Off-road is the way to go if you want an unforgettable challenge during your Israel trip.
Your all-wheel-drive vehicle will take you to sparkling mountain streams, magnificent canyons and forts and caravansaries along roads that are thousands of years old.
You'll get to gorgeous, cliff-edge panoramas, and drive in the footsteps of Israel 's pioneers and warriors. For example, in two hours around the Upper Galilee village of Gush Halav near Safed, you'll discover the geological secret to the village's strange name, “Block of Milk,” a hidden pool, and drink herb tea under the fig trees. Then, there's a Hula Valley route along the old patrol road, which brings you to an out-of-the-way spring on the slopes of the Golan Heights . In the Judean Mountains , you can follow the heroes of 1948 who built the famous Burma Road that saved Jerusalem , or the biblical hero Samson to his birthplace deep in the Mediterranean woodlands. In the Judean Desert , forge along demanding trails through magnificent desertscapes to the Dead Sea . In the Negev , take a thrilling ride down into the unique Makhtesh Ramon and drive along the most famous road in antiquity – the Incense Route . Most trips can include as much or as little hiking as you want, and sleeping under the stars is also an option.
Car-rental companies do rent four-wheel drives, but you can't take them off road (!), and the 1:50,000 maps you must not be without are in Hebrew only. But the good news is that many tour companies offer 4 x 4 tours with experienced driver-guides who will work with you to create a trip with the right mixture of the things you want to see most – nature, history, geology, flora, fauna, and more.
Contact the Israel Tour Guides Association or the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel and start planning your adventure.
www.itga.org.il
www.aspni.org.il