See the Wild Side of Israel Up Close
Join Israel’s oldest and largest environmental organization on a special trip for nature lovers.
Registration is now closed, but stay tuned for our next trip!
See thousands of birds migrating from Europe to Africa.
Take a hot air balloon ride over Tel Aviv.
See SPNI’s re-wilded wetlands, a hallmark of environmental conservation.
Get up close to wildlife at the bird observatory.
Take a boat ride on the Dead Sea.
Tour the world’s largest desalination plant.
Join Israel’s oldest and largest environmental organization on a special trip for nature lovers.
Experience a different, beautiful side to Israel and be inspired by Israel’s beautiful open spaces, wildlife, birds, urban nature and more. Get close to wildlife in the company of other nature-lovers, Israel-lovers, birders, and environmentalists. Enjoy a week of unique insights, top-tier accommodations, and amazing food. Don’t miss out!
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Future trips will be focused on:
- Water and Climate Change
- Bird Migrations
- Other Environmental Topics
Itinerary
Opening Evening Cocktail Reception
Get-together for orientation, get to know your group members, and introduction to the trip.
Overnight at the 65 Hotel in Tel Aviv
Breakfast at Your Hotel
Every morning you’ll enjoy a delicious Israel buffet breakfast at your hotel.
Hot-air Balloon Over Tel Aviv
You’re invited to an amazing experience – hover over Tel Aviv in a hot-air balloon! Get a bird’s eye view of Tel Aviv city and the Gush Dan Metropolis, the urban planning in the past, and a look into the future of urban nature in the city.
Hayarkon River Walk
Visit the Rosh Tzipor bird sanctuary and enjoy a morning walk along Hayarkon River, part of the Israel National During the visit, we will hear from Dana Tabatchnik, manager of SPNl’s River and Streams Rehabilitation Project.
Meet SPNI Board Chair Yossi Ben Artzi
At Moshe Dayan Base at Glilot, meet with and hear from Yossi Ben Artzi, SPNl’s chair of the board.
Lunch Break
Tour an Urban Garden Project
Discover how the Association for Urban Farming has developed a large-scale model, intended for replication, to increase local and sustainable food production and consumption in metropolitan areas. This non-profit organization aims to transform urban areas into self-sustaining food systems. Their goal is to create highly nutritious, locally grown produce that is accessible and available to all.
Break Before Dinner
Dinner at a Local Restaurant
Overnight at the 65 Hotel in Tel Aviv
Breakfast at Your Hotel & Check-out
SPNl’s Educational Program
Visit a school in south Tel Aviv, meet with SPNI educators, and receive an up-close look at SPNl’s educational programs.
Visit the Sorek Desalination Plant
A tour and lecture at the Sorek Desalination Plant in Palmachim. This is the world’s largest seawater desalination plant. See first-hand how this facility uses seawater to provide fresh water to the local population.
Picnic Lunch at Palmachim Beach National Park
Drive to Jerusalem and Check into Your Hotel
Tour the Machane Yehuda Market Through an Ecological Lens
This is one of the world’s best markets of the world and showcases the greatest abundance the land of Israel has ever seen. But what is the significance of contemporary environmental issues related to the production and consumption of food? Tour the market through an ecological lens with a focus on the emergence of organic produce, and health food stores in the market in recent years and a look into what Jewish sources have to say about sustainability.
Dinner on Your Own & Free Time
Overnight a the Harmony Hotel in Jerusalem
Breakfast at Your Hotel
Morning Bird Watching at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory
This is a center of education, science, and community located next to the Knesset. Experience an unforgettable up-close bird banding activity and learn about Israel’s vital importance to global bird migration.
A Visit to the Beautiful Gazelle Valley
Located in the heart of Jerusalem, the Gazelle Valley was saved by SPNI and turned into a world-class urban wildlife site. Ifs a very special type of park, and a haven for the endangered Israeli mountain gazelle. Amir Balaban, our Director of Urban Nature, will tell you the story of how the park came to be and how ifs being used as a model for urban sustainability in Israel and around the world.
Drive to the Old City & Lunch Break on Your Own
After lunch, we will tour the Old City in two groups Tour Jerusalem’s Old City and meet the people and places that make this place so unique. Throughout the tour explore the complexity of a city that is holy to the three major religions – Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
Track 1: Old City Must-See Multicultural Historical Tour In the Jewish Quarter
Uncover the layers of Jewish history from the time of the First Temple until the present day. In the Christian Quarter, visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, and, enjoy a magnificent lookout over the holiest Muslim sites on the Temple Mount.
Track 2: Off-the-Beaten-Path Tour of the Old City
Explore the craftspeople in the Old City – Tour Jerusalem’s Old City and meet the people and places that make this place so unique. Meet artisans who are highly skilled in their crafts, and whose knowledge has passed in their family for generations.
Tour & Presentation of Levi Eshkol House
Levi Eshkol is arguably Israel’s most underappreciated Prime Minister. Get a guided tour of Israel’s Historic Prime Minister’s Residence, where Ben Gurion and Golda Meir also resided, and learn about Levi Eshkol’s impact on Israeli-American relations and the building of the National Water Carrier. The Eshkol House is also the home of SPNl’s Jerusalem community. We’ll meet with community professionals and hear about SPNl’s work on the municipal level.
Group Dinner
Overnight at the Harmony Hotel in Jerusalem
Breakfast at Your Hotel & Check-out
Dead Sea Boat Ride with Dead Sea Revival Project
Take a boat ride on the Dead Sea in a small group motorboat and see the amazing salt formations and scenery. During this unique experience, you will enjoy the wondrous mud, salt pearls, salt diamonds, water springs streaming to the sea, and sinkholes filled with sweet water. Learn about the ecosystem and the environmental issues connected to the Dead Sea.
Drive North Along the Jordan Valley
Light lunch
Birdwatching in Kfar Ruppin
Kibbutz Kfar Ruppin on the banks of the Jordan River is home to one of SPNl’s most ambitious initiatives — to create an artificial wetland, to support mass bird migration and global biodiversity. You”ll hear about the complexities of managing an artificial wetland and SPNl’s bold goals for replicating this model nationwide.
Travel to the Hotel, Check-in & Dinner at the Hotel
Overnight at the Pastoral Kfar Blum Hotel
Breakfast at Your Hotel
Morning Nature Hike in Tel Dan
Tel Dan National Park combines a lush nature reserve with a biblical archaeological experience and includes a short wheelchair-accessible trail. At the heart of the park is “Tel Dan” the capital of the ancient northern Israeli biblical kingdom.
Army For Protection of Nature
Visit one of the bases in the north and learn about the collaboration between the IDF and Nature Israel to protect nature and minimize damage.
Authentic Lunch
A Visit to Hermon Field School
SPNI is the biggest provider of environmental education in Israel, including hundreds of classes each year at our network of Field Schools. We’ll hear about our ambitious plans to revolutionize sustainable building in Israel together with experiential environmental education.
Night Safari Tour
Take a fun and interesting jeep tour with a local expert guide. While traversing the rich landscape, learn about the area’s history, flora, and fauna and explore the night wildlife.
Special Outdoor Group Dinner
Magical Sunrise Tour of Hula Valley
Undoubtedly one of the annual highlights of Israeli nature is the phenomenal experience of watching 40,000 cranes take off from the Hula Valley while the sky rises over the Golan Heights. Bring your binoculars and cameras for one of the best nature experiences available anywhere in the world.
Travel Back to the Hotel, Eat Breakfast & Check Out
Start-Up Nation
Closing lecture with a focus on ecologically oriented Israeli start-ups.
Farewell Lunch & Closing Session at a Local Winery
Travel to Ben Gurion Airport
OR Drive to Tel Aviv for those who are extending their stay.
Fly Back Home
We look forward to hosting you again in our beautiful country
Sign up to get alerts about this and other trips.
Future trips will be focused on:
- Water and Climate Change
- Bird Migrations
- Other Environmental Topics
Hula Valley Bird Festival November 13 – 20, 2023
After a break of a few years due to COVID, BirdLife Israel (the bird conservation arm of SPNI) is delighted to announce that the Hula Bird Festival will be back in November 2023, offering an amazing program of tours and events in the famous Hula Valley.
The Festival is based in the fabulous Hula Valley, along the Great Rift Valley, one of the world’s busiest bird migration flyways and brings together birders from the world over for an unforgettable week of birds and nature.
For more information, visit Hula Valley Bird Festival or email alenk@spni.org.il