Tourists from both Israel and abroad can travel the country and enjoy activities that have minimal impact on the environment and build environmental awareness.
Environmental tourism options in Israel are growing apace, especially in the verdant Galilee region.
If you want a healthy holiday, check in to the Mizpe-Hayamim Hotel, Spa and Organic Farm.
Dating from the 1960s, the complex was the vision of Dr. Eric Yaros – a physician and homeopath who emigrated from Berlin.
The vegetarian restaurant gets a personal recommendation and while you’re there, be sure to walk up the hill to the 28-acre farm that supplies every single one of the restaurant’s seasonal vegetables, fruits and dairy products.
The valley below the hotel is home to the bird-watching paradise of the Hula Valley and Lake Agmon. More than 500 million birds – 400 species – stop over in the valley, as they migrate between Europe and Africa in the spring and fall. Visitors can rent electric golf carts or bicycles, and set out alone or with a resident ornithologist for a tour of the restored wetlands
For a more intimate green getaway, try Hemdatiya in Moshav Sejera-Ilaniya. It’s a small B&B with five rooms, in carefully-restored stone farm buildings dating from the early 20th century. Vineyards, goats and seasonal organic vegetable gardens, provide salads, wine and cheese for guests.
Another attractive and practical eco-feature for drought-plagued Israel – all the water from the rooms is channeled down to the wetlands, to irrigate the orchards.
Atalya Trua, one of the owners of Hemdatiya, is passionate about the importance of the eco-holiday site: “The ecologic life is the only way to live today… for the environment, and for the next people, the next generation.”
(c) Your Israel Experience.com 2011.
This article is taken from Your Israel Experience– a website dedicated to all the beautiful things in Israel.
Kfar Kalil — a small eco-friendly town
In the western Galilee, you will find a small town called Kfar Kalil, where people are having a much simpler lifestyle (or at least they are trying to), which is more in touch with nature. There are about 50 families living in Kfar Kalil and all of them use renewable energy, mainly solar energy. They are also adopting organic agricultural practices.
In order to preserve the landscape and natural beauty of the town, the houses are spaced relatively far away from each other (the plots there are purchased privately).
At the moment, Kfar Kalil has a few options for eco-tourism, including these three favorites:
- Bein Haruv Le Zayit – This bed and breakfast features a swimming pool with a natural design (instead of artificial), yurts, and a small storn selling organic goods.
- Habayit Betzel Etsei Hazayit – It features three small cabins that overlooks the Galilee mountains and offers an amazing vistas of the landscape below.
- Ohalim – “Ohalim,” which means “tents,” is a 25-dunam property that provides a great ocean view. It is venue for workshops and quiet events, which are held in a natural setting. Ohalim also features areas for quiet meditation, walking paths, and an organic vegetable garden.