Kibbutz Manara sits on top of the Naftali Ridge in the north, next to the Lebanon border, perched on one of the most magnificent cliffs in all of Israel – the Manara Cliff. It was at the end of May, with the “green” of the rainy season quickly disappearing, that my wife and I travelled to Manara and the Galilee Panhandle in the far north for an extraordinary three-day weekend hiking and sight-seeing vacation where we delightfully discovered that Manara is not just a border kibbutz, but is home to some of Israel's greatest natural wonders and is a veritable adventure paradise.
DAY 1: The Way Up
After driving for almost 3 hours from Tel Aviv to the Galilee Panhandle, our first stop was at the scenic Mauer Outlook located east of Route 886 near the entrance to Ramot Naftali on the Naftali Ridge. We parked on the side of the road and walked on an easy path for about 100 meters until we came to the scenic outlook and the Israel Trail which runs right through the outlook. We stood in awe looking out at the Golan Heights and the lakes and ponds of the still somewhat greenish Hula Valley down below us. We walked back to our car not yet realizing that what we had just seen was only the appetizer before the main course.
We then visited the nearby Metzudat Koach fortress, built by the British during the mandate period. We hiked on the Israel Trail through the memorial park commemorating the 28 soldiers who were killed storming the still-active fortress (today it houses a regiment of the Israel Border Police) until we came to a very pretty outlook overlooking the impressive Kadesh Stream gorge. From where we stood, in the far background we could see the majestic Mount Hermon rising into the sky. We retraced our steps back to the car and continued on.
We then drove to the commercial center at Goma Junction just before Kiryat Shmoneh on Route 90, parked our car in the free outdoor parking lot, and called the taxi that I had pre-arranged. He took us back up the Naftali Ridge and dropped us off on Route 886 (the Kibbutz Manara road) at the point where the Israel Trail intersects the road. We got out of the taxi, turned right and began our exciting 10 kilometer hike back to our car at the Goma Junction. THIS was the main course!
The Israel Trail took us along the northern edge of the Kadesh Stream gorge, and then curved to the left and north towards Manara and Kiryat Shmoneh. Each 100 meters of hiking brought us to an even better view than the previous one, until we got to the point where we were overlooking the entire Hula Valley. We could see the Manara cliffs and Kiryat Shmoneh off to the left, the Hermon Mountain across and to the left from us, the Golan Heights directly across from us, the Ramot Naftali fortress and Mount Keren Naftali off to our right, and the Hula Valley and lakes down below us. It literally took our breath away. This was not a “wow” moment, this was a “whoa” moment! After a few kilometers of some of the most gorgeous hiking in all of Israel, we turned right onto a Blue Trail which slowly dropped down off the ridge and ended on Route 90, two kilometers from our car. We hiked those two kilometers on the side of the highway until we blissfully arrived at our awaiting car. It truly had been a VERY tasty main course.
At this point, out of extreme exhaustion, we decided to forego our usual custom of driving to the hotel, checking in, resting, and then going out for dinner. That we were parked right next to a shwarma shop was too overwhelming for my wife. We bought 2 large shwarmas and 2 large beers, took them with us, and drove high up into the Naftali Ridge to Kibbutz Manara and checked into the Kibbutz Manara Lodge, where we would be sleeping just 100 meters from the Lebanon border and the U.N. border patrols.
The lodge buildings and grounds were all well-maintained and looked nice. Our room was spacious, clean, and comfortable. I had intentionally reserved our room a month in advance in order to get one of the two rooms that have the wide open view as advertised on the internet. (It turns out that in all the other rooms, the view is partially blocked by trees.) It had been worth it! The entire weekend we so enjoyed sitting on the patio and gazing out at the entire Hula Valley, Mount Hermon and the Golan Heights. Breakfasts in the Kibbutz guest dining hall were nice - not as splendid as in some hotels but not meager like in some B&B’s. In fact, our only complaint was that there is no supper available at the lodge, at all, even on Friday night (the Jewish Sabbath) which is why this really is a “lodge” and not a full-service "hotel".
After arriving in our room, we showered and with the sunlight fading away, we headed out onto the patio with our shwarma and beer and soaked in the feeling of being at a European-style lodge on an “Alpine” mountain top.
DAY 2: An Adventure-packed Day
The next morning, after breakfast, we drove back down the Naftali Ridge and into the heart of the Hula Valley, to the famous Hula Valley Nature Reserve and Lake, where twice a year tens of thousands of migrating birds stop over on their way to Africa or back to Europe. Although it was after the winter/spring “green” season and the springtime bird migration season, we nonetheless were deeply impressed by the beauty and the “green” of this nature reserve and the abundance of wildlife in the reserve. The walking path that meanders through the nature reserve starts out as a well-kept asphalt path running alongside the Hula Lake taking us past ducks, geese and a herd of water buffalo (giving us an authentic feeling of really being on an African safari) until we came to an astounding board walkway a mere ½ meter (1 ½ feet) above the Hula Lake.
This boardwalk passes over a good portion of the lake and from this boardwalk we were able to spot lots of fish in the lake and lots of wildlife in the nearby brush. The boardwalk leads to an impressive bird-watching observatory in the middle of the lake which I’m told is packed during the two migration seasons. Also astounding is the 4-dimensional sense-surround movie extravaganza in the visitor's center. You fly on the back of one of the migrating birds, seeing what he sees and feeling his motion through the air. You also get to feel the wind and spray in your face as he feels it as he swoops down over the lake. This nature reserve is definitely worth visiting any time of year!
We then drove back up to Kibbutz Manara and parked not next to the hotel, but in the upper parking lot of the Manara Cliffs Action Park. The first thing that everybody visiting this action park wants to do is to ride the 2 kilometer long cable-car ride (the longest in Israel) – whether going up or down. We were no exception! Because we were parked at the top, we rode it down first and then back up! The ride is an awesome experience, affording the passenger the opportunity to ride over and view the entire cliff and forest area while viewing the whole upper Galilee, the Hermon Mountain, the Golan Heights, and the Hula Valley and lake in the background.
There are 3 cable car stations along the route of the cable car ride, and at each stop there is an abundance of activities available for the visitor, such as a 1.2 kilometer user-operated mountain sled ride at the lower station; rappelling and an omega ride (zip line) at the middle station; a “family-friendly” (meaning suitable for little kids and old people like us) tram ride around the Lebanon border fence and the kibbutz at the upper station; and assorted children’s activities at every station. ImageImage
We had parked in the upper station parking lot because we knew in advance that we wanted to do the “family-friendly” tram ride. After riding the cable car back up to the top, we walked over to the parking lot where a tram pulled by a tractor was now waiting to load up. With a pre-recorded audio tour blaring out over loudspeakers that were strapped to the tram, the driver drove along the border fence with Lebanon, where we could easily see the United Nations observation post and the landscape and villages of Lebanon itself. He also drove around and through the kibbutz itself. All in all, it was a relaxing, pleasant, and informative half-hour ride.
We then drove back down the Naftali Ridge (again) to Kibbutz Daphna and ate a late lunch at the Daphna Fish Restaurant where the fish is caught and served fresh, straight out of the adjacent Dan Stream. Because supper is not served in the hotel, we decided to eat our festive Friday night Shabat meal at a restaurant as late as possible on Friday afternoon. We each ordered a large, grilled, fresh-water fish (trout and amnon) which were cooked just right, and the salads and side dishes were excellent. We sat outside in a forest-like garden next to a small brook passing right by us. We left with the warm feeling that not only had we eaten a good meal but that we had had a pleasant experience as well.
We returned to our hotel room just before Shabat began, exhausted but satisfied with this wonderful day.
DAY 3: The Way Down
The next morning, we ate a nice Shabbat breakfast at the lodge. Because it was Shabbat, there was no cooked food, but the breakfast was nonetheless nice.
Immediately after breakfast, because we do not travel on Shabat, we simply walked out of the lodge and straight onto an amazing, blue-marked hiking trail that snakes its way down the Manara cliff to the bottom 6 kilometers away. As we hiked down the cliffs, we were ever so awed by the raw might and beauty of the cliffs themselves, the mountainside, the forest, and the extraordinary views in the distance. On the way down we passed and talked to a group of alpine climbers in training who were literally marching up the mountain… for the second time that morning. We came to the conclusion that if these Alpinists do their training here at Manara then we definitely had come to the right place for our hiking vacation! Getting back up the mountain to the lodge had required us to employ the occasional compromising that is necessary when one spouse is religious and the other secular.
Later in the afternoon after we had eaten the lunch that we had brought with us from home, and rested, we headed back out for a pleasant stroll around the kibbutz itself.
When Shabbat ended, we drove the 3 hours back to Tel Aviv, reveling in the after-glow of our wonderful, exhilarating, and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED visit to the northern edge of our country!
Yitzchak is 62 years old, married, lives in Or Yehuda, made Aliyah 30 years ago from the USA, and works as a computer programmer. He is addicted to hiking the Land of Israel and religiously goes out every Friday on a hike in nature with his wife, children, grandchildren, friends, and quite often just by himself.
You can check out his Facebook page/blog called Israel Hiking Vacations.