PJS-Adventures | YAM L'YAM TREK

Yam L' Yam
Israel

Adventure Type:

Hike

Technical Equipment Needed:

Fitness Level Required:

Good

Effort Level:

Moderate

Specialist Insurance Required:

Best Months To Go:

March - May

September - December

Grading:

see our Grading Guide HERE

Accommodation:

Hotel

Location Map:

Check HERE

Altitude in Meters:

1,200

Food Choices Available:

Kosher, Veggie, Vegan, Nut Free, Lactose Free, Halal

Information Pack:

Download HERE

The Yam L' Yam Hike (Sea to Sea) is one of the most popular hiking trails in Israel literally crossing the country from west to east, from the Mediterranean Sea to the Sea of Galilee, crossing some of Israel’s most beautiful scenery in the Western Galilee and Upper Galilee regions. The Sea to Sea hike is walked by thousands of Israelis and tourists every year, and takes between three to five days depending on how fast you walk, along marked scenic trails.

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The trail starts in the city of Nahariya on Israel’s Mediterranean Coast, in the Western Galilee region of the country and heads directly inland through the flat Coastal Plain, and the fields belonging to kibbutzim and moshavim who grow a huge variety of crops. As the Coastal Plain is left behind, the terrain begins to pick up and the final glimpse of the first sea (the Mediterranean) is left behind. You will pass the Montfort Fortress. Heading from Abirim, the trail continues east until the village of Fassuta, when it turns south winding its way past the villages of Elkosh and Hurfesh and towards Mount Meron. Following this is largely the descent down to the Sea of Galilee (the lowest freshwater lake on earth!) passing the famous city of Safed and ending on the shores of the Sea of Galilee just north of Kibbutz Ginosar.

The hike is a total of approx. 90km starting at sea level, climbing to 1,200 meters, and then descending to -210 meters.

Whilst you can do the hike all-year-round, the nicest times are spring and fall – temperatures in the summer can be incredibly high. If taking this trail during the hot season, close attention must be made to the temperature and advice should be taken from the Park Rangers.

On Day 4 of the trek we begin at Shechvi Pools and pass through the Nachal Amud Nature Reserve for approximately 5km. This is a beautiful, yet slightly more technical part of the route. The pass winds high along ravines, up and down over rocks and there is the need to use some metal hand and foot holds at times. For some, this section will be the most testing of the trek. Due to the terrain, this section of the Nachal Amud Nature Reserve will be closed by the Rangers if the route is wet/damp and deemed to be too dangerous to cross, or if the temperature is too hot to cross this remote and difficult section. In the event of this section being closed, we will begin Day 4 of the trek further down Nachal Amud, missing out this section.

Itinerary

Day 1: Akziv Beach – Abirim Camp

Distance 22km. Walking Time 8hrs

We start our journey at around 5am, meeting at your hotel in central Israel, and travel to the start point in Nahariya. We will arrive at around 07:00am at Akziv Beach and begin our hike. Once we leave the beach area of Akziv, we join the trail through banana and avocado groves for about 1hr - 1.5hrs. We then walk along a road for about 3km until we reach the next section of the trail, this path takes us to the base of Montforte Castel, where we will stop for lunch. Continuing we will soon arrive at a fresh water pool to dip and refresh before we start the uphill climb to Abirim through the forest. Transfer to hotel.

Day 2: Abirim – Mt Meron

Distance 23km. Walking Time 8hrs

After an early wake up and a traditional Israeli breakfast, we will leave our hotel by around 8am. We trek from Abirim around the surrounding hills over rocks and through bushes for about 1.5hrs – 2hrs to our first rest stop. The trail then heads uphill for a short time until we start to wind our way back down to our lunch spot. After a short while we reach a road where we can visit a gas station to buy/fill water and snacks before we go under the bridge to continue our walk through beautiful scenic countryside in the Meron Nature Reserve. We wind our way along the valley to another up-hill forest for the final hour. Here we will meet our coach and transport back to the hotel.

Day 3: Mt Meron – Nachal Amud

Distance 17km. Walking Time 6hrs

After an early breakfast, the coach will drop us back to the base of Mt Meron where we finished yesterday’s trek and we begin our ascent of Mt Meron. This climb will take 1hr – 1.5hrs including a couple of rest stops at the viewing points, were we will have a great view of the upper Galil and over the Golan towards Mt Hermon. Once we reach the summit of Mt Meron (+1,200m), we start our long descent down to the Kineret (-210m). We spend the rest of the morning walking along side Vineyards and Byzantine ruins to our lunch spot under a beautiful tree with a great view of Tzfat (Safed) ahead of us. After lunch we have a rocky descent until we pick up the start of Nachal Amud. Walking along, and sometime in the river bed, the terrain becomes tricky at times. Just before we reach Seckvi Pools, we ascent the long rocky steps up towards the camp site where our coach will be waiting to take us back to our hotel.

Day 4: Nachal Amud – Kibbuts Ginnosar (The Kinneret)

Distance 28km. Walking Time 10hrs

Waking early and after breakfast, we travel by coach and start the day back at Nachal Amud, we will walk alongside the Nachal for 2hrs – 3hrs before arriving at the start of the up and down technical section. This section includes metal hand rails and a few sections with metal hand and foot holds. With a slow pace and plenty of help from PJS Challenges guides, this section is challenging yet fun for everyone. This section is approximately 3km long and will take around 2hrs to complete, including rest stops. We continue our walk along Nachal Amud. The path is undulating and we will also cross and walk in the river bed many times. The valley will get wider and wider until we reach the start of the Nachal and stand under the mighty stone Amud (Column), where the Nachal gets its name. From here we exit the valley and walk towards the Kineret, ending our walk as we started through banana groves. We cross the main road into Kibbutz Ginnosar and walk down to the beach at the Kineret. After a quick dip in the waters, we will meet our coach in the car park and start our journey back down to Central Israel by early evening.

Yam L' Yam Israel