From natural pools and the sea to outdoor escape rooms, here are some ideas.
By MEITAL SHARABIYou Tube (literally) at Yam Carmel(photo credit: YAIR MORDECAI)
In the hot summer months, we’re always searching for exciting activities that will get us off the couch and out of the house. It’s getting harder and harder to find challenging outings that will engage our smartphone- addicted children.Below, you’ll find a few of my suggestions that I believe will actually make your kids say “Wow, that was an amazing day!”Family scuba divesFor many Israeli families, vacation means going down to Eilat, where the newest attraction in Israel’s southernmost city is family scuba diving. No prior training is needed at the Coral World underwater observatory, where each diver has a private guide for 45 minutes, 10 of which you will spend underwater at a depth of four meters.During the dive, you can see dozens of different types of fish and coral. If you want a souvenir from this unique experience, you can have someone take a photo of you from outside.Entrance to park: adults, NIS 99; children, NIS 79.Price for scuba dive: NIS 99 (available from age 8).Coral World is open daily from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.The Gilboa Experience The Gilboa is an extremely popular destination for hikers in the winter and spring, but did you know that even on hot summer days there’s still plenty of activity there? The Gilboa Experience offers visitors a variety of exciting attractions, such as rides on razor cars in Emek Harod, which is home to a number of refreshingly cool natural springs.The challenging paths for which you need a four-wheel drive will raise your pulse and the cool water will bring it back down. The path passes through the heart of the forest and then reaches the springs, where you can stop for a short picnic of cold watermelon and a dip in the refreshing pool. The trip is appropriate for families, couples and small groups. Rental of razor cars with valid driver’s license only.Length of ride: 75 minutes.Price: NIS 500 for a car with four seats.Binyamin regionA wonderful way for your kids to get rid of their energy while enjoying nature at the same time is to join a guided tour, which takes place on Fridays in the Binyamin region, which is full of shady, verdant surroundings and fun places to run around in.Just a short distance from Jerusalem are dozens of springs that bubble up from underground and form wading pools that are perfect for children to splash around in.During the summer months, the Binyamin region will be organizing four free guided tours on Fridays, the first of which will take place on July 28 at 8 a.m. The tour, which follows the Alon Road, will begin with a walk in the water and end at the ecological pool. There will be a short stop in the middle at Saboneto, which produces fragrant olive oil products with the help of workers with special needs.Meeting point: Alma Shai Bakery at Kfar Adumim junction gas station.Sites: Ein Maboa, Nahal Prat and Kochav Hashahar.Estimated ending time and location: 1 p.m. at Kochav Hashahar.Neot KedumimNeot Kedumim invites children to join evening tours every Thursday at the Biblical Landscape Reserve. The tours, which involve some of the more well-known biblical stories, are full of experiential activities and each week will focus on a different biblical character.Participants will even get to prepare food mentioned in the Bible.One tour focuses on the patriarch Jacob, who bought his birthright with a pot of stew and then became one of the greatest shepherds of his time. During the tour, participants will get to see sheep up close and learn what being a shepherd entails, including drawing water from a well, cooking lentil stew and hearing the love story of Jacob and Rachel.On another tour, participants will climb down a ladder into a water cistern, build a storage room out of mud bricks, and bake pita bread on a taboon.Tours will take place on the last Thursday in July and the first three Thursdays in August, from 5 to 7:30 p.m..Pre-registration required: (08) 977-0770 Price: NIS 40 (over age 3) Open-air EscapePark In July and August, Hama’ayanot Park is offering visitors an incredible experience at its new EscapePark, Israel’s first open-air escape room.It all started back in the days of the British Mandate, when the late Shlomo Gur, the security director at the time, built a weapons cache. Gur left hints all around that led to the recent discovery of the door of the secret weapons cache.Visitors are given “Gur’s bag,” which contains a walkie-talkie, and a golf cart with a GPS that helps you find the key. This mentally challenging activity is geared toward the whole family, especially people who love escape rooms. What’s so unique about this openair escape room experience is that you get to enjoy moving around the park at the same time.Free entrance for people who enter park on foot.Renting a four-seater golf cart costs NIS 200; six-seater carts cost NIS 285.Price for game: NIS 105 per person, minimum four people.Hama’ayanot Park is open every day until 7:30 p.m.Yam Carmel amusement park On the top of a mountain in the Ofer Forest in the Carmel Mountains you will find an amusement park called Yam Carmel, which overlooks the Mediterranean Sea. There you’ll find a rope adventure course that is 15 meters off the ground, a 15-meter-high climbing wall, a rope bridge, a zip line, a rappelling wall, a kilometer-long roller-coaster ride, a dry tube course, and bungee trampolines. There’s also a Gymboree and workshops for younger kids.The park is open Sunday-Thursday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.Price: Unlimited use of all attractions for up to two hours costs NIS 55 to NIS 119.Details: (04) 959-2224. Falling in love with nature The agricultural tourism farm named To Fall in Love with Nature, in conjunction with Treasures of the Galilee, invites the public to take part in a lychee-picking festival, which began last week and will continue until mid-August. During the festival, visitors are invited to pick lychees and eat them on the spot.Bialik Sulimani will be there to welcome all the guests to the farm, which is located near Kibbutz Matzuva. Under a huge awning guests can enjoy free coffee or tea, while Sulimani gives a short and sweet explanation about the tropical fruit, including its origins and medicinal properties. Afterwards, everyone is welcome to grab a basket and get picking.To Fall in Love with Nature is located on Road 70, between Kabri junction and Shlomi.Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. all week long.Price: NIS 30 (over age 3).Price for lychees: NIS 25 per kilogram.Translated by Hannah Hochner.
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