Everyone who travels to Israel will certainly visit the most famous tourist sites, like the Western Wall, Masada and the Dead Sea. However, there are so many other things to see and do that are less well known or off the beaten path. When you plan your next visit to Israel, try and fit these activities into your itinerary to enhance your Israeli experience.

Ayalon Institute Bullet Factory

Now a museum, the Ayalon Institute was a secret ammunition factory disguised as part of a kibbutz to fool the British soldiers in the 1940s. The Jewish people who lived on this kibbutz used the factory to help fight for the independent state of Israel. Between 1945 and 1948, the Ayalon Institute produced more than 2 million bullets.

The kibbutz was located close to a British military base, so they had to think of every way possible to keep this from the British soldiers. The whole operation from building the factory to keeping it running in secrecy is really quite amazing! Here are a few astonishing facts about the operation:

• They built the underground factory in just 22 days! The people of the kibbutz built structures on the surface that would be expected at any kibbutz to hide the construction of the underground factory.
• The workers used many ingenious ways to hide the factory and trick the British soldiers, who visited the site often:
  1. The first time the British visited the kibbutz, the workers served the soldiers warm beer. When the soldiers complained, the workers told the soldiers that they could chill the beer if the soldiers let them know when they’d be visiting. From that point on, the British gave the kibbutz workers advanced notice of when they were visiting to give the workers time to chill the beer.
  2. The workers ran a laundry and bakery right above the bullet factory to make noise that would mask the noise produced in the factory itself.
  3. When the British asked why so much brass (used for bullet casings) was being delivered to the kibbutz, they told them that it was to produce cosmetics. To “prove” this, the workers made lipsticks and gave them to the British soldiers as gifts.

The factory was restored and turned into a museum in 1987. The Ayalon Institute is about a 30 minute drive from Tel Aviv and tours are offered in English and Hebrew.

Palmach Museum

The focus of this museum is the story of the Palmach, from its establishment in 1941 until the end of the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. The Palmach was an elite fighting force of the underground army during the period of the British Mandate. By the outbreak of the Israeli War of Independence, it consisted of over 2,000 men and women. After gaining independence, its members formed the backbone of the Israel Defense Forces high command for many years.

The Palmach Museum is not your typical museum where you walk from room to room reading displays or documents. Instead the museum tells the story of the Palmach by creating a multi-media experience through a combination of films, 3D decor and special effects. For example, as visitors watch a film where the Palmach carries out a bombing of a bridge, visitors stand in a room where a life size bridge “explodes”. The museum’s unique design immerses visitors in the story and leaves them emotionally connected with the Palmach.

The museum is located on the north side of Tel Aviv. Visits must be pre-arranged as the tour is carried out in groups of up to 25 people. The length of the tour is 90 minutes and can be translated to English, Spanish, French, Russian and Mandarin.

Rosh Hanikra

Rosh Hanikra is a geologic formation at the northwestern tip of Israel by the border of Israel and Lebanon. Located in the Western Galilee on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the white chalk cliff face opens up into spectacular grottoes. The grottoes and caves are the result of thousands of years of sea action on the soft chalk rock.

A cable car, which claims to be the steepest in the world, brings visitors down from the cliff top to the grottoes below. Once at the grottoes, visitors can walk through the cave system to see many beautiful views.

Another interesting attraction visitors can see at the grottoes is the tunnel built by the British for the Cairo-Haifa-Beirut railroad line. While this train line never came to be, there’s a short audio-visual presentation inside the tunnel which gives information on its history.

As we walked around Rosh Hanikra, we noticed an Israeli naval ship patrolling the waters. It was a reminder that Israel must always be on alert to protect itself from neighbors who wish them harm.

Mother Earth Jeep Tour

Another amazing activity is taking a jeep tour in Metula, which is the northernmost town in Israel. It’s bordered on three sides by Lebanon. The experience of riding alongside the border of Israel’s hostile neighbor was really affecting as well as a bit unsettling. The Mother Earth Jeep Tour guide was a lifelong Metula resident who also serves in the town’s volunteer army reserves.

During the tour, you’ll hear about the history of the area, the security challenges, and the wildlife. It starts by driving through the historic town’s city center and then along Metula’s perimeter fence, which also serves as the border wall between Israel and Lebanon.

The tour then goes up into the mountains, stopping for a breathtaking view over Hula Valley. There, visitors can get out, stretch their legs, and enjoy a fresh snack.

What makes the tour so special is hearing the history and stories from the guide while viewing the landscape. We learned about the Fatima Gate, or “Good Fence”, which was a border crossing from Metula to Lebanon from 1976 to 2000. This allowed the population of southern Lebanon to find jobs in northern Israel, access health services, attend school and transport goods.

We also learned of the most recent incident involving the town and Lebanon. In 2006, the population of Metula fled to escape the 120 Hezbollah rockets fired during the 34-day war.

The Knesset

I particularly enjoyed visiting The Knesset, which is the main legislative body of Israel. Located in Jerusalem, The Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister, approves the cabinet and supervises the work of the government.

We had a private tour of the facility during a time when there was no legislative activity occurring. The Knesset had been temporarily dissolved until after the September 2019 election. It was fascinating to learn how Israel governs as there are some differences from what I’m used to in the United States.

The Knesset had been dissolved because the Prime Minister failed to form a ruling coalition. This is the first time an elected Prime Minister has failed to forge a working government, resulting in another election. The Israeli system of government is based on parliamentary democracy. The Prime Minister has to form a coalition with other parties to form a majority government.

The Knesset is split into many committees that oversee each segment of government. There are 120 Knesset members who are elected to four year terms. The current Knesset is led by a coalition featuring the Likud and Yisrael Beiteinu parties. Twelve political parties are represented in this government, which boasts 12 Arabs, 48 first-time members and a record 27 women.

Knesset Art

In The Knesset’s reception hall, there are several pieces of art from famous artist, Marc Chagall. The art created by him were gifts to the State of Israel and include three huge tapestries (seen below), twelve floor mosaics and one large wall mosaic. The artwork tells the story of the Jewish people from biblical times to the establishment of the State of Israel. The three tapestries are quite beautiful and are filled with many important themes.

Please note that security is very strict and all visitors must present a valid passport and wear dignified attire.

Mount Bental

Located in the Golan Heights, Mount Bental is a mountain peak now famous for its great panoramic views of the Golan Heights region and even Syria. Historically, however, the mountain was the site of a battle fought during the war for the Golan region.

During the Yom Kippur War in 1973, the Israelis won a miraculous battle at Mount Bental with a force of only 160 tanks. The Syrian army attacked with 1,500 tanks and were slowly rebuked by the smaller Israeli force. Both sides suffered large casualties and by the time the battle was over, only 7 Israeli tanks were operational. However, after 900 of the Syrian tanks were destroyed, the Syrians fled, leaving the land for the victorious State of Israel.

Relations between Syria and Israel have been much better in the recent history. In fact, the Israeli-Syrian border is the quietest border Israel has known with any neighbor.

The site has been fixed up for tourism and even has a cafe at the top. Entering the site is free and open all day, every day.

Timna Park

If you’re spending time in Eilat, spending a few hours at Timna Park might be something to consider while you’re there. It’s located about 17 miles north of Eilat in the Negev Desert. The site combines beautiful scenery with ancient history and geology.

Timna is the site of the world’s first copper mine. Tons of ancient mining shafts can be seen throughout the park. Attractions on site include rock formations caused by natural erosion, ancient mines, rock engravings, and a lake.

By far the most awe-inspiring attraction is Solomon’s Pillars. This rock formation was formed by rain that penetrated into fissures in the sandstone gradually widening them and eventually leaving the pillars detached. The formation got its name because of a mistaken theory that the ancient mines were part of King Solomon’s activities in the region. The pillars are used as a backdrop for evening concerts and dance performances in the summer.

Another attraction at the park is “The Mushroom”. This natural sculpture resulted from the erosion of red sandstone. More rapid erosion occurred at the bottom and created the mushroom-like shape. The Mushroom is surrounded by copper ore smelting sites that are 700 to 900 years old.

Dialogue in the Dark

Dialogue in the Dark is an interactive exhibit at the Israel Children’s Museum in Tel Aviv. In this activity, visitors are equipped with only a walking stick and are lead through a pitch black space by a blind or vision-impaired guide. There are several rooms to navigate including a city street, a port, a market and a pub.

It gives visitors a window into what it would feel like to navigate the world without vision. Visitors must listen to the guides instructions and rely only on their sense of hearing, smell and touch. What’s cool about this activity is the role reversal where the “impaired” person becomes the leader.

At the end of the exhibit, visitors have time to ask the guide questions about what his/her life is like as a blind person. What we learned is that our guide didn’t consider her life to be any worse or less than those who can see. For her, it was just different.

Bottom Line

Sprinkling in a few or all of these activities on your trip to Israel will really enhance your visit. These suggestions will enrich your experience with:

• history regarding Israel’s war for independence and continued security issues
• amazing natural beauty of the country
• information about how Israel’s legislature governs
• an interactive activity demonstrating what life without sight would be like

Trip Report Index

1. Introduction and Planning
2. The 7 Must Do Activities in Israel
3. Dan Panorama Tel Aviv
4. Dan Panorama Haifa
5. Eight Lesser Known Activities Worth Doing in Israel
6. Dan Panorama Jerusalem
7. Masada
8. My Dead Sea Experience and 6 Interesting Facts That May Surprise You
9. Dan Panorama Eilat
10. What and Where to Eat in Israel