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Northern Israel, Active Vacation Ideas for September?

Northern Israel, Active Vacation Ideas for September?

Old Mar 27th, 2014, 10:08 AM
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Northern Israel, Active Vacation Ideas for September?

My husband and I are very good at doing independent travel. We are hoping to do a short trip to Israel (7-8 days), and rent a car but also include some active travel in the form of hiking and biking. Neither of us is Jewish but we do love history and culture. First, what are some sites that are must sees in northern Israel? Are there wineries available to visit? Some suggestions for lodging, dining, etc.? My husband also mentioned visiting a Bedoin camp. We did an overnight stay in the Moroccan desert -- will this be any different? Looking forward to some insight on this part of the world!
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Old Mar 28th, 2014, 08:38 AM
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There is absolutely no problem touring Israel on your own. The country is very safe, the roads are good and most people speak English.

You should complete your vacation by Sept. 25, the start of the High Holiday season. From that date on the country will be crowded with tourists and vacationers, hotels will be more expensive and public transport will not be available on certain days.

For 7-8 days your itinerary should be roughly as follows: 2-3 days in Jerusalem, 1 day Dead Sea, 2-3 days in the Galilee, 1-2 days in Tel-Aviv. You should start off in Tel Aviv, rent the car when you leave the city, drive to the Galilee and then to the Dead Sea, drive to Jerusalem, return the car and spend the remainder of your vacation in Jerusalem.

You do not need a car in Tel-Aviv or Jerusalem - it is a liability because of the parking and traffic problems.

Bedouin camps are only in the Negev desert in the south. There are wineries all over the country - in the Galilee, along the coast and in the Judean hills.

I suggest that you look at the following:

- a non-commercial travel guide put together by a frequent American visitor to Israel:
http://amateurtraveler.com/travel-gu...el%20guide.pdf

- National Parks web site:
http://old.parks.org.il/BuildaGate5/...&Bur=614100786

- Government tourist site:
http://www.goisrael.com

- List of museums:
http://ilmuseums.com/

- Tel Aviv "Time Out" magazine:
http://digital.timeout.co.il/english/

All that material should keep you busy for a while Please most more specific questions when you start doing your detailed planning.
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Old Mar 29th, 2014, 06:39 PM
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Hula Lake Park is one of the best bird watching sites anywhere during the migration season which is October to March. Here is a link to some photos I took last May, where the birding is not nearly as good.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/basings...7634072472281/

One there, you can hike of rent bikes or golf carts to get around.
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Old Mar 31st, 2014, 09:33 AM
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These sites are very helpful. We were looking at trying to do a bike trip in the Galilee area for 2-3 days and looking at the HooHa Cyclists Hotel but no current reviews or website. Does anyone know of hotels in the area that might rent bicycles for day trips? Last question is we may be flying into Aman and visiting Petra. Wadi Rum was the camp that someone mentioned to visit -- any information on any of these locals. Will they also be affected by the high holidays?
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Old Mar 31st, 2014, 09:35 AM
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These sites are very helpful. We were looking at trying to do a bike trip in the Galilee area for 2-3 days and looking at the HooHa Cyclists Hotel but no current reviews or website. Does anyone know of hotels in the area that might rent bicycles for day trips? Last question is we may be flying into Aman and visiting Petra. Wadi Rum was the camp that someone mentioned to visit -- any information on any of these locales. Will they also be affected by the high holidays?
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Old Mar 31st, 2014, 09:49 AM
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Wadi Rum and Petra are in Jordan where they do not celebrate Jewish holidays ! The holidays in Israel are on Sept 25-26 (New Years), Oct 4 (Yom Kippur) and Oct 9-15 (Sukkot). You should arrange your itinerary so that you are in Jordan during this period. Note that you can fly into Tel-Aviv and return from Jordan (or vice-versa) and the later you come the cooler the weather will be.

Regarding questions about Petra - please post them on the Jordan forum.

I don't know about hotels that rent bikes, but here are some web sites that I found:
http://www.tourplanisrael.com/?CategoryID=180
http://www.ibike.co.il/en/
http://www.israelbiketrails.com/
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Old Mar 31st, 2014, 12:26 PM
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Apparently Hooja closed down recently.
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