Asia : Middle East : Golan Heights

Golan Heights

Table of Contents:
Cities / Other destinations / Culture and History / Talk / Travel to Golan Heights, visa requirements / Get around / Golan Heights attractions and sightseeing / City tours / Good restaurants and cheap meals / Golan Heights nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs. / Stay safe / Get out

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The Golan Heights are a territory controlled by Israel since 1967, also claimed by Syria.

Israel formally annexed the Golan Heights in 1981. This annexation is not recognized by the United Nations

Cities

Qatzrin - the largest town

Other destinations

Gamla - nature reserve and archaeological site
Majdal Shams - Druze village
Mount Hermon - Israel's only ski resort
Kal'at Namrud

Culture and History

Talk

The Golan Heights have been under Israeli control since 1967; Hebrew is widely spoken among the inhabitants in the cities and kibbutzim. Arabic is also spoken mainly by the Arabs and Druze living there, although many of them can also speak Hebrew.

Travel to Golan Heights, visa requirements

Public transport: there are a few daily buses form Tiberias and Kiryat Shmona to the Golan Hights. Services are few and far between.

Private transportation: from route 90 there are four "ascends" to the Golan Heights.

Get around

This area, due to low population, has one of the worst public transport services in the entire country, with some bus stops receiving only five to six busses daily.

You might try hitch-hiking, but it's not recommended, either here or anywhere in the country.

Golan Heights attractions and sightseeing

The Golan Heights is the wettest area in the area. There are many waterfalls there including Gamla, Sa`ar and the Banias waterfalls.

Mount Hermon (2284m), in the northernmost point of the Golan Heights. There is a cable car going up the mountain - in the summer you can enjoy a breathtaking scenery, while in the winter you can ski.

One of the more morbidly interesting sights is the ghost town of Quneitra, evacuated in the 1967 war and left in the no-man's-land ever since. Thoroughly wrecked not only in 1967 but in the subsequent 1973 conflict as well, the area can only be viewed from designated viewpoints set up along the border road.

City tours

Lots of interesting hiking courses. Breichat ha-meshushum (Hexagon pool) is a pool with natural hexagonal volcanic tiling. Yahudia wadi and Ein Zivan wadi are also popular hiking courses.

Good restaurants and cheap meals

Golan Heights nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.

Golan Heights Winery [1] - located not far from Qatzrin, the wines from here are quite tasty

The Golan Brewery (http://www.golanbeer.co.il) - located in "Kesem Hagolan", the Golan Visitors Center, close to the Golan Heights Winery. Established in 2006, brewing German Style Beer by a german brewmaster. They offer 4 to 5 types of beer,including an genuine Bavarian "Weizen". Open every day.

Stay safe

The Golan is mostly a rural area, and as such it is pretty much crime-less. However, the Golan is also one of the world's largest military barriers, and while it offers many hiking options, several basic safety rules should always be followed:

A large part of the Golan Heights area is either heavily mined, or is suspected as being mined - this is due to the fact that old mines may drift during heavy rains, which are frequent. You should never walk or drive in open fields, off main roads or dirt roads. While most mine fields are designated by warning signs (as the one shown in the picture), do not go into off-road barb-wired fields, even if they are not marked with signs.
Some areas of the Golan are used by the Israeli military as training grounds. While marked trails are pretty much safe, when going off-road you should check the local maps to make sure you are not going into a fire ground. If in doubt, check with local police or military authorities. Most training grounds are accessible during weekends (Fridays - Saturdays) and public holidays, and can also be accessed after coordination with military authorities.