SPNI Reconnect with Nature – Israel November 2025

Activities:

• Meet your tour guide and group members - Bus pick up from the main pre-stay hotels

• A visit to the beautiful Gazelle Valley - Located in the heart of Jerusalem, in the shadow of the infamous Holyland apartment block, 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 a flock of 180 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.

• Levi Eshkol House & Lunch - Levi Eshkol is arguably Israel’s most underappreciated Prime Minister. We will give you a guided tour of Israel’s Historic Prime Ministers’ Residence – where Ben Gurion and Golda also resided!
  -- where you will learn about Levi Eshkol’s impact on Israeli-American relations and building the National Water Carrier. Also the home of SPNI’s Jerusalem community, we’ll have lunch with some community professionals hear about SPNI’s work on the municipal level.

• Tour of Jerusalem Hills to see Wildfire Recovery - Over 6000 acres of the Jerusalem forest was torched by wildfires in August. With an SPNI professional, you will hike in places affected by the fire first hand to witness the recovery and see how resilient nature is. You’ll learn about Israel’s misguided afforestation policy and what SPNI is doing about it.

• Nili and David Jerusalem Bird Observatory - In 1993, two young birdwatchers discovered a banded migrant bird from Sweden and so started the Nili and David Jerusalem Bird Observatory, a center of education, science, and community located next to the Knesset. Over 50,000 visitors, from around the world and all sectors of society, flock to visit the JBO. You’ll be joining them to experience an unforgettable up-close bird banding activity and learn about Israel’s vital importance to global bird migration.

• Dinner at a local restaurant (TBD)

• Isrotel Orient Jerusalem

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - And check out from hotel

• Depart the hotel and head north

• Visit the Start Up Nature Project - Start Up Nature is one of SPNI’s most ambitious initiatives – to create an artificial wetland that will support mass bird migration and global biodiversity. At Kibbutz Kfar Ruppin, you’ll see migrating birds in their glory, and hear about the complexities of creating and managing a nature reserve from former fishponds, and SPNI’s bold goals for replicating this model nationwide.

• Lunch at Kibbutz Kfar Ruppin

• Agamon HaHula - The Hula Valley is part of the northern Syrian African Rift Valley which stretches as far south as Mozambique in Africa. Each migration season, over 500 million birds travel through the Hula Lake. This wetland paradise is the perfect stopover for small waterbirds, cormorants, herons, pelicans, raptors, storks, and cranes.

• Check in to hotel - Dinner, free time and prepare for night safari!

• Night Safari Tour - Take a fun and interesting jeep tour with a local expert guide. While traversing the rich landscape, learn about the area’s history, flora, and fauna and explore the night wildlife.

• Pastoral Kfar Blum Hotel

Activities:

• Sunrise Bird Watching - Undoubtedly one of the annual highlights of Israeli nature is the phenomenal experience of watching 40,000 cranes take off from the Hula Valley while the sun rises over the Golan Heights. Bring your binoculars and cameras for one of the best nature experiences available anywhere in the world.

• Return to hotel for Breakfast

• A visit to Golan Field School, Katzrin - SPNI is the biggest provider of environmental education in Israel, including hundreds of classes each year at our network of Field Schools. We’ll hear about our ambitious plans to revolutionize sustainable building in Israel together with experiential environmental education.

• Lunch at Field School

• 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.

• Dinner at hotel

• Pastoral Kfar Blum Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - And check out from hotel

• Beit Ussishkin Nature Museum - Nestled in a lush landscape, the museum features an impressive collection of regional flora and fauna, showcasing the rich biodiversity of the area. Through the Interactive exhibits and informative displays, you will gain a deeper understanding of the local ecosystem, wildlife conservation, and historical significance.

• SPNl’s Educational Program in Mrar - Visit Mrar, meet with SPNI educators, and receive an up-close look at SPNl’s educational programs.

• Lunch in Mrar

• Maagan Michael - Tour the coastal wetlands of Kibbutz Maagan Michael, the second site of the Start-Up Nature rewilding project. See the migrating shore birds and SPNI’s Carmel Coast Field School.

• Drive to Tel Aviv & Check-in

• Tel Aviv Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel

• Tour of the Gaza Envelope - Stop at key lookout points for an in-depth discussion about the complexity of rehabilitating the Gaza Border situation and the rehabilitation efforts with SPNI professionals and local residents.

• Visit to the Nova Music Festival Memorial Site - We will visit the site of the Nova Music Festival, now a memorial site, bear witness, and pay our respects to the 364 Israelis murdered by Hamas on the morning of October 7th.

• Lunch with a Culinary Queen - 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.

• Meet with residents of the Kibbutzim/Sderot

• Return to Tel Aviv

• Free evening in Tel Aviv - Dinner is not included.

• Tel Aviv Hotel

Activities:

• Breakfast at the hotel - And check out

• Morning Balloon Ride/River Walk - Hover over Tel Aviv in a balloon! or Walk along the Yarkon River

• Back to hotel for screening of 40 minutes Barn Owl movie

• Meet with Prof. Yossi Leshem - A senior Researcher in the Department of Zoology in the Faculty of Life Sciences at Tel Aviv University and the founder and Director of the International Center for the Study of Bird Migration at Latrun, Israel, established by Tel Aviv University and the SPNI.

• Lunch and closing session ending by 2 p.m.

• OPTIONAL: Carmel Market Tasting Tour - A culinary tasting tour and cultural experience in the Carmel Market (Shuk HaCarmel), the largest market in Tel Aviv. Touring the market reveals the taste of the ages of Tel Aviv and the diverse cultures and culinary traditions mix in this vibrant shuk. Through the delicious authentic tasting tour, its secrets and legends will be revealed to you.

• Group Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport - Fly back home.

• FarewellWe hope to host you again in our beautiful country!