Brekhat haMeshushim

A few km southeast of Katzrin, not served by public transportation, is the Ya’ar Yehudiya Nature Reserve and the source of the Zavitan River. From just off the road, you can hike down the river through some of Israel’s richest greenery. To reach the hiking path head about 2km southeast along the main highway from Katzrin. Watch for a small, weather-beaten orange sign in Hebrew on the right, marking the beginning of the trail. Starting here, you can follow the stream for about two hours through rocky pools wiggling with fish and freshwater crabs during the summer. The trail is clearly marked with red-and-white striped blazes. Before the stream joins the Meshushim stream to the west, the path leads up the steep side of the ravine, across the plateau, and down to Brekhat haMeshushim (Hexagon Ponds). The formation of hexagonal rock columns at the water’s edge inspired the name.

To leave this area, walk up to the parking lot and follow the 5km access road to the main highway. From here it’s 17km to Katzrin; there are no buses. The ponds can also be reached by climbing up river from the Bet Tzayda Valley (ask for Tzomet Bet Tzayda) along the Kinneret or by walking down the path from the deserted village of Jaraba, about 13km south of B’not Ya’;ikov Bridge off the left side of the road. The river basin is occasionally closed to traffic due to military maneuvers in the area. More often, temporary roadblocks are set up while mines are detonated a tew kilometers ahead.