Spring in the Golan

By: Rebecca and Jason

Last year, we were pleasantly surprised at how green the northern part of Israel is in the spring. We were fortunate to go on several trips to the Galilee and the Golan to see some of Israel's loveliest natural areas. It was something we wanted to do again this year.

Jason's aunt and uncle stayed with us for a few days this week and we decided another trip up north was in order. On the recommendations of friends and our trusty Lonely Planet guidebook, we set out for Gamla. A nature reserve in the Golan, Gamla is home to Israel's highest waterfall, rare Griffon vultures, and the remains of a fortified Jewish settlement. Led by Josephus Flavius, ancient Gamla joined the Jewish revolt against the Romans in 66 CE, but after a siege and subsequent attack, was defeated and it's inhabitants killed. Josephus escaped by agreeing to join the Romans and it is his writings that tell us the story of Gamla. The city was never rebuilt by the Romans and was forgotten about for 1,900 years until its rediscovery during a survey of the Golan Heights in 1968 after the Six-Day War.

Ancient Gamla on the side of the mountain

The scenery at Gamla is stunning. In the green of spring, the fields are awash with wildflowers and the waterfall flows dramatically down the face of the cliff. The cliffs are home to the nests of several different species of raptors; among them, the endangered Griffon vulture. Not beautiful, but certainly impressive, Griffon vultures grow to over 3 ft tall with a wingspan of almost 6 feet! We were lucky enough to see a pair guarding their nest. It was a beautiful day and the scenery is gorgeous, but the machine gun fire from the nearby army practice range is a little disconcerting. The signs tell you to please not shout in case you should disturb the birds, but I have to wonder if the machine gun fire isn't worse. 

Gamla cliffs

Gamla falls

One of the other surprising and impressive sites at Gamla are the stone formations clustered together in the fields. Known as dolmens, these 4,000 year-old stone tables are thought to have been ancient burial tombs used by nomadic tribes during the Bronze Age. This park, as many do in Israel, characterizes the presence of different peoples over thousands of years of history.

Ancient dolmen and giant fennel

Along with the lovely spring wildflowers, there are a variety of trees and shrubs including oak, pistachio, Judas tree, and willow. The vegetation is especially lush near the Gamla stream and serves as a home to all kinds of birds and frogs, which we were so surprised to hear. There aren't a lot of amphibians in such a dry country!

Spring wildflowers

Gamla is definitely one of our favorite national parks. We are glad we visited in the spring when the flowers were in full bloom and it wasn't oppressively hot. The surrounding area is home to several other parks and some great wineries. On a future visit to Israel, we'd love to explore it some more. 

See more photos from our adventure in the album below:

Gamla Nature Reserve