The Israel National Trail (commonly referred to as INT) is a true delight. The trail crosses several archeological sites, unique landscapes and historic places, covering the distance between the Red Sea – Lebanon north border to locations of great beauty like Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa and Nazareth. The trail is simply huge, covering 1000 kilometers, all of marked trails. Based on what you want to see you can create a wonderful itinerary that features the scenery you are mostly interested in experiencing.
When To Hike The Israel National Trail
The best 2 seasons are:
- October to November
- February to the middle of May
Rain does appear in the trail’s northern part during the second season mentioned but the flowers look great while the landscape is always green. You can find more water inside creeks and the northern rivers are impressive.
Will Hiking INT Be Dangerous?
The Israel National Trail is closed just in Lahav. However, even that area is completely safe. The truth is there are no incident reports that appeared at a national or foreign level and no real conflict on the trail. Hikers did report that they were welcomed by the Jewish and the Arab communities.
It is worth mentioning that there are various places where the trail passes and where you can resupply. These locations are quite safe so there is not much to worry about. Gifts and souvenirs can be purchased in many of these stops.
How Much Water Should Be Carried?
Until you reach Arad you should have around 5 liters with you. It is not necessary to carry water for more than one day. As you move towards Eilat you will need to have more with you, around 7 liters daily. The wait time before restocking on water is around 3 days so do be sure that you cache on water with enough liters in areas that are designated for this. Even more water may be necessary if the days are really hot.
Recommendations To Consider When Hiking The Israel National Trail
Commonly, people tackle the trail from north to south. This offers various interesting benefits that should be considered. What should be known is:
- It is easier to hike in the northern part of INT and you do not need to carry too much water with you.
- During spring you can consider Tel Aviv as a starting point.
- Eilat is a really good finish region since it is a resort town that has various luxury hotels.
- Resupply possibilities are numerous in the Israel National Train Northern part.
- Much more rain appears between March and April.
When you hike during springs you want to hike a desert section before it is way too hot. Desert floods can appear after heavy rains.