This campground ticks nearly all the boxes for me and is a real gem! It is in a great location in the north – a 10 min drive from Kiryat Shmoneh so good to use as a base for visiting attractions in the area. It is also a 10 minute walk from the Chatzbani/Baniyas creek.
Cost: 60 NIS pp/night
Facilities: kiosk (coffee, ice cream, malabi, cold drinks), mattress rental (first come, first serve), bathrooms/showers, lots of shade, sinks for dish washing, designated bonfire area (bring your own wood), carts with wheels to transport your gear from the car to your tent, cell phone charging station, fridges/freezers, picnic tables.
Notes:
- There is nowhere to plug an urn or hot plate in for Shabbat but if you ask Eilon or Aki for hot water on Shabbat morning for tea/coffee, they are happy to fill mugs.
- The staff does a good job of keeping the place clean.
- Contact Eilon by whatsapp to make reservations: 052-527-0332.
- Dogs are not allowed.
- If you follow the creek north for 3.7 km, you will find a Syrian tank lying upside down on the banks of the creek. Kids love to clamber all over the upside down tank and it’s a good place to have a splash in the freezing cold water or stop for a snack.
- Shabbat food ideas that do not require cooking/heating: chips, store bought salads, cheeses, bread, hard boiled eggs, tuna, hummus, bourekas, rice cakes, peanut butter, cold cuts, milk and cornflakes.
I’m trying to get my husband into camping but he is not a fan of the outdoors or of hard core “roughing it” and needs facilities so I thought this would be a good place to start him off. I don’t think he suffered TOO much.
Let me take you on a tour….
There are tons of massive shade trees!
The fridges and freezers are very centrally located for all to use. Each family gets a bin in the fridge with their last name on it so no one will take food that isn’t theirs.
There are a few of these wheely carts for transporting camping gear from the car to where you set up your tent and the parking lot isn’t far at all from the tent area.
The shower house – men’s and women’s.
The bathrooms…
The sinks for drinking water and washing up dishes. Bring dish soap and scrubber.
The kiosk. Cold drinks, slushies, coffee, ice cream and popsicles. First thing Shabbat morning, they play classical music – of which husband is a fan – for one hour. It was lovely to sit here by the kiosk with our coffees in the still-cool morning and soak in the music. A nice touch that we wouldn’t have had had we stayed home in our usual Shabbat routine.
On the back side of the kiosk is a cell phone charging station – a shelf under a row of outlets next to a bench. Also useful if you have an electric pump for blowing up air mattresses.
As you can see, it is a very….colorful….place. Someone is obsessed with mosaics. Every possible surface is covered with it.
Greenery and flowers makes me smile.
There is a dedicated bonfire pit but bring your own wood.
If you are looking to get away in style, you will not feel deprived here so give it a try!