Now that we have established that Israel/Palestine are desert countries that can get unexpectedly cold there is only one question left to answer: Can you ski in Israel? Yes, you can — in the northernmost tip of the Golan Heights!

I went to the Golan Heights in February. I had heard too many good things about the landscape to miss it, and I had heard that the Golan Heights Hostel had underfloor heating. So what could go wrong?

Arriving at the Golan Heights: Odem

I took one of the hourly buses from Tiberias to Kiryat Shimona (aka Qiryat Shemona) and after a half hour of waiting jumped onto the connection to Odem*.

Odem is a tiny settlement about an hour from Kiryat Shimona, without a store but with a couple of holiday rentals, a vineyard, and a café that’s open in warmer seasons. At 1,090 m, Odem is also the second-highest town (yes, despite a population of 118 in 2015 it’s considered a town) in Israel and Palestine.

Note: According to international law, the Golan Heights are not part of the State of Israel. They belong to Syria but have been occupied by Israel since 1967/1981. The UN controls a buffer zone between Syria and the Eastern (Israeli-occupied) part of the Golan Heights, and you might hear sporadic shelling in the area. But I did not see or hear of any actual threats to people in the Golan Heights. 

The Golan Heights Hostel was recommended to me by the Tiberias Hostel; both are members of the ILH Israel Hostel Association. I emailed them only the night before to book a bed in the female dorm. The hostel is located in the former settlement store. So occasionally people would come in and ask to buy groceries. There is a total of 26 beds in three dorms and two privates. The atmosphere is very family-like with pancake parties for breakfast and the option to book a seat at the vegan dinner table.

Bunker, Oak Forest & Big Gupt Crater

I started my stay by heading for what is known as the yellow hike from Odem to the top of Mount Odem (about 100 m up from the settlement), to the abandoned IDF bunker (33°11’55.4″N+35°45’15.5″E) with views of Mount Hermon, and was to continue into the oldest oak forest in Israel (around 33°12’31.9″N+35°43’55.4″E). Cows and wild boars are roaming here.

However, my issue in January was the torrential rains that started pelting down on me about an hour into what was supposed to be a 3-h loop. I had just passed a pack of barking dogs and a very steep muddy decline. So turning back wasn’t an option. I soldiered on following the yellow markers until they led me back to the massive yellow gate that I have learned marks settlements throughout Israel.

The oak forest also holds reminders of the region’s volcanic past. As you walk along the paths, you might discover craters. Big Gupt (33°12’25.1″N+35°44’02.9″E) is the largest one. While the yellow route takes you past there, you can easily park your car on Route 978, just a few meters off the Odem turn-off, and walk along a paved footpath to the crater. The path around the crater and into it is not paved but — weather permitting — it is very easy to find a route through the oaks trees as they are growing with plenty of distance between one another and practically without undergrowth.

Mount Hermon

On a clear day, Israel’s highest peak is visible from Tiberias at the Sea of Galilee. Hermon is one of the major suppliers of fresh water in Israel. I was lucky enough to be in the area on one of the few days every winter that there is fresh snow in the Golan Heights. People from all over the country will flock to Mount Hermon for the day to enjoy some skiing or snowboarding. I didn’t go there myself, but I got a few lovely views from the abandoned bunker above Odem.

Please note that Mount Hermon is literally Israels northern end — some routes in and to the mountain might require military permits or entail passing through checkpoints.

Sunrise view of snowy Mount Hermon

Druze villages

The Druze are a religious minority in the Levant region. Their faith is unique but can best be described to the uninitiated as a mix of Islam, Judaism, Christianity, plus some. Throughout the Golan Heights, you will see their distinct green-red-yellow-blue-white star (and flag) adorning buildings. Druze centers are the villages/towns Mas’ade, Buqata, Ein Kinyat, and Mashdal Shams. Though not much of the original villages remains, the traditional building style lives on in pagoda-style terraces adorning the roofs.

The Druze men traditionally wear low-hanging pants (think tourist-Indian Yoga pants) and white cylindrical hats. Though, today most will wear regular Western clothes.

The traditional garb of women is a black skirt or dress and a flowing white scarf that is wrapped to cover the mouth when the women leave their home.

Nimrod Fortress

Built by one of legendary conqueror Saladin’s sons, Nirmod Fortress has been guarding access to the Golan Heights and Mount Hermon for 800 years. Along with a few fellow guests at the Golan Heights Hostel, I went on a day hike through Mas’ade and Ein Kinyat. The hike was supposed to take us 3 hours and leave plenty of time to explore the castle. Alas, there is no marked route, and we got lost a few times, in the forests and an orchard. So it ended up taking us closer to five hours, and we had to rush through the fortress. We climbed a small path in the back, crawled through a tunnel in one of the towers, and then loop back to the entrance via the main gate and the tarred driveway. All of this in less than an hour where I would have loved to spend two or three.

Outside the main gate, we waited for half an hour for a bus that never came. Eventually, we hitchhiked to Sa’ar Waterfall junction about 2 km down the road.

While hoping for better bus connections at this busy intersection, we had a saghlab — a milky desert with rose water, cinnamon, and coconut flakes. That was worth the detour. Plus: After another 15 minutes, we were lucky to get two guys who made space for all four of us in their car.

However, if I were to do it again, I’d probably catch bus #58, which stops right outside Nimrod, and after exploring the fortress, I’d go down to Israel’s largest waterfall in Hermon Stream Nature Reserve (aka Banias). Bus #58 also stops there, which makes it convenient to get back to Odem.

Extra: Hexagonal pools (HaMeshushim Nature Reserve)

If you’re going to Golan Heights in the summer and are looking for a refreshment, check out the Hexagonal Pools in (Ha)Meshushim Nature Reserve. The name derives from the basalt pillars surrounding the pools: Erosion has shaped them into hexagons, and the scenery looks simply stunning!

Meshushim is another one for the rental car as access to the nature reserve by public transport is not available. If you do rely on buses, go to Katsrin or Had Nes and hitch a ride/catch a cab to the Reserve visitor center. From there, the pools are another 2 km to hike.

Practical Info & Links

• Public transport:
  • Finding bus connections into/in the Golan Heights can be a bit tricky. I used a combination of the following:
    • Egged: Always a good bet for national connections. However, the local buses within the Golan Heights are not covered by the Egged search engine and the only Golan Heights city Egged serves is Kiryat Shmona.
    • With the Golan Heights, Golan Bus has a good network, albeit not always with many connections. Unfortunately, the Golan Bus website is only available in Hebrew and Arabic.
    • Google Maps: Enter your route and change the means of transport to “Transit” (third icon from the left).
    • Bus.co.il: They have a comprehensive list of buses in Israel but trouble finding non-direct connections (like from Tiberias to Odem).
  • *Note about connections to Odem and the Golan Heights Hostel: Buses #55 and #58 usually — but not always! — go all the way into Odem. Ask the bus driver. Otherwise, he’ll drop you at the turn-off, about 2 km down the road from the settlement. Another option to get to the North is a once-a-day connection from Tiberias East via Nofe Golan (#52 from Tiberias /#86 to Odem).
  • Don’t forget that Friday afternoon until Saturday afternoon is Shabbat and therefore all public transport will be very limited to non-existing.
• Hitchhiking:
  • Hitchhiking is a common way to move around the Golan Heights and also works during Shabbat.
  • Simply stop somewhere the cars can easily stop (wide shoulders or bus stops work fine) and point two fingers towards the road.
  • Do not attempt to walk and hitchhike at the same time — you will be ignored.
  • Split up groups of more than three people. We got lucky, but usually, people just pass.
• Accommodation:
  • Click here to learn more about the Golan Heights Hostel
  • ILH – Israel Hostels is an association of hostels throughout Israel trying to beat the market power of global booking engines. They offer 5% discount if you go from one of their members to the next and book directly (not via the global booking engines). (hostels-israel.com)
• Attractions:
  • Contact the Mount Odem Winery for wine tastings 
  • Click here for the official website for Nimrod Fortress National Park
  • This is the official website for Hermon Stream Nature Reserve (Banias)
  • And you’ll get to the official website for the Hexagon Pools (Meshushim Stream Nature Reserve) by clicking here
  • A great budget saver if you are going to visit several nature reserves and national parks during your stay are the combi-ticket options the Israel Parks Authority offers: parks.org.il/sites/English/Pages/SavingMoneyTickets