunrise! We need to awaken the cranes in Agamon Hahula (Small Hula Lake). At this paradise of nature, you will see birds, animals and plants in their natural habitat. Situated along one of the most significant bird migration routes in the world, between Europe and Africa, Agamon Ha-hula is one of the largest bird sanctuaries in the world. Every fall and spring, over half a billion birds of 400 species migrate in the skies above the Agamon, with thousands remaining there. Agamon Hauula is located in the Hula Valley Park and Nature Reserve, recognised by BBC Wildlife Magazine as one of the world’s outstanding sites for nature observation, ninth on a list of 20 exceptional sites around the world. The marshland around the lake was drained in the 1950s, with funding from Keren Hayesod, among others. A small section was later re-flooded to restore the ecosystem.
Breakfast
Leave for the hiking trail
From Dan to Tel Hai: Pastoral Beauty, History and Moving Stories of Heroism
Our hike will start in Kibbutz Dan, at the foot of Mt. Hermon. Biblical Dan was the northernmost city in the Kingdom of Israel and we, too, are just a few kilometers from Israel's northern border. To our left we will see the Dan Nature Reserve and Tel Dan - one of Israel’s largest and most impressive archaeological mounds, with the remains of a 5,000 year-old city. We will follow a green trail that take us through two of the sources of the Jordan River – the Dan and the Snir (Hatsbani) Streams, passing through breathtakingly beautiful scenery. Our hike will end at the famous Roaring Lion monument in Kfar Giladi, next to Tel Hai.
Tel Hai, which had been burned to the ground, was resettled the following year, and in 1926 it was absorbed into Kibbutz Kfar Giladi. Trumpeldor, whose last words were reportedly, "Never mind, it is good to die for our country" (Ein davar, tov lamut be'ad artzeinu), became a symbol of Jewish self-defence.
Hiking time: 6 hours
Section length: 14 km
Afternoon and Evening (options- TBD)
-
Tel Hai Museum and Walk along the “Path of the Wounded”
-
Refreshing afternoon at the hotel
-
Hot Air Balloon Flight at Sunset. You’ll have an enchanted panoramic view of northern Israel as you watch the sun set over the green fields of the Galilee.
Dinner
Overnight: Wings – The Galilion Guest Club, Upper Galilee
Wednesday, 31 October
Breakfast
Leave for the hiking trail
Mount Meron to the Amud Stream
In the morning, we will climb Mt. Meron – at over 1,200 meters above sea level, the second highest peak in Israel. Each of the trail’s three lookouts reveals a different, magnificent view: the Upper Galilee from Lake Kinneret to Mount Hermon, northward to the Maronite Christian village of Jish (known in the Mishneh as Gush Chalav) and southern Lebanon, and westward to the Haifa Bay area.
We will walk through the Amud Stream toward Lake Kinneret. The stream flows through rock pools in the shade of the lush vegetation that includes apple, lemon, date, pomegranate, plum, olive and fig trees as well as vineyards, and passes prehistoric caves. The amud, from which the stream takes its name, is an impressive 20-meter high limestone pillar that was separated from the adjacent cliff through the process of erosion standing alone in the channel.
Hiking time: 6 hours
Section length: 11 km.
13:00–14:00 Lunch in the Hotel
15:00– 17:00 Youth Futures Project: Empowering the Next Generation
The revolutionary Youth Futures program, supported by Keren Hayesod-UIA, helps empower over 14,000 at-risk children and their families in 36 locations, every year. The project provides personalized attention, positive social experiences and educational enrichment, enabling the youngsters to develop their strengths and bridge scholastic, social, and cultural gaps.
18:00 – 19:00 Synagogue Carpentry Workshop, Kibbutz Lavi
Special craftsmanship and design, combined with meticulous attention, have created the Holy Ark and furnishings for many synagogues around the world.
19:30 Dinner
Overnight: Kibbutz Lavi Hotel, Lower Galilee
Thursday, 1 November
Breakfast
Leave for the hiking trail
The Amud Stream to Lake Kinneret
We will continue walking through the Amud Stream all the way to the northwestern part of Lake Kinneret (also known as the Sea of Galilee). Lake Kinneret, whose name derives from the Hebrew word for harp - kinor - because of its shape, is the lowest freshwater lake in the world, at 212 meters below sea level.
Immortalized in song and celebrated in poetry, Lake Kinneret has become the symbol of the romance of the Zionist renewal in the Land of Israel.
Hiking time: 5 hours
Section length: 10 km.
14:30 – 17:00 Rest and enjoy the place
18:30 – 22:00 Dinner and Special Festive Closing Evening
Overnight: Kibbutz Lavi Hotel, Lower Galilee
Friday, 2 November
08:00 – 09:00 Breakfast
Transfer to Tel Aviv / Ben Gurion airport
End of Mission
Download the Program