The Achziv Beach, the strip of Israel’s coastline extending north of the resort city of Nahariya to the region’s prime tourist attraction of Rosh Hanikra, offers fun in the sun, swimming, cycling, hiking, fishing, and coves and lagoons to explore.
You’ll discover the inlets of the sandstone ridges east of the beach are not only romantic, they are home to special plants and animals that thrive against all odds in the salty air and spray.
The Achziv coast offers a number of swimming options.
The Betzet Beach is free and has few frills; other beaches with entrance fees offer more services.
In addition to spying star-fish and small octopi, lucky beach-combers sometimes see dolphins cavorting off the coast. In early spring, the coves become a carpet of wildflowers, which makes a walk along the beach even more pleasurable, and the blooming sea daffodil perfumes August evenings.
From Achziv National Park with its lawns, beach, and antiquities, a promenade has become a favorite with cyclists and walkers, stretching north to the gleaming 120-foot high cliffs of Rosh Hanikra. (You can enter Rosh Hanikra from the Achziv Promenade during July and August, and year-round on Saturdays). At Rosh Hanikra, visitors take a cable car down to walk through tunnels in the cliff, where they marvel at the play of light, shadow and water in beautiful wave-formed caves. Overnight accommodations in the area, including bed-and-breakfasts, holiday villages and campgrounds makes a whole day at the beach easy to weave into your Israel itinerary as an interlude between your Jerusalem and Galilee stays.
www.rosh-hanikra.com
www.parks.org.il