Nimrod Castle and the Golan Heights

The gray zone between Israel and Syria has been in contention for decades—ever since 1967 when Israel won the Six-Day War, occupied and eventually annexed this verdant mountainous region. So, naturally the ideal hiking location.

From Galilee to Golan Jumping between two previous busses from Tiberias, I finally arrive at Qiryat Shemona which is the gateway into the mountainous Golan Heights. I feel pretty comfortable boarding the bus as not only I, a foreign tourist, am ready with my backpack but I also see many Israeli locals on the bus with 45L+ bags and trekking poles. Many people hear about the Golan Heights and instantly think about the Six-Day war wherein Israel occupied the mountainous region that is internationally recognized to be Syria's land. However for the most part, visiting this region just feels like any other part of Israel, the abundant amount of national parks are maintained and the busses operate just like any other part of the country. The only sign of the disputed status of this land is the occasional warning for hikers to steer clear of areas yet to be demined.

Hiking here is big business with the temperate mountain climate, dramatic landscapes and green forests that combine to form a complex array of Israeli national parks and protected lands. I had preloaded several trails from AllTrails the night before and planned a day-long patchwork hike throughout the area. The day was planned by matching the trails up with the public bus map and schedule so I could start off in the morning in one spot and then end somewhere else and grab a bus ride to Safed.

First Leg: Trailhead to Nimrod First I got a bus from Tiberias to the city of Qiryat Shmona near the Lebanese border and a gateway just outside of the Golan Heights. I transitioned buses to one headed further up the mountains that lie in the disputed territory. I onboarded with many draftees who had brought camping equipment which for once seemed to take attention away from the ever present IDF rifles they carried with them. The small mountain roads led from one settlement to the next but I kept my eyes on the gps on my phone and when the moment was right I pulled the wire above head signaling the driver to stop. Despite such a heavily militarized area (being so close to Syrian-controlled land while being in Syrian-claimed land) it seemed so peaceful and it was probably the most forested and naturally beautiful area.

I was the only one getting off at this bus stop. It was one of those nothing stops—one intended to serve something but I’m not sure what; I’m also not entirely sure that I wasn’t trespassing as I passed by some gates but the stop was labeled to be the Sayeret Egoz Monument which I believe commemorates a past battle for this parcel of land. I was finally on my way. Not too far along the overgrown path there was noises, rumbling in the distance. A family of wild boars blocked my way so not wanting to get charged by them I backtracked a few steps until the coast was clear and headed forward again. First obstacle was passed and the next would come soon.

I was at the wall of the castle, so close to the first stop. I had already passed the ticket booth and the only thing between me and this medieval castle was a field of flowers. Not bad most might think but every flower had a bee taking care of them. I had come this far, so it was full speed ahead and I was fully prepared for when it happened. Well, I finally discovered I was not allergic at least. I got to an entrance in the wall only this was not what I was expecting. A crawlspace. This seemed like the prime location for a viper especially considering my luck on the past mile or so of hiking with wildlife I was quite tense but I had come this far so I got on all fours and then on my stomach and army crawled then into the base of the castle.

Continuing On: Nimrod to Banias

This castle is spectacular and isolated enough for minimal tourists. Crusader and medieval historians would love it with grand halls, parapets and ramparts. It is just unrestored enough to have that feeling of authenticity.

I talked to the person manning the national park entrance and she showed me a detailed trail map of the local area and I finalized some parts of my plan and continued downhill.

As I continued on I passed some fences that had been torn apart but it was largely uneventful compared to the first leg of the journey. Over time my fear of an allergic reaction to the bee sting continued to dissipate. After I hiked down the last turns of the trail, I made it to the sanctuary of Banias apparently along with most of Israel’s elementary students.

This small national park maintains both a mountain stream and a set of grottoes in the side of a mountain that date back before even the Greeks but with whom it has been most associated due to the reverence of Pan. In fact this place had been continuously inhabited for over 2,000 years until the Six Day War depopulated the area when Israel assumed control over the Golan.

Now the area is known for its nature such as Hermon Stream, natural springs and the ruins of the Sanctuary to Pan. When I visited it seemed that many school children were visiting either due to summer camps or field trips but I tried to get in enough pictures and tried to beat the footpath traffic. This plan all went well until I got a Druze Pita --which is a thin bread with a shmear of labneh cheese and za'atar spices made by the ethnoreligious Druze people-- and a group of about 30 children crowded in front of me and I really had to get a move-on so I wouldn't miss one of the infrequent buses that I needed to get to in this area.

Final Push: Banias to the Falls and Leaving the DMZ

Next up as part of the area of Banias is the ruins of Biblical Palace of Agrippa II the last king of Judea. This is a little-known Roman ruin not too far from Banias is worth checking out. Most sources talk about the Biblical perspective and what I understand is that it served as the palace for King Herod's grandson.

It was here that I was able to maneuver around the school tours and pass them on the hiking path. This felt like hiking in the forests back in Colorado and New Mexico but with more water as most of this path was along Hermon Stream with nice forest coverage to help keep cool.

Within half an hour I made it to Banias Falls which was a very nice waterfall and something I certainly wasn't expecting to see in Israel or the Middle East in general. In fact this fall wouldn't look too out of place in a place like Costa Rica. The actual viewing platform seemed to have recently succumbed to the water from mist being kicked up from the force of the waterfall.

From there I continued the footpath to the small kibbutz of Snir which lies exactly on the border between internationally recognized Israel and the Golan. The remnants of war made a rare appearance here where an uncleared landmine field had been sealed off from any unlucky hikers.

I made it on time to the bus stop which seemed to be very rarely utilized but after a slight delay in the bus the driver kind of just zipped past probably not expecting anyone to be waiting and came to a screeching halt a few meters after the bus stop and once I communicated the next stop of Safed, the driver kicked back on to full speed through the mountains--quite characteristic of the bus drivers in Israel.

A Retrospective: If I Could Plan It Again

There is one locale that I did not know about beforehand but the worker at the entrance of Banias clued me in to called Tel Dan. This is the ruin of a 6,000 year old city that according to archaeologists is the site of the city of Dan. This was the most northern tribe of Israel with some interesting city gates and walls I would I=have liked to explore. Furthermore even though I was able to squeeze in Safed after such a long day of hiking, it would have been better to save the mystical Jewish city for another day as I missed most of the market times and stuff began closing down before I even arrived.

But anyways, that concludes what I did in the Golan Heights, maybe I inspire some people to travel to this mountainous region but I encourage people to chart their own course in this area that is abound with endless hiking opportunities for nature and history lovers alike. Even though this is a contentious plot of land, it feels like any other part of Israel and unless the situation changes, there was absolutely no evidence of its disputed status and the only evidence of past conflicts lie in the ground with cordoned off minefields that pose no threat.