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Upper Galilee & Golan

The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office advises against travel to the area near the Syrian border.

The rolling, green hills of the Upper Galilee (the area north of Rte 85) and the wild plateaus and peaks of the Golan Heights offer an incredible variety of activities to challenge the body and the soul and to nourish the stomach and the mind. Domestic tourists flock to the area – some are looking for luxurious tzimmerim (B&Bs), boutique wineries and gourmet country restaurants, while others come in search of superb hiking, cycling, white-water rafting, horse riding and even skiing. The region has even more attractions: dazzling carpets of spring wildflowers, some of the world’s best birdwatching and the spiritual charms of Tsfat, the most important centre of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) for more than five centuries. The entire region, its summits mercifully temperate in summer, is just a short drive from the Christian sites and refreshing beaches of the Sea of Galilee.

Top attractions

These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Upper Galilee & Golan.

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Yehudiya Nature Reserve
Both casual strollers and experienced hikers – especially those who aren’t averse to getting wet – will find plenty to engage and challenge them in this 66-sq-km nature reserve. Mammals you might encounter include gazelles and wild boar, while the cliffs are home to birds of prey as well as songbirds. Swimming is permitted in the reserve's natural pools – hugely refreshing on a hot day. Most of the trails follow three cliff-lined wadis, with year-round water flow, that drain into the northeastern corner of the Sea of Galilee. Wadi Yehudiya and Wadi Zavitan are both easiest to access from the Yehudiya Parking Lot (Chenyon Yehudiya), which is on Rte 87 midway between Katzrin and the Sea of Galilee. Wadi Meshushim, easiest to get to from the Meshushim Parking Lot, is situated 2.8km along a gravel road from Rte 888, which parallels the Jordan River. The parking lot is 8km northeast of the New Testament site of Bethsaida. The rangers at both entrances to Yehudiya (pronounced yeh-hoo- dee -yah) are extremely knowledgeable and can point you in the right direction, as well as register you, for your own safety. The only map you’ll need is the excellent colour-coded one provided at the ticket booths. Stick to marked trails. People have fallen to their deaths while attempting to negotiate treacherous makeshift trails, and there’s an army firing zone east of Wadi Yehudiya (across Rte 87).
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Banias Nature Reserve
The gushing springs, waterfalls and lushly shaded streams of Banias Nature Reserve form one of the most beautiful – and popular – nature spots in the country. The park has two entrances on Rte 99 that are about 3.5km (1½ hours on foot) apart. The name ‘Banias’ derives from Pan, Greek god of the countryside, to whom a temple here was dedicated back in Roman times. Many sections of the park’s four trails (visitors receive a map) are shaded by oak, plane, fig and carob trees. The Suspended Trail, a boardwalk cantilevered out over the rushing, crystal-clear Banias (Hermon) Stream, gives a pretty good idea of how the ancients might have imagined the Garden of Eden. A 15-minute walk upstream is the 10m Banias Waterfall, with its sheer, thundering drop into a deep pool; tempting as it may look, swimming is prohibited here and throughout the reserve. Both sites can be visited on a 45-minute circuit from the Banias Waterfall entrance, which before 1967 was in a demilitarized zone. Near the reserve's Banias Springs entrance, the excavated ruins of a palace complex built by Herod’s grandson, Agrippa II, can be seen on a 45-minute walking circuit. Delicious Druze pitas are usually available at or near both of the reserves' two entrances, which are also both served by Rama bus 58, which links Kiryat Shmona with Majdal Shams.
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Nimrod Fortress
Built by Muslims in the 13th century to protect the road from Tyre to Damascus, Nimrod Fortress rises fairy-tale-like on a long, narrow ridge (altitude 815m) on the southwestern slopes of Mt Hermon. The work that went into building such a massive fortification – 420m long and up to 150m wide – on the top of a remote mountain ridge boggles the mind. If you’re going to visit just one Crusader-era fortress during your trip, this should be it. Background on the fortress’ colourful medieval history, including its destruction by the Mongols, can be found in the excellent English map-brochure given out at the ticket booth. Highlights include an intact 13th-century hall, complete with angled archers' slits, in the Northern Tower. The castle, visible from all over the Hula Valley, is protected by near-vertical cliffs and vertiginous canyons on all sides but one. South of Nimrod is Wadi Sa’ar, which divides the Golan’s basalt plateau (to the south) from the limestone flanks of Mt Hermon (to the north). The fortress is served by Rama bus 58 from Kiryat Shmona to Majdal Shams.
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Golan Archaeological Museum
A real gem of a museum. Highlights include extraordinary basalt lintels and Aramaic inscriptions from 32 Byzantine-era Golan synagogues; coins minted during the Great Jewish Revolt (66–70 CE); a model of Rujum Al Hiri, a mysterious Stone Age maze 156m across, built some 4500 years ago; and a film (available in nine languages) that brings to life the Roman siege of Gamla. Wheelchair accessible. Situated 100m west of the Merkaz Eitan commercial centre, next to the library.
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Gamla Nature Reserve
The site of a thriving Jewish village during the late Second Temple period, Gamla dared to defy the Romans during the Great Jewish Revolt (66–70 CE) and as a result was besieged by Vespasian’s legions. Today, you can visit the ruins, which afford spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. From park HQ, walking down to, and around, ancient Gamla takes two to three hours. Historian Josephus Flavius recorded the Romans' seven-month siege (67 CE), the defenders’ valiant stand and the bloody final battle, and reported a Masada-like mass suicide of thousands of Jews (for which there's no archaeological evidence). After Gamla – perched atop a rocky ridge shaped like a camel’s back ( gamla is the Aramaic word for camel) – was identified in 1968 based on Flavius’ precise descriptions, excavations unearthed an enormous quantity of Roman siege weaponry (some can be seen in Katzrin’s Golan Archaeological Museum) as well as one of the world’s oldest synagogues, believed to date from the 1st century BCE (ie from the time of the Second Temple). Gamla is known for the Griffon vultures (with an astonishing wingspan of 2.7m) that nest in the reserve's cliffs and soar majestically over the valley below. Sadly, they are becoming rarer, victims of high-voltage electrical lines, quadcopters and poisoned carrion that a tiny minority of ranchers set out – illegally – to kill wolves and jackals. Fifteen years ago there were some 200 on the Golan; today only about 15 survive. To help the local population recover, Griffon vultures from Spain have been brought here and released. Half-hour talks on the birds (in Hebrew) generally begin daily at 11am and 1pm at the Vulture Lookout. A remarkable 51m-high waterfall can be seen from the Waterfall Overlook (Tatzpit HaMapal); the trail to get there (1½ hours return) passes a field dotted with dolmens (basalt grave markers) erected by nomads 4000 years ago. On the plateau around the parking lot, the wheelchair-accessible Vulture Path (Shvil HaNesharim; 20 to 30 minutes) affords a fine panorama of the ancient city. Gamla is 20km south of Katzrin.
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Quneitra Viewpoint
From high atop Mt Avital, top-secret Israel Defence Forces' electronics peer deep into Syria, but the Quneitra Viewpoint, on the volcano’s lower flanks, also affords fine views into Israel’s troubled northern neighbour. The site – at which an 'audio explanation station' describes the battles fought here in 1973 – overlooks the ruined town of Quneitra, one-time Syrian 'capital of the Golan', just 2km away. At the end of the Six Day War, Quneitra, at the time a garrison town defending Damascus (60km to the northeast), was abandoned in chaos by the Syrian army after Syrian government radio mistakenly reported that the town had fallen. It changed hands twice during the 1973 Yom Kippur War, which Israel began with just 177 tanks against the attacking Syrians’ 1500. Inside the UN buffer zone since 1974, the town has been under the control of Syrian rebel forces since 2014. About 150m north along Rte 98, a Yom Kippur War memorial is marked by the turret of a US-built Israeli tank and an 'audio explanation station'. A path leads down the slope from the viewpoint to the Golan Volcanic Park–Avital, situated in an old quarry whose excavations exposed many layers of the Golan's eventful geological history. Signs are in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The viewpoint and park are on the eastern side of Rte 98, 1.3km north of Zivan Jct.
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Umm Al Kanatir Synagogue
What's truly extraordinary about this 6th-century synagogue is that after it was destroyed in the great earthquake of 749 CE, the site, because of its remoteness, remained almost completely undisturbed until the 21st century. Because none of the basalt blocks were carried away for reuse elsewhere, archaeologists have been able to reassemble the entire splendid structure using the original stones, with the help of 3D laser scanning, microchip labels and a yellow overhead crane. The ark, oriented towards Jerusalem, is richly decorated with spread-winged eagles, grape bunches and Jewish symbols such as the menorah, lulav (palm frond) and etrog (a citrus fruit). An underground visitors centre, with spectacular views of the Sea of Galilee, was under construction at the time of research.
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Pelter Winery
In 2001, after studying wine-making in Australia, Tal Pelter founded a winery that now turns shiraz and chenin blanc grapes (among others) into 300,000 bottles of reds and whites a year. Free tours (15 to 30 minutes) end with a tasting. A platter with four Pelter goat cheeses (made by Tal's wife Inbar), bread and olive oil costs 25NIS; fresh-baked focaccia (55NIS for two) is available on Fridays and Saturdays.
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Adir Winery
Adir has built a reputation for producing outstanding wines and equally good goat cheeses and for serving great dairy meals. Sampling three wines, four cheeses and the sublime goat's milk frozen yoghurt costs 35NIS. Serves breakfast (75/135NIS for one/two), brunch (150NIS for two) and lunch (quiche or a cheese platter) on a lovely patio until 2pm; reserve ahead. Adir produces about 200,000 bottles a year.