Self-Picking Odem, Sweet Cherry at Golan Heights
Self-Picking Odem is a farm that specializes in growing different types of berries, but mostly sweet cherries. And it is a self-picking farm.
Table of Contents
Map
Odem is a small village located at Golan Heights.
To get there, enter “Odem” into a navigation app. Once you reach the entrance gate, continue straight for 50 meters, and you will see signs and the entry to the farm.
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
Offers:
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Note: you can enlarge the map by clicking on it.
Opening Hours
The farm is open in June and July, depending on the availability of the fruits. Thus you should always check before visiting. You can find more info on this topic at Sweet Cherry picking in Israel and the official site.
Also, I wanted to mention that they are open on Saturdays.
Regarding the hour of the visit. During our latest visit, there were two lines at the entrance to sweet cherry-picking at Odem. One for people who purchased tickets online (through coupon sites or in advance), and the other for people without tickets. The line for people who bought tickets in advance was already long at 9:30 (the other line was short). Thus, I suggest arriving at 9:00 or earlier to skip the lines.
And if you arrive at 11:00 or later, the traffic jam at the entrance can take an hour to pass.
At Self-Picking Odem
During 2018, I visited Agronen Raspberries at Gedera and sweet cherry-picking in Odem two following weekends. This video is the result of those visits:
The Process in Odem and Many Other Farms
You buy a ticket, which costs 25 NIS per person (20 NIS if you download a coupon from the official site). Then you can take small baskets. Each basket can hold about 1 kg. And on exit, you pay by the collected weight – usually 30 NIS per 1 kg of sweet cherries. And while you are inside, you can eat freely as much as you want.
Sweet cherries are the most popular berries:
The owners say that all plants are organic. Thus you can eat everything directly from the trees/bushes. There are also sinks and soap on the premises, so you can wash the fruits before eating. But most people eat directly from the trees.
Other Berries
Sweet cherries are probably the main attraction. They are tasty, and there are many of them. But there are other berries as well. Moreover, over the years, they started to plant many different kinds. But the trick is to arrive when not only the sweet cherries are ripe but other berries. From our experience, this is usually toward the end of the sweet cherry season, but that depends on the climate.
Looking at a sweet cherry tree from above, you probably will not see anything. To see the sweet cherries, you must look at them from the bottom (since leaves cover the fruits).
And this is a look at the Golan landscape:
Another interesting thing I have noticed is that most visitors are Israeli with Russian origins. Probably because the climate is colder in Russia, and there were a lot of sweet cherries. This sweet cherry-picking is a childhood reminder for them.
The sign says picking the sweet cherries with the “tail” (the sting) is better. This way, the sweet cherries will be better preserved, and next year, there will be more crops.
There are even some sitting places (if you ate too many sweet cherries and needed a rest 🙂 ).
We typically spend 2 – 3 hours and Odem. And if you like agrotourism, you should check out this place.
If you are looking for or hoping for a specific berry type, check the official website or call the organizers in advance.
Gooseberries that are still not fully ripe but eatable.
Note: As of 2019, there are no toilets inside. So you have to exit the farm. And we did not see lines to the restrooms (as in previous years).
Agrotourism Attractions
You can find similar attractions in the Agrotourism category. And here are a selected few:
- Picking Strawberries – When, Where, and Comparison of Places
- Bustan Shoshan, Matsliah – Exotic Fruit Experience
- Mostly Raspberries
- Flowers
- Picking at Tali Grapes in Moshav Lachish
- Honey tour at Dvorat HaTavor Visitor Center
- Harvesting Olives At Galili Olive Oil, Bethlehem Of Galilee
- The Salad Trail – Visitors Guide – Agricultural Tours in Southern Israel
- Ktofoti – Self-Picking Farm
- Sweet Cherry picking in Israel
- Meshek haPark, Herzliya
Summary
Sweet Cherry Picking is fun and tasty. We love it and do this activity annually. Self-Picking Odem is one of our favorite places due to the fruit variety (raspberries, gooseberries, blueberries, and redcurrants). Just arrive early.
For more info on this topic at Sweet Cherry picking in Israel.
Have you visited Self-Picking Odem? 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.
