Rosh Hanikra & Nahariya
Written By Zvika Gasner Koheleth, Pictures by Angela Hechtfisch 28-June-2020, Edited 24-Aug-2020
“Rosh Hanikra”
“Rosh Hanikra” is the most north-western spot in Israel, a few meters shy of the Lebanese border. It is located 3km from the northern city of Nahariya and located on the top of a “Sulam” ridge mountain formation. Through time and the force of the waves hitting the cliffs, special caves were curved to create the “grottos” which are marine caves. It is a truly unique sight. Getting there is by using the 1-minute cable cart to the level of the water surface. The walkthrough in the soft chalk rock curves is suitable for all ages, young and old.
“Rosh Hanikra” History
In addition to this, in the year 1941, the British army had taken a 1-year task to dig in into the mountain a train railway to connect their Africa-Asian’s line from Tunisia and Egypt in the south-west to Israel, Lebanon and Syria in the east northern part of the Middle East also known as the “Levant”. The purpose of the British army was to strengthen their military efforts in WW2 against the Germans and their allies. The train line was active until 1947, and just before the Israeli independence war in 1948, the train tunnel was exploded by the Israeli “Hagana” force of the “Carmeli” brigade, attempting to limit the connection between the local Palestinian military power in the cities of Haifa and Akko (Acre) to its neighbor Lebanese regime. They fail to destroy the train tunnel BUT the train line went totally out of operation.
An Audio-visual-show is generally presented in the northern tunnel which is being transformed into a cinema, however, in the time of the Corona it was close to due the health regulation. Entry fees are 48 Israeli Shekels for an adult, and queuing to the cable cart takes usually between 10-15 minutes.
“Achziv” beach (“Banana beach”)
After visiting Rosh-Hanikra, it takes 5 minutes to drive to one of the many beautiful beaches in the city of Nahariya. We chose the public “Achziv” beach which is also named “Banana beach”. It was clean, its facilities we well kept, a lifeguard was on duty until 17:00, and a nice café for cold drinks is open. No plastic plates or cups are allowed in. Animals, alcohol, and playing music is NOT permitted on site. There is also a possibility for camping on location with a caravan or even an air-conditioned tent.
The “Kaziv” river national park
The “Kaziv” river runs for 40 km starting its origins at the “Miron” mountain. it flows from northeast to northwest until it joins the mediterranean sea at the “Acziv” beach between the city of Nahariya to Rosh Hanikra. There are several tracks for exploring the “Kaziv” river, with few bonus attractions alongside, and it is distinguished by the length of the course and level of difficulty. The middle part of the river flows all around the year, so it is mostly recommended on the hot summer days where a big part of the trail is walking in the cool water, which is a wonderful refreshment. The easiest way to get to the “Kaziv” river national park is to drive by Road #89 from Nahariya for 20 km. to the east, until you reach the outskirts of the city “Maalot-Tarchicha”, then continue to the west with a 500-meter soil path, park the car and walk downhill towards (it is closed for cars) “Ein-Ziv” for about 40 minutes( which on the return way you will need to climb back) until you finally reach “Kaziv” river. At this point on it depends on you how far and how long are you interested to walk inside. After 2 km. appear the famous “Man in the wall” on “temples cave”, an extra 2 km. the walk will get you to the “Ein-Tamir” fountain which is accessible only to the brave at heart that allows themselves to walk inside a stone cave until the secret lake reveals itself (NOT recommended for claustrophobic people), and an additional 2.5 km, some part of it with hard climbing to discover the “Monfort fortress” built by the crusader’s knights in the 12 century.
In general, the “Kaziv” river national park is considered to be one of the most beautiful natural locations explores in Israel. It has an evergreen topographic and clear freshwater. Hats, good walking shoes, and plenty of cold water are a must. It is suitable for all ages between 10-70, and because most of it is shaded either by the mountain or by the dense greenery and due to the fact most of it can be walked inside the cool water, it is a perfect spot for the summertime.
