Lachish River Park, Ashdod – Visitors Guide
Lachish river park is a lovely place for a family visit. There is a small zoo, boat sailing, statues, and nearby attractions.
Note: for additional info about animals and wildlife, check out Zoos and Aquariums in Israel.
Table of Contents
Map
The Lachish stream starts from the mountains, not far from Hebron. Then it passes near Tel Lachish National Park in the Kiryat Gat area and meets the Mediterranean sea near Ashdod. Along the stream in Ashdod, a small park was constructed. It is called Lachish River Park.
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
Offers:
- Hotels, hostels, and apartments in this area:
- Buy photos of Israel and support this blog.
- Get 10% off for your next tour at Bein Harim with coupon code LEV10#12306.
Directions
Lachish River Park is situated along the river. And you can enter it in several places. The first entrance is on Derech Laskov, which turns into Ort Street (GPS coordinates: 31.816443, 34.649592). This entrance is just by the zoo, but the parking lot is relatively small. The second entry is near Park Etgarim (GPS coordinates: 31.820723, 34.656815). The third way to approach this park is from the Sea, Simtat El Hayam, or the nearby street with no name (GPS coordinates: 31.815201, 34.642499).
Entrance Fee
The entrance to the park and the zoo is free. If you want to rent a paddleboat, it will cost 50 NIS for Ashdod residents and 60 NIS for all others – the price for half an hour. And the price for an hour is 90 and 100 NIS for Ashdod and non-Ashdod residents, respectively.
Note: you can pay for the boat ride using a credit card only.
Opening Hours
The park is open 24×7. And the boat ride is operated daily from 09:30 to 18:30 or till it gets dark (the earlier of the two).
And now, let’s go over what the park has to offer.
Boat Rides
In 2020 a new attraction at Lachish River Park was opened. You can rent a paddleboat and sail for 1.5km. There are two types of boats. There are vessels in the shape of animals for four people and boats with a roof for five.
Note: babies under one-year-old are not allowed to ride the boats.
Sculpture Trail
Many sculptures were installed along the road in the park. The statues are short so that kids can climb on them.
The Zoo
And now let’s visit the park and the zoo.
Ashdod port area is on the other side of the stream.
The western part of the park will pass opposite the Desheh Hagadol, with corners to sit in, a small animal park which will contain a domestic animal corner, a petting corner and statues, and designer benches. The CHALLENGES PARK will be built here on a thirty-acre site offering various activities for children up to age fourteen. Last year, the park was renovated at the cost of five hundred thousand NIS. The animal cages were repaired. Pergolas were erected. A line of trees along the length of the Lachish stream was planted, and the open animal garden for the larger wild animals was refurbished. Additional investment is planned to change and strengthen the jetties to allow boat rides on the stream. The new construction will be enhanced by concrete piles driven into the water.
Source: tayarutdarom.co.il
And there are several zebras as well.
Mediterranean zebra 🙂
If you are going to see animals in Israel in the summer, you better arrive early in the day when it is not too hot.
Here is the Nubian ibex. You can find them wandering freely in the Negev and the Dead Sea area.
The ibex appears on the logo of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. One of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority’s main goals was to increase the population of wild ibexes in Israel. And they succeeded in doing so.
Another look towards Ashdod port:
Many people make picnics on the grass. Just keep in mind that there is not much shade.
Nearby Attractions
- Park Etgarim offers various attractions for younger kids. You can find additional details at the official site.
- Pirate Park is located at HaTayelet 21, on Ashdod beach, near the Lachish stream. You can find a big pirate ship with different attractions in this lovely children’s park. And yes, it is free.
- The beach – if you walk along the park’s path towards the west, you will reach the sea. Ashdod has a long beach strip, and Miami Beach is less than 500 meters from the stream.
- Dolphin and the Sea center offers different tours, but you have to prebook them. You can find additional info on the official site.
Tip: if you do not want to have a picnic in Lachish River Park and looking for a place to eat, check out the nearby Pescado restaurant.
Summary
One of the nice things about Lachish River Park is the free admission. But that can also be a minus. Lachish Park is a popular place, and it will be packed with people during holidays. Thus I would suggest coming early. It will be easier to find parking, there will be fewer people, and it will not be as hot as noon.
Have you ever been to Lachish River Park? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.
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.