Gamla Nature Reserve
Gamla Nature Reserve
4.5
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.5
114 reviews
Excellent
83
Very good
23
Average
4
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4
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0
VisitIsrael
Modi'in-Maccabim-Re'ut, Israel23,605 contributions
May 2018 • Family
The Masada of the north, this site has a challenging hike down to the ancient village of Gamla, destroyed by the Romans. The Vulture outlook and abandon village are easily accessible even to the mobility challenged. A hike to the waterfall is nice, but not in the heat of summer or in the rain, as there is no shade and it's not paved in any way.
Written August 6, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shahar L
Tel Aviv, Israel263 contributions
Feb 2020
We got to the Gamla reservation in a nice winter-sunny weather - took a while to get in (long queue of cars) but was totally worth it! the way to the fall is beautiful (and also - muddy :-) bring mud-proof shoes) and not too difficult for a family with small children! the fall itself and the ravine that holds it are breath taking!
Written February 15, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
YitzchakM
Or Yehuda, Israel1,137 contributions
Feb 2018 • Couples
My wife and I are avid nature lovers. We plan our vacations around hiking, mountains, and nature. On the first Friday of this past February, my wife and I travelled up to the Golan Heights in the northeast corner of Israel for a hiking vacation weekend (Friday-Saturday) to check out the waterfalls of the Golan Heights and to check out Mount Bental (the highest mountain on the Golan Heights accessible to tourists - see my Tripadvisor review). We drove up from Tel Aviv early Friday morning and first visited the Ayit Waterfall (31 meters high) right next to the Gamla Nature Reserve alongside Highway 808. It was like the tasty appetizer before the lavish main course. We then drove to the Gamla Nature Reserve, parked the car in the visitor’s parking lot and headed out on the “red” trail which begins near the parking lot. It is a very enjoyable 2 kilometer hike to the Gamla Waterfall, with the snow-covered Hermon Mountain directly in front of us. We crossed a wooden bridge over the Gamla Stream and then turned to the left towards the official viewer’s outlook. We did not enjoy this outlook so much because it seemed so far away from the waterfall as to diminish the pleasure of seeing this beautiful 51 meter high waterfall, the highest in Israel. We decided that this is NOT what we had travelled so far for, so we hopped the fence (which later we discovered was only intended to keep 4-legged animals like cows from falling off the cliff) and closed the distance between us and the waterfall. Up close and near the edge, this spectacular waterfall was indeed awesome and breath-taking to behold. After taking lots of pictures and VIDEOS, we hiked the 2 kilometers back to the car. We both agreed that this was one of the best hikes and experiences of our lives!
Tip: If you make this a weekend vacation like we did, do yourself a favor and stay at the wonderful Kibbutz Marom Golan Holiday Village (see my Tripadvisor review) and be sure to hike up the adjacent also-spectacular Mount Bental like we did (see my Tripadvisor review)!
Tip: If you make this a weekend vacation like we did, do yourself a favor and stay at the wonderful Kibbutz Marom Golan Holiday Village (see my Tripadvisor review) and be sure to hike up the adjacent also-spectacular Mount Bental like we did (see my Tripadvisor review)!
Written March 13, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
aellituv
Manchester, UK566 contributions
Feb 2016 • Friends
We don't hear much about gamma compared to masada, and yet the heroism and bravery of the defenders are the same.
A great trail with a brilliant story to match.
Great scenery a must visit.
A great trail with a brilliant story to match.
Great scenery a must visit.
Written December 26, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
barbara_l_uk
Winchester, United Kingdom9 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
Much smaller (and less crowded) than Masada the site is no less impressive. The archaeological site, the vulture look-out and the walk over to the waterfall are well worth the trip. If you haven't got a head for heights at all, then you might not want to explore all parts of the archaeological site.
Written October 21, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Barry P
10 contributions
Feb 2015 • Family
Gamla was a thriving city in the Golan 2000 years ago. Its location is amazing, arising out of the narrow valley created by the confluence of two deep streams - there is a waterfall to be seen from an observation point in the nature reserve. The Jews of Gamla fought against three Roman legions led by Titus and Vespasian in 67CE.
The parts of the town have been excavated since 1967CE when the Israelis took back the Golan. You can get a feel for the homes, a synogogue, a completely excavated mikva (ritual bath), the fortified wall, and more. The vista is amazing, both from the ancient city and from the heights overlooking the city.
There is a steep hike down into the valley from the nature reserve and then up into the city. It is also accessible from a road the leads all the way to the ancient city.
At the museum in Katsrin, there is a 20-30min film about the history of Gamla.
The parts of the town have been excavated since 1967CE when the Israelis took back the Golan. You can get a feel for the homes, a synogogue, a completely excavated mikva (ritual bath), the fortified wall, and more. The vista is amazing, both from the ancient city and from the heights overlooking the city.
There is a steep hike down into the valley from the nature reserve and then up into the city. It is also accessible from a road the leads all the way to the ancient city.
At the museum in Katsrin, there is a 20-30min film about the history of Gamla.
Written February 11, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shelley G
Colorado Springs, CO67 contributions
Jun 2014 • Friends
This may not be a popular tourist attraction, but it was worth the hike. It was easy to see why the terrain fended off the Romans during one siege. What a place to live! A hive of Zealots who defied Rome were toughened by living on the side of this steep and rocky "hill". But they must have enjoyed the view - valley and cliffs surrounding on all sides.
I was thankful for a very rare June breeze, which made the hot day more bearable. The hike is steep, steep, steep - down to the valley floor, up to the remains, back down to the valley, and up to the park overlook. To distract myself, I counted steps from the bottom back to the overlook area - I think it was about 400 steep steps, but the exertion may have distracted me enough to forget which hundred I was on.
I was thankful for a very rare June breeze, which made the hot day more bearable. The hike is steep, steep, steep - down to the valley floor, up to the remains, back down to the valley, and up to the park overlook. To distract myself, I counted steps from the bottom back to the overlook area - I think it was about 400 steep steps, but the exertion may have distracted me enough to forget which hundred I was on.
Written January 25, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sheepygold
london5,478 contributions
Jul 2014 • Friends
There is a lot to see here so give yourself a whole day. Bring food and drink as there is not much available and also good shoes as some of the paths are rocky and steep (even the ones graded easy are very rocky in places). Also bring your own binoculars and a camera - the views to West and North are stupendous.
Do not miss the Vulture trail. It is short and the views from the hide are great. Today we saw a whole flock of them close up.
As there has not been much rain I would not bother with the walk to the waterfall as it is not spectacular but would instead walk to ancient Gamla though you need to be reasonably fit and sure footed.
There is another longer walk to do as well which is supposed to be fairly flat but if you wish to do this walk then the suggestion is to start from the secondary reserve entrance on route 869 near dalyit (?) junction. If you do this route you pay for your entrance to the reserve when you reach the end of the trail.
There are lots of flowers to see and many birds (so bring binoculars) also snakes, deer, wild boar and scorpions though we did not see any.
Do not miss the Vulture trail. It is short and the views from the hide are great. Today we saw a whole flock of them close up.
As there has not been much rain I would not bother with the walk to the waterfall as it is not spectacular but would instead walk to ancient Gamla though you need to be reasonably fit and sure footed.
There is another longer walk to do as well which is supposed to be fairly flat but if you wish to do this walk then the suggestion is to start from the secondary reserve entrance on route 869 near dalyit (?) junction. If you do this route you pay for your entrance to the reserve when you reach the end of the trail.
There are lots of flowers to see and many birds (so bring binoculars) also snakes, deer, wild boar and scorpions though we did not see any.
Written July 13, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Micha M
Gedera, Israel86 contributions
Sep 2013 • Family
A unique nature reserve in the Golan Heights. There's a short, easy to walk path to the eagle observatory, where you can listen to some information about the types of eagles and other vultures that nest and breed in the reserve. Then, there's a slightly longer and tougher path (about 1.5KM) you can walk to the Gamla Falls, the highest fall in northern Israel at 51 meters. All in all, a special and unique experience.
Written October 1, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yuriis
Tel Aviv, Israel65 contributions
Aug 2018 • Family
Views, birds and history. You can see where Gamla, the legendary town that rebelled against Roman empire, and it took Romans much more time to conquer than the Jerusalem - which were the harshest rebellion in Judea against Roman empire. You can feel the history hiking to remains of the settlement and enjoy the views and some voltures nesting here
Written August 7, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gamla Entrance Fee
Adult: NIS 25
Child: NIS 13
Israeli senior citizens: 50% discount
Group rate: Adult: NIS 21; child: NIS 12
We had one of the National Parks passes that covers dozens of sites, so this is not what we paid.
Written June 12, 2018
Has anybody been on the red trail that crosses the Daliyot Stream/Waterfall and the Bazelet Stream/Waterfall? Are the streams crossable in the winter WITHOUT removing shoes and socks?
Written January 30, 2018
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