Jordan Star National Park (Kokhav HaYarden) – Visitors Guide

Belvoir Fortress, an almost complete Crusader castle in Lower Galilee, is part of Jordan Star National Park (Kokhav HaYarden). And you can explore it using the fortress trail and HaYadid path.

Map

Jordan Star National Park is located in the east of Lower Galilee. About halfway between the Sea of Galilee and Beit Shean National Park. And you can reach it from road #90.

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 a map of Jordan Star National Park:

Note: you can click on the map to enlarge it.

Directions

When driving on road #90, you will see the sign to this national park. After turning, you will climb using the road for about 6 km and reach the entrance.

And as always, if you are reaching by car, enter “Jordan Star National Park” into Waze or Google Maps, which will take you to the entrance. There is free parking near the entrance.

If you consider public transport, you should know that bus #28 has a Kokhav HaYarden bus stop. But the stop is on-road #90. That means you will have to climb more than 6 km to the entrance (and descend the same way when you finish). It makes public transport irrelevant for most people.

Here is already a preset link to Moovit. Just enter your starting direction, and you will get the updated directions.

Opening Hours

Sunday – Thursday and Saturday: 8:00 – 17:00 (16:00 in winter).
Friday: 8:00 – 16:00 (15:00 in winter).
On holiday 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).

Entrance Fee

Adult 24 NIS, child 10 NIS, and student 20 NIS. Free for National Parks annual subscribers.

If you visit multiple National Parks, consider purchasing a combo ticket. Additional information is available at National Parks and Nature Reserves.

Note: opening hours and ticket prices were updated in January 2023. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.

HaYadid Path and Fortress Path

Kokhav HaYarden is not a big national park. You can take the fortress path to visit the castle or use the HaYadid path (scenic path on the map above) to see the views.

A path with the lenght of 1.2 km, starting from the fortress and returning to it after a steep but short climb. It is recommended to walk along this path in the afternoon when the sun lights up the Hills of Gil’ad. The path passes among the remains of the groves of the village Kawukab al-Hawa. Which existed here up to the War of Independence and descended to the eastern foot of the Crusader fortress. Close to the south-eastern corner of the fortress, a sign indicates the path’s location to the monument in memory of Orde Charles Wingate. From there, the path leads to the southern moat, and then it climbs back up to the fortress.

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

Campground

As you can see on the map above, there is a campground near the parking lot. It is a no-smoke campground (no bonfires and no barbeque) which offers electricity, restrooms, picnic tables, and water taps. You can find additional details and make a booking here.

Camping ground: A camping area has been prepared in an olive grove in the Kokhav HaYarden National Park. Here one can stay overnight in tents. There are toilets and drinking water, a barbeque area, picnic tables, and illumination.

Dogs

Entrance to Jordan Star National Park with dogs is forbidden.

Stargazing – Jordan Star National Park at Night

Our first visit to Jordan Star National Park was about a decade ago. And during the summer of 2019, special stargazing events were held in this park. Thus we decided to revisit Kokhav HaYarden.

We started with the stargazing activity when we arrived at this national park. A professor from Tel Aviv University showed us different stars and gave explanations. From my perspective, this part of our visit was rather disappointing. I assumed that since Jordan Star National Park was chosen, star visibility would be excellent. But it was not that good. Moreover, the explanations were quick and overwhelming for a beginner in stargazing.

Then we joined the best part of our visit, a guided tour at Jordan Star National Park.

Guided Tour

Our guide took us along the fortress path. You will see the fortress to your left and the Yig’al Tomarkin sculpture garden to your right as you walk.

The Sculpture Garden: An impressive collection of the works of artist Yig’al Tomarkin in a permanent outdoor display, south of the fortress.

We made a short stop near the moat (point of interest #2 on the map).

This moat is quite impressive. It is ten meters deep and twenty meters wide.

Then we continued to the observation point (point of interest #1 on the map).

Beneath the observation point, at 220 meters below sea level, you can see the Jordan River. And the fortress overlooks three river crossings: Zinbari, Naharayim, and Beit Shean.

This site has a strategic position (see geography section). And besides commanding the crossings, it also enables the control of the road running in the valley.

Of course, you can not see the Sea of Galilee or the Jordan River at night. But you can see the lights. And the lights on the mountain in front of you come from another country, Jordan.

And now, let’s enter Belvoir Fortress.

Belvoir Fortress

The fortress covers about 15 dunams, and touring it gives an opportunity to obtain an impression of an almost complete fortress. The fortifications include an enormous moat and two walls – an inner wall and an outer wall. The moat was excavated out of hard basalt rock to a width of about 20 meters. and a depth of about ten meters.

The length of the outer wall surrounding the fortress is about 480 m. The postern gate in the tower of the eastern gate is remarkably well preserved. The tower camouflages it well, and it is invisible to anyone standing outside the fortress.

Most of the fortress is built of basalt stones from the surrounding countryside. Some well-tooled stones were taken from the remains of the synagogue of Hurvat HaYadid. There is a drawing of the seven-branched candelabra on one stone, and it is displayed in the Israel Museum. Unlike other buildings, the monastery church is built of carefully chiseled limestone to emphasize it and add to its beauty.

We entered the fortress through the main gate (point of interest #3 – at the bottom of the proposed layout). And probably because it was nighttime, our guide took us straight to the inner fortress.

Inner Fortress

It is a 40X40 meters stronghold, with a tower at each corner.

The keep served as an independent unit where defenders could endure a siege after the fall of the outer fortress.

View towards the inner western gate (point of interest #10 on the map):

The outer courtyard and the vaults used for living quarters and storehouses are well preserved. The well in the eastern vault and the remains of the bath-house is also in good condition.

In the inner courtyard is the stronghold, which served as a fortress within a fortress. The length of the sides of this fortified square tower is 40 m. Vaults also surround the stronghold, and the halls are well preserved. In the eastern wing are the remains of the kitchen ovens. At the heart of the stronghold, there is a square stone-paved courtyard. Stairs in the western part of the courtyard lead to the second story, which is sumptuously built. Here, were a ceremonies hall, the church, and the captain’s office.

And this is the inner space when looking to the east:

Decorated stone from Kokhav synagogue

The Crusaders used the stones of the Jewish settlement to build their fortress. Here is an example of a decorated stone removed from the ancient synagogue in Kokhav.