The Israel National Trail is considered one of the “top 20 epic hikes in the world.” While a few hundred people trek the 1,100 km (680 mile) long track from beginning to end every year, tens of thousands of other people prefer to hike along the famous trail in bits and pieces.
My family has been traipsing along parts of this trail since my three kids could walk (and, actually, even before that when they were in baby carriers).
Today was a gorgeous winter day so we set out from Beit Hanania to Jisr az-Zarka to Caesarea – following a route along the aqueducts. It was a 6-km section of the Israel Trail.
We crossed fields, water sources, an Arab town, a mosque, fishing boats, a stretch of beaches along the Mediterranean Sea, and, of course, aqueducts that date back to the time of Herod. All in just six kilometers.
The Israel Trail is famous for traversing the country’s many habitats and varying topography.
“The trail powerfully connects to something that often gets lost in all the headlines -- the sublime beauty of the wilderness of the Middle East. On the trail, there is peace and friendship," writes National Geographic.
With two other families of friends, their kids, a dog and a mix of foodstuffs in our backpacks (hummus, lafa, labaneh, veggies, zaatar, olive oil, and more), we took on the beauty of this bit of the trail. It was a great day out.
