Taly's Travel: A wet summer in southern Golan, Kinneret
The Southern Golan Heights area offers an opportunity to get some fresh air and cool breeze, enjoy some wet activities and good food while staying safe.
By TALY SHARONKayaking on the Jordan River with Abu-Kayak(photo credit: Courtesy)
With summer here, it’s a good time to go up to the mountains, get some fresh air and cool breeze, enjoy some wet activities and good food while staying safe. The Southern Golan Heights area offers exactly that, along with beautiful view of the Kinneret with several opportunities for new adventures.What to do?The best activities for the hot and humid Israeli summer, in my opinion, are the wet ones, such as water sports at the lakes and kayaking on the Jordan River. Some new attractions have been added such as SUP and guided Kayak trips to the Jordan River outflow.Kayaks at Abu-Kayak (Jordan Park)Abu-Kayak offers kayak tours activities at the Jordan River Observatory. This popular activity has taken an interesting turn after this rainy winter that raised the Sea of Galilee water level to its peak. The narrow canals as known to kayaking enthusiasts have turned into small lakes by expanding greatly, as far as 200 meters from bank to bank, creating an African-like savannah. The newly flooded areas formed new watersheds and a unique natural area of vegetation submerged in the water creating a labyrinth of water paths and awakening wildlife.While regular kayaking trips are scheduled, the new boutique kayak trips, led by Ilan Stern, head to that area. The kayaking trip begins in the Jordan River and ends at the foothills, with kayaks or boats, amid lush river-line vegetation. The enchanting atmosphere and the Sea of Galilee at the end make the experience unique, as the wading in the water and the chirping of the birds accompany it along the route. During the trip one can encounter water turtles, various fish and a wide variety of birds around.The Savanna kayaking trip is available for groups. It is an extraordinary experience!Abu Kayak, Jordan park, www.abukayak.co.il, abukayak@gmail.com, 04-692-1078Water Sports at Wake Up Wakeboard and Wakesurf School (Ein Gev)Every morning, Maayan guides a group SUP (Stand-Up Paddle board) class. We joined one of the groups. A quick demonstration and some instructions from her, and we followed the group on beginners SUP. At the beginning we were on our knees, but quite quickly we stood up and got a grip. Half way, we did some abdominal exercises and some yoga poses and then headed back. An hour of fun!
I can’t describe in words the calm feeling of floating and paddling along the beachside on the SUP! Group SUP lessons are available each morning at 7:30 and 8:30, and there is also an option to rent a SUP or take a private SUP lesson.Wake up Ski School offers different types of water sports such as water ski/wakeboarding , Banana water rides, and more.Wake Up Wakeboard and Wakesurf School, Ein Gev, wakeboard.co.il, wakeisrael@gmail.com, 054-499-7777Where to eat?Three different options to dine around the area are Tanureen Arab restaurant, Burger Saloon, and Joya Italian kosher restaurant. All are moderately priced.• Joya Italian Restaurant at Rosh PinaJoya Rosh Pina is part of the Israeli Joya restaurants chain. The restaurant whose heart is an open kitchen with a large Italian Pizza oven enjoys a large fresh-air balcony. The kosher restaurant serves starters, pizza, pasta, fish, salads, desserts and fine Israeli wines. The restaurant is managed by Avi Azran, formerly the manager of the Muscat restaurant at Mizpe Hayamim.We sampled a number of dishes, including a salad, pizza, gnocchi, and salmon. The pizza is thin like in Italy, and the tomato sauce on it is balanced. The gnocchi was perfectly made and everything was fresh and well-cooked, including the salmon and the black rice served with it. We also had some fancy desserts like Calazone and chocolate Volcano. I’m sure the Tiramisu is as good, but we did not get to it. Next time!Joya (kosher), Shopina Mall, Rosh Pina, joya.co.il 04-858-9099• Burger Saloon at ZemahBurger Saloon is a self-service restaurant with the ambiance of an American diner. It is part of a chain of restaurants specializing in hamburgers of the famous Limousine restaurant made on site with aged meat from the Golan Heights. The logo of the chain is a wolf, picked by Limousine’s owners Rami and Amir that have run into wolfs while in the farm and share their mutual love for meet.The hamburgers are served with assorted toppings, and there are also other choices in the menu such as sloppy joe, wings, and chicken nuggets. Sides include fries, sweet potatoes fries, onion rings, and salads and there are also desserts. If you think that it is yet another fast-food restaurant, you’ll find out that you are wrong. Their hamburgers are juicy and tender, perhaps the best hamburgers in Israel! So yummy!The branch at Zemah is accessible and has free onsite parking. There are also take-outs and deliveries.Burger Saloon, Zemah, burgersaloon.co.il/zemah/, 1-700-705-0715• Tanureen Arab Restaurant at MigdalTanureen is an authentic local restaurant of Chef Yosef “Zuzu” Hana’s specializing in Arab and Lebanese food. Tanureen has a wide menu of salads, fish, poultry and meat. Nevertheless, it is recommended to have the authentic dishes from the local kitchen; ordering a mezze of salads and hot local dishes to share is the way to go there. The number of mezze is endless: hummus, cauliflower in tahini, tabbouleh, fattoush, hummus, baba ghanoush, Shish-Barak, Stuffed grape leaves, falafel, Lebanese Kebbeh, etc. served with fresh pita bread and garlic-olive oil pita. Desserts include local delicacies such as Knafeh and Malabi.Everything we tasted here was excellent, the falafel was tender and full of flavors and the Shish-Barak (meat dumplings in yogurt sauce) were one of the best I ever had. This restaurant is a must-stop to taste and enjoy local cuisine!Tanureen, Migdal, tanureen.rest.co.il, 053-809-6629Where to sleep?If you want to escape the crowds around the Kinneret, I have two recommendations for rural places to stay that enjoy the mountains breeze and sea view. It gets cool there in the evening, so remember to bring a sweater. If you want to book for the summer, hurry up, they are mostly booked during weekends and availability is limited during weekdays as well.• Bai Gali Mongolian Village at Givat YoavIf you want to try out some glamping (glamour camping), Bai Gali is exactly that. This groomed camping site offers spacious Mongolian tents called yurts overlooking the Sea of Galilee. The yurts are submerged in an herb and flower gardens and provides everything one can need: air-conditioning, en-suite bathroom, fridge and coffee-making facilities, and a picnic table facing the horizon.The site includes a fully-equipped shared kitchen, bonfire area, hammocks, and a splash are for the little ones. I have no words to describe how relaxed and beautiful it is. I practically fell in love with this place.Bai Gali, Givat Yoav, www.baigali.co.il, baigalimong@gmail.com, 052-655-9994• Resort Ranch Vered Hagalil Guest FarmA fancier alternative is situated at Vered Hagalil Ranch, a few moments’ drive from Rosh Pina, suitable for couples and families. The suites, cabins, cottages and studios are made of wood and basalt have a country style decor and all pampering amenities such as fireplace for the winter, and an open air balcony overlooking the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights.Staying there is very relaxed and quiet, and the units include a kitchenette and barbecue areas. The compound has a swimming pool, spa, horse riding trips, and a chef restaurant – everyone one needs without moving the car!Resort Ranch Vered Hagalil, Corazim, veredhagalil.com, v.hagalil@gmail.com 04-693-5785.If you are worried about the coronavirus, you might want to know that the places and activities recommended above follow the purple badge, so expect to be welcomed with alco-gel and masks! They are all social-distancing prone! You’ll be in the fresh air, get food deliveries and hardly run into anyone in some of the places!The author was a guest of the sites mentioned in the article.
