Off the Beaten Track; Exciting Ways to Explore Israel

November 26, 2014

by: Janet Aslin, Assistant Editor

Photo by ChameleonsEye/Shutterstock Each year visitors to Israel are a significant part of the landscape. The majority arrive as part of a packaged tour, spending much of their time traveling by bus from site to site. For the first-time visitor, this is the best introduction to Israel’s biblical and historical locations. However, once you’ve floated in the Dead Sea, explored Jerusalem’s Old City, visited Capernaum, the caves of Qumran and many other sites, you may want to consider returning on your own to see the Land from a different perspective and get a feel for this small but amazingly diverse country.

Step Back Off a Cliff—Canyoning

Photo by Ammit Jack/Shutterstock.com The sport of canyoning fulfills the Israeli passion for exploration and doing out of the ordinary things. It allows you to reach places that would otherwise be inaccessible and have an adrenalin rush as you take that first step backwards off the cliff. The sport can involve one or more of the following activities: rappelling, climbing, hiking, jumping and swimming.

The following excerpt of an article by Sara Carnvek (www.mfa.gov.il) describes some of the canyoning choices available in Israel. “Adam Sela, founder of Challenging Experience jeep tours and wilderness activities, recommends the Judean Desert’s Tamar Stream trail for starters. With gorgeous views, this canyon has a 20-meter [65.6 ft] cliff and can be descended with or without rappelling. “It’s user friendly, not complicated and it’s good because there are ladders on the obstacles,” he says.

“Other (more difficult) canyons include Tmarim—a canyon with 50-meter [164 ft] cliffs and a long hike to get there; Rachaf—in the South Judean Desert with nine 28-meter [92 ft] cliffs for rappelling and a water pool for swimming; Chatzatzon—a difficult trail with steep rappelling; and Qumran—one of the prettiest canyons in the Dead Sea area, with four 32-meter [105 ft] cliffs.

“There are also wet adventures in Israel’s north. The Yehudiya canyon features a 30-meter-high [98.4 ft] rappel into water; and the Black Canyon, formed of volcanic rock, offers two 20-meter [65.6 ft] rappelling options down waterfalls or a zip-line down.

“Though Israel is sunny most of the year, Sela says the season for canyoning runs between April and October.”

Floating Overhead

Photo by hotairballoon.co.il Dramatic and eye-catching, hot air balloons fascinate those who watch from the ground. In Israel they represent a relatively recent and growing trend as there are a handful of companies who specialize in offering hot air balloon flights to the public. You’ll find the balloonists in two areas of the country: over the northern Negev Desert or above the Jezreel Valley in the Mount Gilboa region.

Flights begin at dawn, in order to catch the best weather conditions, and generally last between 60 and 90 minutes. Balloons range in size from a four-passenger (plus pilot) model to the gigantic “Super Jumbo” which can accommodate 18 passengers and the pilot. During your flight, you will have a birds’ eye view of the Land below, as you float overhead.

There’s even a family-friendly balloon festival in Israel. Held during the Sukkot holiday, the Gilboa International Hot Air Balloon Festival celebrated its fourth year with balloonists from Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the US joining Israeli balloonists.

Zipping Over the Land

Photo by Ammit Jack/Shutterstock.com Used for many years as a means to traverse difficult terrain, zip-lines are now becoming tourist attractions in many parts of the world. Secured in a harness attached to a pulley and overhead cable, the rider gets a thrilling aerial view as the force of gravity propels him along the route.

Israel claims the second-longest zip-line in the world—Deerland’s 600 meter (1,968.5 ft) ride over a beautifully forested area that crosses a gorge at the height of 120 meters (394.7 ft).

Another option for a zip-lining experience is the Tzuk Manara Omega in the upper Galilee region. Although a bit shorter than Deerland’s zip-line, the rider will enjoy outstanding views of the Golan Heights, Mount Hermon and the Hula Valley on the 200 meter (656.2 ft) course.

Free-falling over the Mediterranean

Photo by Israel-extreme.com/Skydiving-in-Israel.html For the one who is truly a thrill-seeker, why not go sky-diving while you’re in Israel?

Israel Extreme, a company that offers a variety of outdoor activities, has the following to say about skydiving: “You need to be a certain kind of person to jump out of a perfectly good aircraft at 11,000 feet. Courage…You must have tremendous courage!”

“Skydiving has always been at the top of the list for every adrenaline seeker. Our skydiving jumps take place in the most beautiful location for skydiving in Israel, the western Galilee above the beach of the Mediterranean Sea. The breathtaking view includes the brilliant blue Mediterranean Sea, Haifa Bay, the coast of Acco, the beaches of Achzeiv and Lebanon. All the while if you look forward as you freefall, you will see the Kinneret twinkling in the sun and the glittering snow on top of Mt. Hermon. The spectacular view is our secret ingredient promising that you will remember forever skydiving with us.”

And Much More

We’ve highlighted just a few of the “active sightseeing” opportunities a visitor to Israel can enjoy. There are many others: mountain-biking at Masada or diving at Eilat; windsurfing on the Mediterranean or bicycling by moonlight through the Negev. Yes, you can probably do many of these things in your home country but in order to gain a deeper understanding of this tiny nation which enjoys such diversity in scenery, we think “active tourism” in Israel is worth considering.