Israel’s classic Summer water Hike The Zaki is a short and easy hike, perfect for the hot summer. 1.5 Km of wading and swimming in a magical green “shade tunnel”.
| Hike Metrics | |
|---|---|
| Distance | 4 Km (1.5 Km Wading/Swimming) |
| Short versions | N/ A |
| Climb | Almost Flat |
| Level | Easy |
| Best | Jun - Sep |
| Possible | Apr - Oct |
| Location |  |
| Start Point | |
| Hike Description | |
Important note: You must be a decent swimmer!! Some of the lagoons are more than 2 meters deep.
The Betiha Valley lies on the North Eastern shore of Lake Kinneret, at the foot of the Golan Heights. It is a meeting point of the 4 major streams of the Central Golan (Zavitan, Meshushim, Yahudiaya & Daliyot) on their way to the Sea of Galilee. Here the rivers form a delta of small streams and lagoons. The scenery and atmosphere in the area is unique. You cannot find anything that resembles it elsewhere in Israel.
The whole area is a protected natural reserve. However, there are two sections that are authorized for Hiking. The Zaki steam & the Majrase stream. The Zaki is the more adventurous of the two. It is longer, and in some places, there are long lagoons that are 2 meters deep and require swimming. It is not regulated, so there is no entrance fee and it is less crowded compared to the Majrase.
Track description:
- From the end of the google-maps driving direction point, continue straight with your car for another 1250 m on the green marked dirt road. (see on map)
- The starting point for the walk: Parking area for of the Zaki stream (1).
- Follow the ‡Green‡ markers on the dirt road for about 300 m (2).
Get the Hiking Map and GPS file for just 5$
- Turn left on the ‡Green‡ markers between the bushes and shortly you will find yourself in the stream.
- For the next 1.5 Km, you will be wading and swimming off and on depending on the depth of the stream and the pools. The depth varies between 20 cm to more than 2 meters. There are plenty of magical spots along the way.
- At some point, you will reach a rope that stretches across the stream (3).
- Turn left and walk a few meters until reaching a dirt road with ‡Black‡ markers.
- Turn left again and follow this dirt road for about 1.3 Km until the junction with the ‡Green‡ marked dirt road (4).
- Turn right and in a few minutes reach the parking area (1).
Get the Detailed Hiking Maps and GPS files for this hike for just 5$
- Detailed Hiking Map of the route area optimized for printing on an A4 size paper or for browsing on your device.
- Zoomed in Maps for the sensitive areas (When needed).
- GPS track files for navigation on your IOS/Android App.
- Map Legend and labels are in English
Automatic immediate email with download links upon checkout!