Middle East - Anthony Ham [249]
Ze’elon Beach (Map; per car for 24hr 50NIS; year-round) Alternative, festivalish atmosphere beneath the trees and good facilities at this great choice, where swimming is officially prohibited – though everyone does it anyway.
Gofra Beach (Map; per car for 24hr 85NIS; year-round) A well-developed site with nargilehs and even some fridges for hire, a palm-fringed beach bar, and a small supermarket.
HOSTELS & GUESTHOUSES
Karei Deshe HI Hostel (Map; 672 0601; s/d/tr US$75/100/129; ) A sparkling white building set in attractive grounds with date palms, eucalyptus trees, a rocky beach and a few peacocks, this place gets constant good feedback from travellers. Prices include breakfast, and you can even shoot a few hoops if you’re in the mood. To get here, take bus 459 or 851 from Tiberias bus station, after which it’s a 1.5km walk.
Ramot Resort Hotel (Map; 673 2636; www.ramot-nofesh.co.il; Ramot; r/cabin/chalet deluxe 680/880/1080NIS; ) Set in the village of Ramot, high above the northeastern banks of the Sea of Galilee, this large, pampering place has a pool, a spa and some lovely ‘chalets deluxe’ with views down over the lake. A particularly nice place for kids, who can splash and dash the days away with their Israeli counterparts. Guests can enjoy free jeep tours of the area (excluding entry fees to sites).
Getting There & Around
This region isn’t really a convenient one to explore by bus, and if you’re able to, the best thing to do is hire a car or bike; ask at your hostel or hotel in Tiberias, Jerusalem or Tel Aviv for the best local outfit.
If you do decide to bus it, buses 459, 841 and 963 depart regularly from the Tiberias bus station, going north around the lake to the northwestern shore sites; ask your driver to drop you at the appropriate spot.
To get to Ramot, bus 15 from Tiberias to Katzrin stops at the junction below Ramot around twice per day (14.80NIS, 35 minutes) and bus 843 from Tel Aviv to Katzrin (49NIS, three hours, 20 minutes) stops once per day in each direction. Your only other option, except for cycling, is to hitchhike. While we wouldn’t recommend it, hitchhiking is very common in this area of the country.
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UPPER GALILEE & THE GOLAN HEIGHTS
It’s all about green in the lush and lovely Upper Galilee and Golan Heights, where national parks are a hiker’s delight, with a profusion of pools, rivers and waterfalls. But this peaceful, pastoral region of walking trails, national parks, and real-life cowboys hasn’t always been so. Some of the fiercest battles between Israel and its neighbours took place in its now silent, windswept fields, traces of which you’ll see in abandoned bunkers and modern war memorials. In 1967, during the Six Day War, Israel captured the area from Syria and 90% of its inhabitants were expelled. In 1973 Syrian forces invaded, only to be repelled to the current borders. And even today, whenever peace talks with Syria look likely, the crucial deciding factor will be whether Israel can ever truly bear to relinquish the much treasured, much disputed Golan Heights.
Meanwhile, whenever there’s tension between Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Israel, it’s this region that bears the Israeli brunt. You never know when enmities might surface, so keep abreast of the news while you’re exploring the area.
The Upper Galilee and Golan is the most difficult part of the country to explore by public transport, since you’re stuck with infrequent services and no Saturday buses at all. If possible, rent a car for a couple of days; this is especially economical if you can share with other travellers and combine your travel with camping on the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee.
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ROSH PINA
04 / pop 2300
A popular and pricey rustic weekend getaway for Israelis, Rosh Pina has a bohemian reputation for its arts, both visual and culinary. The 1882Rosh Pina Pioneers Restoration Site