Nahal Mearot Nature Reserve – Visitors Guide (with Tracks)
Nahal Mearot Nature Reserve is a world heritage site. It is home to a group of prehistoric caves where humans lived for 500,000 years.
Map
Nahal Mearot Nature Reserve is located at Hof Hacarmel, not far from Haifa.
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 photo of the map from the official brochure:
Note: you can click on the map above and then enlarge it.
Tracks
Many tracks, including the Israeli National trail, pass through this nature reserve. And as you enter, you will see a sign pointing to the most common tracks.
And here is an interactive map from israelhiking.osm.org.il where these trails are marked:
And here are the details of these tracks:
| Name | Color of the Trail on the Map above | Description | Distance (km) | Total climb and descent (meters) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The caves trail | Green | This trail takes you to the prehistoric man caves. | 0.4 | 50 | After completing it, you can take the blue trail and reach the Gdi cave within ten minutes. |
| The Botanical track | Blue | You start with the blue trail and return using the Israeli National Trail. | 3.6 | 292 | Suitable for older kids. And there is almost no shade along the trail. |
| Geological path | Black | Loop trail using the black markings. | 0.8 | 116 | Suitable for older kids. And there is almost no shade along the trail. |
If you are visiting with younger children, you should also know the barefoot trail. It is located near the entrance, and its length is 50 meters. As you enter, you will see the following sign:
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.
Adults 22 NIS, children 9 NIS, and Students 19 NIS. And free for National Parks annual subscribers.
Note: opening hours and ticket prices were updated in December 2022. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.
Contact Information
Phone: 04-9841750/2
World Heritage Site
As I mentioned, Nahal Mearot Nature Reserve is a world heritage site.
The prehistoric site in the Nahal Mearot Nature Reserve was inscribed by UNESCO in 2012 as a World Heritage Site with outstanding universal value for the study of human evolution.
It is home to a group of prehistoric caves in which humans lived for some 500,000 years. Such long-term habitation of the same caves is very rare anywhere in the world.
Note: unless stated otherwise, all quotes were taken from the official site.
The Caves Track – Prehistoric Man Trail
Since our latest visit was in summer and was pretty hot, we decided not to take a long trail and chose the cave track. It is a short and loop track that visits the prehistoric man caves.
There are three caves along this track. To reach the first two, you need to take the stairs. The third cave is the biggest one, with a wheelchair trail leading to it. Also, inside the biggest cave, there is a fifteen-minute movie about the life of prehistoric people.
You turn to the right and follow the paved path as you enter.
At the paved path, we took the stairs and started the climb.
And on our way saw this sign explaining about sea level.
This is a dry land spot today, but it was covered by water until 1-2 million years ago. The cliff in the photo is a fossil reef formed 100 million years ago from skeletons of marine organisms. The caves were created through limestone dissolution. The uplift of the Carmel caused the caves to become exposed.
View from the stairs:
You can find restrooms and the ticket office at the round buildings. The ticket office also serves as a store with snacks and souvenirs.
The Oven Cave
This cave is named for the opening in its ceiling.
The first excavations in this cave were conducted in 1927, headed by Dorothy Garrod. A team from Haifa University is currently excavating the cave, and they have reached a depth of about 20 meters.
Archeological excavations in this cave exposed a sequence that is one of the oldest and longest known – beginning some one million years ago and continuing to about 40,000 years ago. During this period, the cave was occupied by people of three different prehistoric cultures. Each of these cultures is defined by appropriate stone tools, and it is possible to follow improvements in technology through the sequence.
After a short walk, we reached the second cave.
Camel Cave
Camel cave is named after its hump shape. In the cave, you can see how ancient people lived.
The activity in this cave may have included the processing of raw materials. The cave contains displays showing human life styles in the various prehistoric periods.
People from The Mousterian culture lived in this cave (100,000 – 40,000 years ago). They were hunter-gatherers, and the photo above shows what their lives probably looked like.
The Stream Cave
The next cave along the route is the biggest one on site.
The Stream Cave, consists of an extensive entrance hall, at the end of which there is a 70-meter long corridor. In front of the cave there is a broad rocky platform. The main findings in this cave are those of the Aurignacian culture (40,000 to 20,000 years ago). The cave was abandoned a few thousand years ago, and when humans returned there, they lived mainly in the entrance hall and on the rock platform in front of the cave (Natufian culture, 12,000-10,000 years before our time).
After about ten meters from the entrance, you will see something similar to a tablet on a stand. If a movie is not playing, you can choose the language and start screening. As the audiovisual presentation starts, special lights will go on. And you continue walking further inside the cave to the benches where you can see the movie.