Taninim Stream Nature Reserve – Visitors Guide
Taninim Stream Nature Reserve is full of nature, wildlife, and archeological remains. And families love it due to the short tracks.
Map
Taninim Stream Nature Reserve is located not far from Caesarea National Park and adjacent to Jisr al-Zarqa.
Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit
Interactive map of the area:
Note: you can click on the site plan to enlarge it.
Tracks
There are four tracks at Taninim Stream Nature Reserve.
| # | Name | Color of the Route | Description | Visit Duration (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Dam route | Red | This trail has both a water segment and a dry section. Similar to the stream track, it is not a loop trail. Moreover, it does not start at the nature reserve’s entrance. Thus, you have to combine them with other routes. | 1 |
| 2 | The Stream trail | Blue | Leads you along the Taninim stream to the sea and back. | 3 |
| 3 | Mini track | Orange | This wheelchair-accessible path takes you to the water regulatory device and back. | 0.5 |
| 4 | The aqueduct route | Black | This trail has both a water segment and a dry section. Similar to the stream track, it is not a loop trail. Moreover, it does not start at the nature reserve’s entrance. Thus you have to combine them with other routes. |
Directions
If you are reaching by car, enter the “Taninim Stream Nature Reserve” into Waze or Google Maps, and it will take you to the free parking by the entrance.
If you use public transport, you can take a bus to Jisr al-Zarqa (#68, #768, #171, and others). Here is already a preset link to Moovit. Just enter your starting point, 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.
Basic Info
The Taninim Stream Reserve is located on the southern Carmel coast, between Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael and Jisr al-Zarqa. The 470-dunam reserve is situated on the middle calcareous sandstone (kurkar) ridge and in the area to the West of it. The Ada and Taninim streams, originating-in the Menashe Heights, flow through the reserve.
The Hebrew name for the stream and the reserve, taninim, means crocodiles. In the past, crocodiles made their homes in the wetland area and the stream. Part of the reserve is a vestige of the Kebara Swamp, which Baron Edmond de Rothschild purchased and started to drain to enable settlement of the area. The swamp was drained between 1922 and 1932.
Taninim Stream is a flowing stream, the last of Israel’s coastal streams whose water is clean and saline. A rich ecological system of flora and fauna thrives in the stream and on its banks.
Source: sign
The Names
Taninim Stream Nature Reserve has several names. And all of them consist of two words, either in Hebrew or English. Taninim means crocodiles in Hebrew. And Nahal means stream in Hebrew. Thus, sometimes people refer to this nature reserve as Taninim Stream, Nahal Taninim, and Crocodile Stream.
And as you can guess, it is called after crocodiles that lived there up to the beginning of the 20th century. We will discuss crocodiles in the wildlife section.
Archeology and History
From Prehistory to the Romans
In prehistory, the first inhabitants of the area lived in the Kabara Cave in Carmel, east of Einmah Tesah. Humans lived in the cave some 60,000 years ago, and at intervals even in later periods. Some of their food comes from the abundance of animals in the Kabara swamps, including fish, wild boars, water deer, and hippos.
Thousands of years later, during the Persian and Hellenistic periods and perhaps even earlier, ships docked in the Nahal Taninim estuary, near Tel Taninim. Abd during the Roman period, with the flowering of Caesarea, the region experienced upheaval. The Crocodile stream started to flow to Caesarea in two aqueducts. The “tall” aqueduct was well-constructed with calculated overcoming obstacles of marshy infrastructure and hill barriers. It drew water from the springs of Nahal Taninim River in Shuni and Amikam, and its waters were of drinking water quality.
Later the Romans built a dam. Behind the dam, a large lake was created, and from it, via the “low” aqueduct, the water was sent to Caesarea for various uses, but not for drinking.
Notes:
- Unless stated otherwise, all quotes were translated from the official site.
- If you are interested in the prehistoric period, check out Nahal Mearot Nature Reserve.
From the Byzantine till Modern Times
During the Byzantine, Crusader, and Ottoman periods, the lake water was used to operate flour mills.
From the end of the Crusader period until the first half of the 19th century, the area was deserted, and the lake from the Roman period became the great Kebara swamp.
In 1834, people who came from Egypt with Muhammad Ali’s army settled in Jasser a-Zarqa. Later, people from other places joined them. They made a living from fishing in marshes and seas, pottery, and making mats of Goma plants and reed.
In 1922, lands were purchased using Baron Rothschild’s funds. In the same year, they began to dry the area to prepare for agricultural cultivation. On the grounds of Kabara, the settlements of Maagan Michael and Beit Hanania were erected.
Show Room
After entering this nature reserve, you will see several small buildings. One of them is the showroom.
On Saturdays, a short movie is screened in the showroom every half hour. The film tells the story of Taninim Stream Nature Reserve, both from the archaeological and wildlife perspectives.
If you visit on a regular day (not Saturday), ask the staff to play the movie.
The Ancient Reservoir
After watching the short movie, we started walking. And our first stop was at the ancient reservoir (point of interest #2 on the map).
As mentioned in the archaeology and history section, the city of Caesarea needed water. Thus, initially, Romans built the “tall” aqueduct. As the town grew and required more water, the Romans decided to make another aqueduct.
However, the water level in this area (at that time, it was Kebara swamp) is two meters lower than in Caesarea. Thus, they constructed two dams (we will see one of them shortly). The barriers created a large reservoir, which flooded 6,000 dunams of the valley. And this water was channeled to Caesarea via the “low” aqueduct.
And we will continue along the Dam route toward the aqueduct. As you walk, if you look to your left, you will see Mount Carmel.
Today, the entire area is dry land (mainly used for agricultural purposes). But when the Ancient Reservoir existed, the whole area was flooded.
By the way, you can hike in this area o