Ilanot National Arboretum – Visitors Guide
Ilanot National Arboretum is a botanical garden with a lot of shade and paved trails. Hence, it is the perfect place for a family visit.
Ilanot Arboretum was founded in the 1950s by the Forest Research Department as a grove for tree acclimatization in Israel. And today, you can stroll and look at the collection of trees.
Notes:
- There is a lovely trail nearby. For more info, see Coastal Iris Trail at Ilanot Forest.
- You can find another similar place nearby. See Havat Noy Botanical Garden.
Map
Ilanot Forest (near Netanya) is by the old Tel-Aviv – Haifa highway (road #4), close to Dror Junction. You can enter the Ilanot National Arboretum by turning right from highway #4 north. And the easiest way to reach it is by entering “Ilanot forest” to 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 introductory sign that you can find near the entrance:
There is plenty of free parking on site. But this place is quite popular. And if you arrive later on a Saturday, entering Ilanot and finding parking will take time.
Note: you can click on the map to enlarge it.
You can see a grove on the bottom right of the map above. For more info about it, see Coastal Iris Trail at Ilanot Forest.
Recently a new app was developed. And it allows exploring the Ilanot forest by tree type.
Opening Hours
The Botanical Garden is open daily from 08:00 until sunset (the gate is locked at sunset).
The restrooms are open daily from 9:00 to 16:00.
If you wish to visit the visitors center, you must schedule it by phone (09-8974800) or email (mmilanot@kkl.org.il). The Visitors Center is open on Sunday – Thursday: 9:00 – 16:00.
Entrance Fee
Free.
Contact Info
Telephone: 09-8974800
Email: mmilanot@kkl.org.il
At the Entrance
As you enter the Ilanot Arboretum, you will see several facilities near the parking. The first one is the visitor center. There is also a picnic area, restrooms, water fountains, and accessible trails.
About
In the heart of the Sharon region, there is a unique and amazing arboretum, the only one of its kind in Israel. The arboretum, a botanical garden for trees, covers 130 dunams and was founded in the 1950s by the Forest Research Department of the Israel Ministry of Agriculture. The arboretum was a grove for the acclimatization of trees in Israel. Indeed, the Ministry of Agriculture’s foresters did their work. They gathered more than 700 species of trees from all over the world and planted them in a grove with twenty-five sections by the geographical regions from which the trees were collected. The site was appropriately called Ilanot, which in Hebrew means trees.
The arboretum flourished. Scientists checked the species in the grove for their level of suitability as forest species in Israel. The site served as a center for forestry research in Israel, and many important studies were implemented there regarding seed collection, tree pests, and other fields related to forestry. The great diversity of tree species in the Ilanot grove drew students from the Faculty of Agriculture in Rehovot, high school students, landscape architects, and nature lovers from Israel and abroad.
In 1986, the Forest Research Department closed down, and work in Ilanot stopped. The place was abandoned. Some of the trees died because they did not suit the climatic conditions. Others withered due to lack of care. The area became filled with weeds, and the wonderful garden was forgotten.
Note: unless stated otherwise, all quotes were taken from the official site.
Note: lighting fire and preparing a barbeque at Ilanot National Arboretum is forbidden. Also, during the visit to the Ilanot forest, dogs should be on a leash.
The Restoration of the Arboretum
In 2013 KKL-JNF decided to save the arboretum and undertook its restoration. Restoration works included mapping the trees meticulously, treating the still alive trees, planting additional species, and installing a computerized irrigation system. At the foot of each tree species represented in the arboretum, there is now a sign that identifies it. The sign has a QR code that a smartphone can scan for additional interesting information.
KKL-JNF has paved two and a half kilometers of trails in the Ilanot arboretum. Thanks to a contribution from the Jewish Federation of Middlesex, New Jersey, the arboretum was made accessible for people with physical disabilities. The trails are well paved and wheelchair and stroller-friendly. Alongside the trails, there are benches where one can sit and contemplate the beautiful trees.
Next to the recreation area, which also has parking, there are accessible picnic tables and information stations that provide brief audio explanations about the arboretum. The restrooms in the renovated visitors center are also accessible.
Children and youth will also be interested in touring the forest botanical garden. They will find out about the tree species through an interactive game with QR codes to scan with smartphones for solving riddles.
The Trail
And now, after the introduction, let’s take a walk at the conservatory. In the beginning, you will see an audio guide in three languages that will tell you about this place (similar to what we have covered so far).
Note: you can also hear it in the video.
The trails at Ilanot forest are paved, thus suitable for baby strollers.
Eucalyptus melanophloia
At the beginning of the path, you will see Eucalyptus melanophloia.
