Israel's national parks and nature reserves, of which there are about 75, are managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. Entrance fees are between ₪20-40 and most of the time are discounted for (international) students.

A unique feature of some national parks is the lantern tours offered at night in summer. Details are available here (in Hebrew).

Facilities

The facilities and infrastructure of the parks vary greatly with the importance of each site. Generally, the more significant and well-known a park or site, the better equipped it is and the higher the entrance fee. Places that are rarely visited and are of little interest to foreign tourists are usually free (and are sometimes even missing on the English pages of the park administration), but there is no infrastructure worth mentioning, i.e. paths through the area rather than well-developed paths, and no toilets either or shopping.

At the other end of the spectrum are those top park destinations that are usually presented even on a short one-week tour of the country, e.g. Masada, En Gedi, Caesarea or Bet She'an. At these destinations there is a visitor center with toilets and kiosk or restaurant, and the sites are very well developed and usually at least partially accessible for wheelchair users. Admission here for adults costs ₪20 to 25, sometimes more.

In most parks with a staffed ticket counter, there is a small shop where you can buy drinks, snacks and ice cream, sometimes there are larger souvenir shops with brochures and books. Where appropriate, binoculars can be rented for bird-watching or snorkels in Eilat on the Red Sea.

If, for example, you are restricted in your mobility and want to visit a site or combine your visit with lunch, you should check the article or the park administration website to see whether the park in question allows this.

Overnight accommodation is available in some parks: the areas designated as campsites usually only consist of a more or less shaded area with level ground, the toilet and sanitary infrastructure (partly showers available) of the park can also be used in the evenings during the closing times.

Fees and permits

Simple parks are partly accessible free of charge, as a rule, an entrance fee of ₪25-45 applies for adults as of 2019, there are discounts for pensioners & students, as well as for larger groups.

The Israel Pass is a discount card for visiting several parks (known until 2019 as a “Green Card”). If you visit at least three parks within two weeks, the purchase is worthwhile. There is a Classic and Israel Pass & Ride option, which includes a Rav Nav transit map.

The three variants of the Classic Pass, valid for 14 days from the date of purchase (as of 2019): "blue:" 3 parks for ₪78, "green:" 6 parks for 110 ₪, "orange" any number of parks for ₪150. In terms of price, the Israel Pass & Ride does not offer any advantage, only the fee of ₪5 for the rechargeable local transport value card Rav Nav, which can be purchased elsewhere, is added.

Get in

For most of the parks, the easiest way to get there is to go on an organized tour or rent a car. Only a few parks can be easily reached by public transport; the majority are difficult or almost impossible to get to by train or bus. For more information, see the respective article or on the website of the park administration.

List

• Ahziv National Park
• Alexander River National Park
• Ashkelon National Park
• Avdat National Park
• Baram National Park
• Beit Alfa Synagogue National Park
• Beit Govrin National Park
• Beit She'an National Park
• Beit She'arim National Park
• Caesarea National Park
• Castel National Park
• Cochav Hayarden National Park
• Corazim National Park
• Ein Avdat National Park
• Ein Gedi Antiquities National Park
• Ein Hemed National Park
• Eshkol National Park
• Gan Hashlosha National Park
• Hamat Tiberias National Park
• Harod Spring National Park
• Hermon National Park
• Herodion National Park
• Hula Valley Nature Reserve
• Hurshat Tal National Park
• Kursi National Park
• Mamshit National Park
• Masada National Park
• Mount Carmel National Park
• Nimrod Fortress National Park
• Qumran National Park
• Sharon National Park
• Shivta National Park
• Shomron National Park
• Tel Arad National Park
• Tel Beersheva National Park
• Tel Hazor National Park
• Tel Megiddo National Park
• Yarkon National Park
• Yehiam Fortress National Park
• Zippori National Park

See also

• Hiking and backpacking in Israel
• Camping in Israel
• National parks