The "Sea to Sea" Trek
Check our Sea to Sea to Sea Israel Cycling Trip
This is a classical hiking-route developed by the Israeli youth movements. The idea is to hike in 5 days the whole distance between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. Traditionally, at the beginning of the tour you fill half a bottle with salty water from the Mediterranean Sea. This bottle will be carried with you for the whole trek. When you reach the Sea of Galilee after 5 days, you fill the other half of the Bottle with sweet water from the Sea of Galilee, to take home proudly...
The youth movements used to camp outside during the trek. We will do it in a more comfortable way, hosting you in rural accommodations along the way. You will only have to carry a knapsack for the day, as there will be a car that will carry your luggage. The car will bring you to the starting-point (usually where you ended yesterday's hike) in the morning, and in the evening drive you back to the hotel.
Day 1:
Early in the morning we set out towards the coast of Achziv. Here, near the remnants of the Phoenician port-city Achziv, we start by filling our bottles with salt-water from the Mediterranean Sea. The trek begins! We walk along the banana-orchards typical for this area and enter the woody canyon of Nachal Kziv, which we will now follow for 3 days. After an hours hike in the valley, we reach an ancient farm that the Crusaders built in order to take advantage of the flowing springs for which Nachal Kziv is famous. A steep path brings us up to the Montfort-Outlook, overlooking the heavily fortified medieval castle, which gave it its name. Here our car will wait for us in order to take us for O/N in Rural Accommodation in Western Galilee. (Route approx. 20Km. )
Day 2:
From the Montfort-outlook we continue walking along the cliff overlooking the castle, and then descend down to the bottom of Nachal Kziv. Also here we pass some of the springs by which this valley is blessed (Ein Tamir & Ein Ziv). Now Nature becomes wilder after each bend. The dense forest competes with the high and steep cliffs for our attention, until we reach the Hurfeish-Alkosh road, where the car awaits us. O/N Rural Accommodation in Western Galilee. (Route approx. 21Km. )
Day 3:
We continue along Nachal Kziv, but now the landscape is more open, and instead of the dense, wild forest we see traditional Druze agriculture. The trail surrounds Mt. Zevul, named after Nabi Sabalan (Zebulon) - one of the most holy prophets of the Druze religion, who is buried at the top of this mountain. Through Nachal Neria we start ascending Mt. Meron, which used to be the highest mountain in Israel, 1208m. above sea-level. Its vegetation includes a variety of trees, among them the famous "Cedar of the Lebanon". Reaching the top, we walk on the "Summit Path" surrounding the mountain, with a wide view over Upper Galilee. We descend the holy Mt. Meron and end the day at the Tomb of Rabbi Shimeon bar Yochai, writer of the Kabbalah. O/N in Kibbutz Farod. (Route approx. 22Km.)
Day 4:
After a short hike down into Nachal Meron we understand why the city of Tzefat (Safed), famous for its Kabbalah-scholars, was founded nearby. This area is rich with water, and from time to time we can see orchards where fruit-trees were grown, as well as remnants of old water-mills that were used in the textile-industry. Now Nachal Amud, which we will follow till the end of the trek, becomes a wild creek, surrounded by high cliffs. We end today's section by the highway, where our car will await us. O/N in Kibbutz Farod. (Route approx. 17Km.)
Day 5:
We have reached the last day of the trek! Also at the southern side of the highway Nachal Amud is a deep creek, surrounded by high cliffs, only here this is suddenly broken by the national Water Carrier, with a sophisticated system that leads the water across these cliffs. After passing the "Amud" (column) that gave this creek its name, we are back in civilization, and about an hour away from the shores of the Sea of Galilee, where we end the hike filling the last half of our bottle with sweet water. (Route approx. 20 Km.).
Tour includes:
· Transfer from Central Israel to Achziv at the beginning of the tour and from the Sea of Galilee to Central Israel at the end of the tour.
· 4 rural accommodations a/p itinerary or similar.
· Full Board (we will take a light packed lunch to carry with us during the day).
· 5 days guiding by a licensed, nature-oriented guide.
· Transfers to and from hiking-sections a/p itinerary.
· Company's liability-insurance for up to US$1000000.
· "Sea to Sea" certificate.
