Golan Heights — Volcanoes, Waterfalls & Border Stories

Up the volcanic ridges

We pass a no-longer-working Syrian checkpost marking where the border once ran: the same checkpoint that carries the famous story of Eli Cohen.

We reach our first destination at Gamla, and witness a battle every bit as impressive as the one waged at Masada.

Mount Bental and the Druze

At Mount Bental the Syrian border unfolds beneath your feet and the stories of the Yom Kippur War unfold with it.

We finish with the kind hospitality of the Druze, a loyal minority with a mysterious religion.

Waterfall hikes, springs, visitor centers, coffee carts, the Banias river and Mount Hermon can all be added, and the route extends to multiple days with hiking if you want the north properly.

Practical notes

A full day, roughly eight to nine hours, and the Golan is a long way north. The drive is a real part of it. The route extends to multiple days with hiking if you want the north properly.

This is a driving day with walking at each stop. Gamla involves a real descent and climb back out; it is skippable without losing the day.

The Golan is high and genuinely cold in winter, with snow on Hermon. Bring layers whatever the forecast in Jerusalem says.

Waterfall hikes, the Banias and the springs can be added; say if you want the day weighted that way.