Horshat Tal National Park – Visitors Guide with Photos

Horshat Tal National Park is near Kibbutz HaGoshrim, and it is both a resort (with camping and pool) and a nature reserve (oak tree grove and Mesopotamian fallow deer).

Map

Horshat Tal National Park is located in Galilee Panhandle near Kibbutz HaGoshrim. The entrance is from road #918, near the junctions of roads #918 and #99. And the easiest way to reach this spot is by entering “Horshat Tal National Park” into Waze.

Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit

Interactive map of the area:

And here is the map from the official brochure:

Opening Hours

Sunday – Thursday and Saturday: 8:00 – 17:00 (16:00 in winter).
Friday: 8:00 – 16:00 (15:00 in winter).
On holidays eves usually 8:00 – 13:00.

Note: Since the pandemic, the Israel Nature and Parks Authority has started limiting the number of people in each park. Thus, reservations are recommended through the official site (you can find the link below).

Swimming hours are from 8:00 until half an hour before the site closes.

Entrance Fee

Adult 39 NIS, child 24 NIS, and student 33 NIS.

And if you want to stay for the night, here are the campground fees:

Type	Fee (NIS)	Fee for Matmon Members (NIS)
Adult (14+) in a private tent	65	49
Child (5 – 14) in a private tent	50	38
Student	50
Accommodation in a family camping tent (including mattress) – Adult	90	74
Accommodation in a family camping tent (including mattress) – Child	75	63
Connection for a trailer	80	80

If you want more upscale accommodations, then you have the following options:

Type	Fee (NIS) – Mid-week	Fee (NIS) – Weekend and Holidays
Accommodation in staff rooms	450	650
Accommodation in a wooden staff room	700	850
Upgraded bungalow accommodation	350	450
Accommodation in an upgraded bungalow with air conditioning	400	500

Note: during weekends, you must rent staff rooms and bungalows for at least two nights.

If you will visit several National Parks, consider purchasing a combo ticket. You can find additional info at National Parks And Nature Reserves.

Note: opening hours and ticket prices were updated in November 2021. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.

Coupons

As shown in the pricing table above, there are discounts for Israel Nature and Park annual subscribers (Matmon members). Also, there are coupons for MAX owners.

Dogs

It is forbidden to enter Horshat Tal National Park with dogs.

Picnic and Barbeque

Horshat Tal National Park has 200 dunams of lawns. Thus there is a lot of place for picnics. Moreover, fires are allowed only in barbecues.

Contact Information

Phone: ‎04-6942440, 04-6942360
Email: shulap@npa.org.il

Campsite

The “entrance fee” section above shows that the campsite has different lodging options. And here is what it offers:

– Full lighting in most parts of the park, drinking fountains, barbeque area, fixed and movable benches and tables, electrical outlet (24-volt outlet available – campers must bring their own cables and lightbulbs), mobile phone charging units

– Restroom: large and spacious restrooms with 8 cubicles for women and 8 cubicles for men

– Showers: hot water, 12 cubicles for women, 13 cubicles for men

– Field kitchen: sinks for washing dishes, refrigeration units at an extra charge.

The Horshat Tal National Park campsite is popular among Israelis, especially in the summer. Therefore, I would advise booking it in advance. And you can find additional details about the camp to book it here.

Restrooms

There are three toilets across Horshat Tal National Park.

Oak Tree Grove

One of the main reasons for the declaration of Horshat Tal National Park is the preservation of the grove containing about 240 ancient Mount Tabor oaks.

The Mt. Tabor oaks – about 240 ancient Mt. Tabor oaks grow in Horshat Tal. The grove is all that remains of a large forest of Mt. Tabor oaks that covered the northern part of the Hula Valley in the past. Other remnants of this forest can be seen as single trees that have survived here and there all over the valley. The grove at Horshat Tal was apparently preserved due to the sanctity of the place. The age of the trees is estimated at over 100 years. Among the trees grow tall stems of horse parsley (Smyrnium olusatrum) of the Umbelliferae family.

Note: unless stated otherwise, all quotes were taken from the official site.

Moreover, according to Wikipedia, some of the trees are 350 – 400 years old.

In Arabic, this place is called the Grove of the Ten. Here is the local folklore:

The place is known to the local inhabitants as Sejerat al Ashara (the Grove of the Ten). It is assumed that the trees were preserved in the place due to their sanctity and their proximity to the nearby grave of Sheikh Ali.

A local legend tells of ten horse-riders of the “aṣ-ṣaḥābah” (the first disciples or companions who recognized Muhammad as a prophet) passed by the place. They were tired from their journey but found not even one tree to give them shade. They jammed their staffs into the ground and tied their horses to them. When they awoke in the morning, they discovered to their surprise that their staffs had turned into large trees.

Mesopotamian Fallow Deer

To the south of the pool, you can find an acclimatization enclosure for Persian fallow deer.

Part of the reserve is dedicated to the raising of a breeding nucleus of Mesopotamian fallow deer, a large herbivore that became extinct in Israel and has now been returned. The original breeding nucleus of this rare large deer lives in the Carmel “Hay Bar”, and some individuals from there have even been released into the wild. At Horshat Tal, the Nature and Parks Authority maintains an additional herd of Mesopotamian fallow deer as back-up for nature and also as a method of restraining the vegetation in the region.

The grazing of the fallow deer will open up the dense vegetation, to enable the many species of orchids growing in the region to flourish.

Pool

Rules of safety and conduct for swimming in this pool:

• Swimming hours are from 8:00 until half an hour before the site closes.
• Swimming without lifeguard supervision is dangerous and prohibited.
• Follow the instructions of site personnel.
• Caution — slippery. Do not run or push!
• Jumping into the water is forbidden!
• Children under 13 may enter the water only when accompanied by and under close supervision of adults! Important note: “Close supervision” means eye contact or continuous physical proximity allowing immediate assistance.
• Phone to report emergencies or damage to nature *3639.

The pool has several areas. Shallow water is closer to the entrances, and deep water is behind buoys.

Our latest visit was in August. Though it was the hottest month of the year, the water was freezing. And that is because the water is arriving from Dan Stream.

Collecting the water flowing from the Tal brook, originating from the Dan Stream, in a lake intended for swimming. Building-up water channels, thus creating rivulets for the pleasure of vacationers. The water then continues to flow into the Jordan River.

And despite the low water temperature, you can play and swim in the water, but it is not a relaxing pool.

The second point I wanted to mention is the bottom of the pool. The floor of the pool is made of concrete or something similar. And I found it to be very slippery. Be careful.

Near the pool, you can find traveler services.

The services include food stores/kiosks.

Other Attractions

There are several other things you can do at Horshat Tal National Park:

• During the winter, there is spectacular flowering of anemones.
• During the winter and spring, you can join a tour of the Orchids Reserve – located southwest, and it contains a variety of plants, including 13 species of orchids.

Travertine rocks – travertine is a limestone rock deposited where water flows. Exposed travertine is rare in Israel. The travertine areas in Horshat Tal served in the past for fish pools, and that is why there are depressions and raised areas. Hardly any annual plant species grow on the exposed travertine (lacking the hard crust). Yellow-wort (Blackstonia perfoliata), centaury (centaurium) are unique to this habitat. 13 species of orchids were found on the travertine areas, a range that is non-existent anywhere else in Israel. The orchids growing here are: the woodcock bee-orchid (Ophrys scolopax), the yellow bee-orchid (Ophrys lutea), the omega bee-orchid (Ophrys omegaifera), the early spider-orchid (Ophrys sphegodes), the bee orchid (Ophrys apifera), the small-dotted orchid (Orchis punctulata), fan-lipped orchid (Anacamptis collina), the bug orchid (Anacamptis coriophora), the Anatolian orchid (Orchis anatolica), the butterfly orchid (Anacamptis papilionacea), the loose-flowered orchid (Anacamptis laxiflora), Eastern serapias (Serapias orientalis) and the Helleborine (Epipactis veratrifolia).

Summary

Horshat Tal National Park is a popular place. And there are several reasons for its popularity. First, there is a pool and many places for a picnic. Therefore, many arrive at Horshat Tal for recreational activities. Secondly, Horshat Tal has a campsite with different lodging options. And since it is located in an area with many attractions, many people stay here for the night.

This area has many attractions. You can explore them using the interactive map above.

Have you visited Horshat Tal National Park? Tell us in the comment below about your experience.

That’s all for today, and I’ll see you in future travels!

Stay Tuned!

Additional Resources

Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:

• Trip Planner with Attractions and Itineraries is the page that will help you create your perfect travel route.
• What is the Best Time to visit Israel? To answer this question, we will consider the weather, prices, holidays, festivals, and more.
• Information and Tips for Tourists to Israel will answer the most common questions tourists have about Israel (including safety, passports, weather, currency, tipping, electricity, and much more).
• Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves include a complete list, top ten, map, tickets (Israel Pass, Matmon, combo), and campsites.
• If you are looking for things to do, here are the pages for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sea Of Galilee, Akko (Acre), Eilat, Nazareth, Safed (Tzfat), and Makhtesh Ramon.