Hikes Archives - Yoni Tours

Jul 31
1

Ein Tina- Water fun in The Golan!

Posted by | Hikes, Nature, Uncategorized, water | No Comments

Have you ever wanted to climb up a mountain as water is rushing around you? Ein Tina spring is the perfect spot!

Ein Tina is a spring that starts half way up the side of the of the Golan heights. and runs down into the Kinneret.
The nice, cool rushing water makes for the perfect stop in the middle or at the end of a long day.

There is a pool at the foot of the stream which is great for small kids to play in.
The water isn’t very deep (at most places around knee high which makes it great for children).

For the older children there is a circular route that allows you to climb up the mountain side to the source of the stream. recently railings were put in because the wet rocks can be quite slippery.

There is a secondary path that takes a dry route back to the lower pool.
Ein tina is a great experience! It makes for a nice and easy climb up hill walking against the rushing water.
The walk is rocky and you should definitely wear water shoes. Bring drinking water and snacks.

 

Directions:
for waze users: ‘Ein Tina’ or חניון עין תינה

Approx. 6 Km south of Gonen on road 918 there is a little bridge. Just before the little bridge there is a dirt road heading off to the left.
Turn onto the dirt road and park the car in the clearing. You can continue driving but the dirt road is quite uneaven (1 on the map)
Walk or drive along the dirt road and follow the green trail symbol for 800 meters and you will arrive at the lower pool of Ein Tina. (2 on the map)
From the pool you can climb up the rushing wateron the  green trail untill you arrive at the source of the spring (3 on the map)
From the spring you can loop back on a dry path blue trail (4 on the map)

Have a great time!

Jul 23
1

Einot Tzukim -a wet getaway that’s fun for kids!

Posted by | Hikes, Nature | No Comments

Hidden away the judean desert there is a national park hidden from common knowledge. it has deep swimming pools and tens of shallow natural streams along with plenty of space for making picnics!

This relatively unknown park is a surprising find and is not as well known as other parks in the area.

Off the main road from Jerusalem to Ein Gedi, Einot Tzukim is a beautiful hidden nature reserve.  It is is fed by a number of underground springs that spring out of the cliff that runs along the northern part of the Judean desert.

The springs have a varying level of salinity and give way to a wide array of plants and animals that can grow in the reserve.

In fact, due to it’s isolated location and the high salinity of some of the water there are is a type of fish that lives only here!

All of this is true but the real reason to come to Einot Tzukim is that it has many pools of water for people to play in.

There are the large man made swimming pools that fill with natural spring water, and small shallow natural pools which are perfect for little children.

The site has places for picnics and even grilling.

As packed as the entrance can get, there is plenty of space.

The larger/deeper pool is close to the entrance of the site and the smaller pools are further back.

With smaller kids, I recommend driving to the absolute end of the parking lot.

Einot tzukim makes for a great day outing for a family with kids!

Aug 02
1

Meteor Shower in the Negev Desert

Posted by | current events, Gems of Israel, Hikes, Nature | No Comments

With its dark skies, wide open spaces and deep valleys the Negev Desert is known as the place to go for stargazing. The desert brings two major factors to the table when it comes to dark skies;

The first factor is light pollution. The few and far between built up areas bring light pollution to a minimum.

The second and possibly the more important factor is the small amount of humidity in the air. The lack of humidity provides clearer skies. these two aspects make the Negev the optimum location for star gazing.

Over the years, hundreds of youth groups have hiked through the valleys of the Negev at night in order to spend time stargazing.

In and around the Ramon crater there are dozens of locations which are beckoning for stargazers and photographers alike.

At Khan HaShayarot and the Ramon Crater there are guided star gazing activities and they can be organized year round.

In the clarity and darkness of the night skies in the Negev, The naked eye can see a number of planets, the milky way, and a plethora of constellations.

In order to make the star gazing experience complete I suggest looking at a moon calendar, plan to be out on a night when the moon sets early and or is not a full moon.

All of this is true on a regular night. from time to time there are meteor showers!

Every year the Perseids Meteor Shower happens over the skies of Israel.

During the shower myriads of people head to the desert in order to see the meteors in all their glory!

This year the meteor shower will be on the dates of 11,12 and 13 of august. The shower will be at its strongest on the night of the 12th.

There are going to be organized star gazing events throughout the desert. But nothing beats going out to the desert as a family or with a guide!

Enjoy!!

Nov 23
4
Climbing down one of the rock faces in Nahal Dargot

The Hike of Hikes- Nahal Dragot

Posted by | Gems of Israel, Hikes, Nature | One Comment

Even though Israel is such a small country, it has a wide variety of landscapes, regions and hikes. Between the deserts, forests, tropics and other areas, there is one hike which sets itself apart from the rest.

Among the many beautiful and challenging hikes in Israel, Nahal Dragot, or Nahal Daraje in Arabic, is widely recognized as the most extreme hike of all.

Nahal Dragot is a stream which has carved a canyon through the majestic cliffs of the Judean Desert. It is called “Dragot”: (steps, or levels in Hebrew) because of ‘steps’ that it has carved while making its way through the mountains. It covers a relatively short distance of only about 6 km, but the hike can take as a long as 7-8 hours to complete. The stream takes you down almost 380 vertical meters from the Judean Mountains to the Dead Sea!

The hike requires climbing down dried waterfalls, swimming across pools of water, sliding through chutes and climbing ladders. If you decide to embark on this journey, you should take a rope which is at least 10 metres long, as at some points the use of a rope is required.

Nahal Dragot is best to do a couple of days after rain – the pools in this desert canyon will be full of fresh water which allows a much better swimming experience. Entrance to the hike is dangerous on days with a possibility of rain anywhere in the Jerusalem-Bethlehem-Hebron area as there is a danger of flash floods!
Inside the canyon there is no cell phone coverage and no fresh drinking water. You should head out with at least 3 liters of water per person.

Driving on highway 90 from Jerusalem towards Ein Gedi, here is a brown sign pointing to ‘Metzukai Dragot’ ‘מצוקי דרגות’ on the right. Following that road up the cliff you will pass a desert hostel. Approx. 2 Km after the hostel is the beginning of the hike. It is marked by the green trail.

Due to the cliffs, the hike is one way only and isn’t circular. It is best to go with two cars and leave one at the end point. If you have access to only one car you can hitchhike.

In order to be allowed to do the hike you have to sign up ahead of time through the parks authority. this is done to control the number of hikers in the canyon. In addition the parks authority requires that each group bring at least 20 meters of climbing rope!

Enjoy!

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