Great places to visit that aren’t well known, from archeological sites and natural wonders to friendly farms and artist studios.
The Old City of Jerusalem. Masada. The Sea of Galilee. The beaches of Tel Aviv. We’d never suggest you skip any of Israel’s iconic tourist sites.
But if you’d like to add some off-the-beaten-track destinations and activities to your itinerary on a first or repeat trip, ISRAEL21c has some great ideas for you.
Freediving in the Red Sea
Eilat is a haven for watersports – scuba diving, snorkeling, parasailing, kayaking, paddleboarding, sailing.
Well, here’s something a little different: freediving, which allows you to explore or photograph underwater while holding your breath, without the encumbrance of breathing apparatus.
Learn the art of freediving from the experts in Eilat at Freedive Israel, Apnea Diving or Freedive Eilat. Freedive Israel also offers workshops in underwater photography, yoga, breath and ice bath.
Desert Embroidery, Lakiya
When you enter this hand-woven tent in Lakiya, guides will tell you about the lives of Bedouin women, the changes they are undergoing, and the role of embroidery as a creative and social outlet in their lives.
In addition to traditional Bedouin coffee and tea and optional full meals, your visit to Desert Embroidery can include an embroidery workshop, henna workshop, pita making, or a presentation in the center’s Medicinal Plant Nursery. Tours are available to the nearby Huriya Palace, a unique ancient mud structure.
Information: +972-)0)8-651-3208, rikma@lakia2.org
Orlyya Farm, Negev Highlands
Orly and Yoni Sharir established Orlyya Farm in 2003 in the desert between Sde Boker and Mitzpeh Ramon. In this desert environment, they grow argan nuts.
The highly prized argan oil inside the nuts is used as the basis to make a variety of healthful products you can find in the visitor center and factory shop.
Schedule a free daytime visit – including a walking tour of the argan trees and the ancient Nabatean rock paintings the Sharirs discovered on their property, plus a cup of herbal tea – or book an overnight stay in a cottage or personal tent on the farm’s private campgrounds, boasting incredible views.
Information: +972-50-299-3214, +972-(0)50-980-0069, havatorlyya@gmail.com
Meshushim Stream, Golan Heights
The central attraction of this unusual part of Yehudiya Nature Reserve is Meshushim (Hexagons) Stream, a natural pool surrounded by hexagonal basalt pillars formed from flowing streams of molten lava.
The scenic path to the pool, inside the Black Canyon, is dotted with oak trees and wildflowers (in season). There’s a little bridge that crosses the stream, from which you can watch the water bubbling through the narrow ravine.
Keshet (Bow) Cave, Upper Galilee
Keshet Cave, a favorite rappelling spot for adventurers, isn’t actually a cave anymore due to past geological upheavals, but rather a huge hanging arch over an abyss 40-50 meters (130-165 feet) below.
You don’t have to be an extreme sports enthusiast to appreciate this extraordinary natural wonder in cave-filled Adamit Park on the northern bank of Betzet Stream near the Israel-Lebanon border and Rosh Hanikra.
The spectacular ridge is a perfect place from which to view the full green Galilee landscape. It’s accessible and there are guardrails for those exploring the area on foot.
Tulip Winery Visitor Center, Village of Hope, Kiryat Tivon
Israel has hundreds of wineries, many with visitor centers where you can learn, taste and buy. Here’s one with an unusual story.
Tulip was founded in 2003 in Kfar Tikva (Village of Hope), a pastoral settlement in the beautiful Haifa district for adults with special needs. The winery provides meaningful employment for residents, who help produce about 300,000 bottles sold throughout Israel and in many other countries.
A variety of tour options at Tulip Winery include tastings accompanied by boutique cheeses and fresh-baked breads; wine workshops; and a lecture by founder and CEO Roy Itzhaki about the marriage of winemaking and social entrepreneurship.
At the end of the visit, you can purchase not only wine but also art made in the Village of Hope and handmade products from surrounding villages.
Bell Ofri Tourist Farm, Golan Heights
Tami and Babi Kabalo’s eco-farm in the Golan Heights village of Kidmat Zvi includes a dairy restaurant, a boutique winery in a former bunker, an olive-oil press, a cheese-making enterprise, an organic garden, two galleries, crafts workshops and a refuge for injured, abandoned animals.
Depending on the season, you can sign up to grind wheat, press olives or crush grapes. And all year, Tami and Babi offer hands-on activities in clay (you can make plates to be used in the restaurant), breadmaking, honey, chocolate, stained glass and more.
Bell Ofri is open seven days a week, 10-5. Book in advance: 052-880-5026, bellofri@walla.com
Information: +972-(0)4-983-0573, tulip@tulip-winery.co.il
Tel Gezer National Park
Wherever you go in Israel, from the busiest city to the remotest village, you are never far from an archeological site.
With 25 layers of settlement going back to the fourth century BCE, Tel Gezer is a rare one for several reasons: it’s not well known to tourists; it’s positively identified as the place named more than a dozen times in the Bible; and it’s open all day free of charge.
Gezer, an important Canaanite city, became part of the territory of the Israelite tribe of Ephraim after the Egyptian empire gifted it to King Solomon following his political marriage to the Pharaoh’s daughter.
Among the treasures at this 32-acre site between Rehovot and Modi’in: the Gezer Calendar, a stone tablet etched with the early Hebrew script detailing the eight periods of the agricultural year; the largest Canaanite water system and fortified tower ever discovered; and a magnificent gate from Solomon’s times (970 to 931 BCE).
A recently renovated road and trail make Tel Gezer easier than ever to explore.
Jojo Studio, Moshav Ein Tamar
About 20 minutes from the Dead Sea, international sculptor/painter Yosef (Jojo) Ohayon offers an “art playground” at his studio and showroom on Moshav Ein Tamar, his longtime home.
Visitors can watch him work with materials and techniques he developed, such as inflating metal forms using water jets; color splashing; and painting with electrostatic powder. Of course, his works are for sale as well.
You can arrange a hands-on workshop with Ohayon and/or a tour with a local guide of nearby Kikar Sodom, where the biblical story of Sodom and Gomorrah took place — now an agricultural oasis growing watermelons and peppers near the border with Jordan.
Open daily, 8-3, but reservations must be made in advance. Information: +972-(0)52-296-4677, mail@jojo-art.com
Originally posted at israel21c.org
