Northern Hospitality

Welcome to The North of Israel

As you start to explore and discover Israel, you soon realize the magnitude of the country. Each region, corner, and street reveals its own distinct & unique vibe and personality. A trip here means discovering the real Israel. Head off the beaten path and listen to the stories that shaped the region and culture.

The North, often referred to as the Tuscany of Israel, is home to the Sea of Galilee and Golan Heights. Here you’ll find a landscape of endless beauty, showcasing sun-drenched mountain paths, endless greenery, rolling hills, and extraordinary landscapes. Nature lover’s take note! There is a whole world to discover adventuring up North! This once-vast-swamp is now an amazing nature reserve. Galilee is bursting with opportunities to hike mountains, watch the birds migrate in Hula Valley, or simply uncover flowers. 

It’s also here in the North where you’ll find a multitudes of cultures and traditions colliding. Learn what it means to eat and live like the Druze, Bedouins, Bahai, or Moroccans through a once-in-a-lifetime traditional dinner in a family home. Discover Akko, a city where Jews, Arabs, and Bahai live harmoniously. Explore a stunning Unesco heritage site: the Bahai Gardens of Haifa, a city with both mountain splendor and endless, pristine beaches. During any visit you could find yourself listening to Biblical stories within the Jezre’el Valley, an expansive plain stretching between Mt. Gilboa and the Carmel Mountains…but timing your trip right could place you at a Shabbat in Akko, or even at a Christmas celebration in Nazareth! 

Be ready to indulge in home-cooked food, hand-picked vegetables, and welcome opportunities to connect with locals. You’ll not only experience the North’s religion and culture, but are sure to unearth the gems of Galilee whether by foot, horseback, bike, jeep, or car.

Here is a sample itinerary for your visit!

Drive along the Sea of Galilee – enjoy the wonderful scenery and pass by important historical Christian sites. 

Our next experience will be a “Circle of Women”- join a unique workshop with Michal Emdin, “the cauldron stirrer”. The circle is a safe zone for women, which allows you to enhance your abilities, celebrate your happiness, connect to yourself and see the beauty and diverse nature of the femininity 

Explore the spiritual city of Tzfat on a Friday – you get a close look at how the people are preparing for Shabbat. Tzfat is one of the four holy cities in Israel, located 3,200 feet above sea level in the mountains of the Upper Galilee and commands magnificent views. Visit the renowned artist quarter; visit family-owned cheese factories, each one declaring they are the original one to invent the famous Tzfatit cheese; embrace spirituality, see beautiful synagogues (such as The Ashkenazi Ha’Ari Synagogue and the Sephardic HaAri Synagogue,  Abuhav Synagogue and Yosef Caro Synagogue) waltz around Jewish art galleries and local craft shops.

While visiting the center you can participate in “Hafrashat Challah” mitzvah, this workshop involves delving deeply into the secret behind the age old tradition of baking challah for Shabbat

Drive to Mount Meron and start the day at the 2nd tallest mountain in Israel and the highest mountain in the Galilee. It has a special significance in the Jewish tradition, and parts of it have been declared as a nature reserve due to the special Alpine climate, and unique flora and fauna. The mountain is connected to the Kabbalah as here lies the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, author of the Book of Zohar and is a great introduction to the story of Tzfat. Enjoy the view from Mt. Meron’s summit while hiking along the loop, a short easy hike overlooking the Mediterranean shores to the west, the Golan Heights with its volcanic peaks to the east and the entire Lower Galilee.

Visit Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai’s burial site on the Meron Mt. This site attracts Jewish visitors from all over the world and is unique in the atmosphere surrounding it and the view it is overlooking

Drive to Koranit and enjoy a visit at this community village in the heart of Lower Galilee. Koranit is located on a mountain top overlooking the breathtaking views of Haifa Bay and the mountains of the Galilee. We will visit a beautiful community garden for some fresh coffee. We will sit, relax, take in the mesmerizing view and listen to the story of Ben Sela, the young man this garden is named after. Ben was a dear friend of Guy, and was killed while fighting in the second Lebanon war.  

Here you will participate in a “make your dreams come true” activity, in memory of Ben – You will go through different stations while discussing and sharing your dreams and desires. The family of Ben Sela planned this activity, and it revolves around the diary he wrote while traveling abroad. Ben has adopted a certain way of life that was unique to him, and hopefully through this experience you will be able to learn more about him… and yourself (roughly 2 hours in total) 

Visit Kfar Kedem  which offers guests the opportunity to get a real sense of what life was like 2000 years ago in the Galilee. Get involved in the daily life of ancient biblical times and take part in various activities like threshing grain, pressing oil from olives and taking part in the production of milk, wool and bread as it was done in ancient times. Just to make this experience feel even more real, guests get to wear authentic period clothes (lunch included)

Drive to Kfar Vradim and visit Maarag, a cultural tourism initiative where artists and craftsmen along with special needs people gather together to display their creations.
Maarag offers a captivating tour and a visit to the gallery.

Mifgash: meet Israeli students from Tel Chai College and join them for a fascinating tour of the area, learn about the peripheral settlements, area development and education.

Visit the Jordan River Peace Park (the Island of Peace) – a real first step towards rehabilitating the Jordan River, endorsed by the mayors and communities on both sides of the River. When Israel and Jordan signed a peace treaty in 1994, special arrangements were made for a parcel of land near Naharayim where people from both sides of the border can visit and learn about the mutual initiatives and hopes for peace and a better environment.