Routes and Rates
An interesting educational-cultural route for the whole family, first in the Hai-Bar complex in Carmel, where an ambitious project is underway whose goal is to return to the landscapes of our country the animals that became extinct in the country in recent centuries, and then by jumping into a biblical archaeological museum located nearby, with an ancient ship that was pulled from the depths of the sea and a variety of ancient items.
From the cash register booth at the entrance to Hai-Bar we will move towards the training center on site. A vantage point arranged here will allow us a wide and spectacular view towards the green Carmel, which extends to the Mediterranean Sea, and the wildlife, which extends in a large area in Carmel. The visit to Hai-Bar is experiential and allows families and children to get to know a variety of large mammals and birds, which were once part of the country’s landscapes until they disappeared. And today efforts are being made to return them to nature.
On our way down to the acclimatization pens in the complex, we will first pass through the artificial winter pool. Although dry in summer, this pond fills with water in winter and spring, and is an important breeding site for the orange salamander. On cool and cloudy days we might be lucky enough to watch the impressive salamanders here.
From here we will move between the different corrals in the area. The animals in these pens are used as a breeding nucleus for the future restoration of populations that have become extinct or have been found on the verge of extinction, as part of the attempts to return them to Israeli nature.
The first pens house wild goats and Iranian wild sheep, which although breed here, there is no intention at this stage to release them into Israeli nature. In contrast, in the following pens we will meet – noble and beautiful animals in the Carmel deer and the Persian donkeys. If we arrive between July and January, we will find the male moose and donkeys at their best, as their horns fall off during the month of February and regrow until the summer. Although donkeys and Carmel deer have been released into the wild in the Judean, Galilee and Carmel mountains in recent years, it is still rare to meet them in the open, and here we get a chance to watch them up close.
Further down the trail are the eagle and bird of prey cages. The eagles are in serious danger of extinction, and wild animals are making efforts to breed and release adult eagle chicks back into the wild.
A vantage point placed near the raptor cages will allow us to look out towards sites in Carmel, including Nahal Galim Upper and “Little Switzerland”. From here we will return the same way to the parking lot.
It is recommended to include in this visit the nearby Hecht Museum, located within the University of Haifa. Entrance to the museum is free, but parking at the university is subject to a fee (made at the entrance to the museum) and the deposit of an ID card at the entrance. When we enter the university campus, we will arrive at the entrance to the museum (relative to the Eshkol Tower), and go down the stairs towards the museum.
The museum commemorates Dr. Reuben Hecht, an industrialist and Israel Prize laureate who founded an impressive archaeological collection that became the basis for a museum, dealing with biblical archaeology (and a special wing dedicated to works of art). Here we will meet a variety of items, collections and exhibitions on two floors and between them we can get an impression of human-like coffins, a mosaic floor from an ancient synagogue in Beit Shean and more. The most impressive display is an ancient ship that was taken out of the depths of the sea in front of the Michael anchorage, has been preserved and is displayed here for the public to see. After we finish with the visit to the museum we can take the opportunity to wander a little on campus and be impressed by the murals on the spot on our way back home.
Difficulty level:
Easy. The route between the corrals is a linear route that lasts about a kilometer and is suitable for the whole family (accessible for the disabled).
Visit duration:
The visit to Hai-Bar in Carmel – about an hour’s calm walk between the animal pens. It is recommended to devote about an additional hour to the museum.
Notes:
The wildlife is open to independent visitors on Saturdays and holidays (including Sukkot). In the middle of the week, the place receives groups of travelers by prior arrangement using the email haybar@npa.org.il (it is recommended to coordinate quite some time in advance). Entrance is paid.
On Sukkot (28/9/15-3/10/15 as well as 5/10/15) guided tours will be held on the site (free of charge), during the hours
15:00-10:00, and this by pre-registration at *3639.
Visiting hours:
Hai-Bar Carmel:
The place is open on Saturdays and holidays during the usual hours (08:00 to 16:00 in winter, until 17:00 in summer). Last entry to the reserve about an hour before closing time.
Hecht Museum:
Open every day from 10 am. Days Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday until 16:00, Tuesday until 19:00, Friday until 13:00, Saturday until 14:00
Directions
To get to Hai-Bar Carmel: we will leave the tunnels at the Neve Shanan interchange and continue according to the signs towards the estate. At the intersection of Rupin Road/Pikka Road and Hankin Road we turn to Hankin Road, we pass Ramat Sapir and we will not enter the sunken road but turn right onto International Street. We will continue uphill (the name of the street changes to Arthur Biram Road) and at the intersection with Abba Khushi Boulevard we will turn left towards the exit from the city. We will continue on Abba Khushi Boulevard and pass the turn to the university. We will pass the southern entrance square to the university. A little after the square we turn right according to the signs to Carmel Park and Hai-Bar in its areas. On Saturdays and holidays, the collection of the payment is done at this point, while for the rest of the week the collection is done in Hai Bar itself (however, in the middle of the week, the entrance to Hai Bar is intended for groups only and by prior arrangement).
To continue from here to the Hecht Museum: we will return to the main road, enter the university. Entrance by car to the university is subject to a fee and the deposit of an ID card at the entrance (on weekends and during periods when there are no studies, there is plenty of parking on the side of the main road outside the university free of charge). We will proceed according to the signs to the museum next to the Eshkol Tower.
*The information is submitted as a service to the public, the details indicated in the article may change from time to time.