Reconnect with Nature Israel | March 2025

Activities:

• 9:00 Gather in the hotel lobby to begin the journey.

• Opening Conversation with Jay Shofet - Meet with Jay Shofet for an overview of SPNI and introductory talk about how the Post-October 7 events impacted Israel's nature and environment.

• In a local school, see the SPNI Education Program in action

• Picnic lunch with staff of the Nature Heals Program

• Travel to Kibbutz Maagan Michael

• Rewilding Wetlands at Kibbutz Maagan Michael - Tour the site and meet with Gershon Peleg, former CEO of SPNI, and tour of SPNI Field School and Start-Up Nature Re-wilded Wetlands.

• Druze meal in a private home - Together with your hosts in their private home, prepare traditional Druze Galilean dishes and then enjoy a meal of the foods you learned to cook. Get to know your hosts and their culture and history. Hear about the strong bond between the Druze community to the State of Israel and their contribution to the IDF. Dinner is included.

• Return to Tel Aviv

• Tel Aviv - Crowne Plaza Beach Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel and check-out

• Depart for a tour and talk at the Sorek Desalination Plant - The Sorek Desalination Plant in Palmachim is the world’s largest seawater desalination plant. See first-hand how this facility uses seawater to provide fresh water to the local population.

• In-depth tour of the Gaza Envelope area including stops at the Nova Festival Memorial Site and other important landmarks

• Lunch in the home of Ofakim resident Osi Lankri - Recognized as one of Ofakim's "Culinary Queens," Osi invites you to savor a home-cooked meal in her beautiful home. While enjoying the culinary experience, listen to her personal stories about life in the Envelope, her birthplace and hometown. Gain insights into how the October 7th attack affected her home, family, and neighborhood.

• Briefing on the Environmental impact of October 7 across the country

• Drive to Jerusalem and check-in to the hotel.

• Dinner on your own

• Jerusalem - IBIS City Center Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Morning bird watching at the Jerusalem Bird Observatory - This is a center of education, science, and community located next to the Knesset. Experience an unforgettable up-close bird banding activity and learn about Israel’s vital importance to global bird migration.

• Levi Eshkol House - tour and presentation - Levi Eshkol is arguably Israel’s most underappreciated Prime Minister. Get a guided tour of Israel’s Historic Prime Ministers’ Residence, where Ben Gurion and Golda Meir also resided, and learn about Levi Eshkol’s impact on Israeli-American relations and the building of the National Water Carrier. The Eshkol House is also the home of SPNI’s Jerusalem community. We’ll meet with community professionals and hear about SPNI’s work on the municipal level.

• Lunch break at Levi Eshkol House

• A visit to the beautiful Gazelle Valley - Located in the heart of Jerusalem, the Gazelle Valley was saved by SPNI and turned into a world-class urban wildlife site. It’s a very special type of park, and a haven for the endangered Israeli mountain gazelle. Amir Balaban, our Director of Urban Nature, will tell you the story of how the park came to be and how it’s being used as a model for urban sustainability in Israel and around the world.

• Time in the Old City or Free Time

• Dinner at Hatzot restaurant - Hatzot is a part of Jerusalem’s history. Two brothers, Abraham and Michael Ajami founded this landmark family restaurant in 1970. Legend has it that Meurav Yerushalmi - the favorite Israeli mixed grill dish - was born at Hatzot Restaurant.

• Jerusalem - IBIS City Center Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel & check-out

• Meet with MK on Environmental issues

• Drive to the Dead Sea area

• Lunch and visit at the Ein Gedi Field School - Tour the campus and the renovated rooms; hear about the programs that take place here, and how SPNI responded to the events of October 7: housing the evacuees with love; creating a “pop-up” elementary school for the Ministry of Education; and showing displaced Israeli teens the healing power of nature.

• Dead Sea Boat Ride with Dead Sea Revival Project - Take a boat ride on the Dead Sea in a small group motorboat and see amazing salt formations and scenery. During this unique experience you will enjoy the wondrous muds, salt pearls, salt diamonds, water springs streaming to the sea and sink holes filled with sweet water. Learn about the ecosystem and the environmental issues connected to the Dead Sea.

• Drive to Kedma Hotel - Check into the hotel

• Evening Jeep Ride with the Ramat Hanegev Birding Center and meet Meidad Goren, Director of the Negev Highlands Birding Center

• Dinner at the hotel

• Isrotel Kedma Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel.

• Hike in the Ein Avdat National Park, in a beautiful canyon in the Negev desert - The Ein Avdat Spring flows down in a waterfall towards an 8-meter deep pool of water. The canyon is part of Nahal Zin, which is the longest wadi or dry riverbed in the Negev desert.

• Sde Boker Grave of Ben Gurion - Visit the grave of David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, and his wife Paula, located near Sde Boker. One of his famous quotes is: "It is in the Negev that the creativity and pioneer vigor of Israel will be tested, and this will be a crucial test" - his vision for settling the desert continues to bloom today. Overlook towards the breathtaking Tzin Valley and the Avdat highlands in the heart of the Negev. Throughout the day, you’ll see his vision come to life.

• Tour Ben Gurion’s Desert Home - It is in the Negev where the People of Israel will be tested" - Paula and David moved to their desert home in Kibbutz Sde Boker in 1953, which manifested Ben-Gurion’s pioneering vision of settling the Negev. Their home has remained as it was left in 1973, according to Ben-Gurion’s instructions in his will, that his home will be open for the public to visit.

• Tour with the Army for the Protection of Nature - Join a special conservation tour with the Army for the Protection of Nature, a decade-long collaboration between SPNI and the IDF. We’ll meet soldiers and their commanders on their base who are committed to nature protection, even in these times.

• Meet soldiers or former soldiers from the Gashashim (Trackers) Unit - The IDF’s Trackers Unit is comprised of a few hundred combat soldiers, most of whom come from Israel’s Bedouin community and draft into the IDF as volunteers. These soldiers go through a special course that prepares them to become trackers in the most thorough way.

• Dinner Desert Style - At Sfinat Hamidbar, be treated to desert hospitality and dinner in a Bedouin-style tent. The khan, or desert camp, is owned and operated by a Bedouin family from the Azama tribe. Hear the story of Israel's Bedouins and enjoy the food and atmosphere.

• Isrotel Kedma Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Nature Heals Hike or free time at the hotel - After the hike you will have time to shower and check out.

• Check out of the hotel and drive towards the center of the country

• Farewell lunch an wrap up at Emek ha-Ela Winery - Emek Ha-Ela Winery has refinement as a key value. "An elegant wine is a “wide” wine that slowly releases the flavors and reveals new things to you as it passes through the nose, tongue, and palate, creating a complex experience.

• Travel to Ben Gurion Airport - OR drive to Tel Aviv for those who are extending their stay.

• Fly back home - we look forward to hosting you again in our beautiful country!