Vacation tips for the Passover holiday – Part 2

April 1, 2010 by Brian Blum · 1 Comment
Filed under: Israeliness, Travel

Yesterday, I posted some of my favorite Passover week vacation spots. Here’s part two:

Hula Lake. One of our favorite spots in the entire north of the country is the Hula Lake (Agamon Hula in Hebrew) which is just off Highway 90. The Hula is famous as one of the main swamps drained by the pioneers, many of whom died from malaria. The valley has since been re-flooded to create a more ecologically appropriate environment and is known as Israel’s premiere bird sanctuary.

You can either rent bicycles to circle the lake (a 2-hour ride) or take the lazy option – like we did – and putter about in a 4 person motorized golf cart (the price at NIS 175 was less than renting 4 bikes). That turned out to be great fun for the whole family as we let the kids each have their turn driving the cart.

Nachal Iyun. At the very tip of the country is Nachal Iyun, also known as the Tanur (the oven), a nature reserve just outside of Metulla, an 8 minute drive north from Kiryat Shemona.

The Tanur is reputedly the most beautiful walk in Israel. In order to do the hour and a half hike, you need two cars, one parked at either end. The walk itself goes through gorgeous canyons and wooded forests. There are three waterfalls along the way but depending on the rainfall that winter, in the late spring and summer the waterfalls may be “turned off.” In this case, farmers in Lebanon divert the water to use for irrigation. The walk is nevertheless quite lovely.

Manara Cliffs. This popular tourist attraction just south of Kyriat Shemona on Highway 90 includes a 10-minute cable car ride to the top of a towering mountain with stunning views of the entire area and a lovely little forest with a 400-meter circular trail. During hol ha moed there’s a jumping playground set up for kids and regular musical performances.

Our kids opted not to take the cable car ride to the top with Jody and me. Instead they spent their time at the small enclosed bungee jumping area and on a fun toboggan ride that zips down the side of the mountain at breakneck speeds. The kids did that twice for NIS 25 ($7) each ride. The ride up to the top was NIS 90 ($26) per person.

Contact info:

Hula Valley Bike and Golf Carts
http://www.parks.org.il/ParksENG/company_card.php3?CNumber=422020
+972-4-693-7069

Nachal Iyun – The Tanur
0+972-4-695-1519

Manara Cliffs
www.cliff.co.il
+972-4-690-5830

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