Ahula Lake

This Saturday we took a family trip to Ahula Lake Nature Reserve that is a big WOW for kids as well as adults. Israel happens to be a perfect rest spot on a migration journey for the European birds escaping the cold winter to Africa. Over 120 species and millions of birds are passing by every winter. Originally they were feeding on the fish grown in the Galilee fish farms and frequently shot by the farm owners. Until the government decided to "welcome" them properly and flooded the Ahula area creating a large Nature Reserve and started charging small visitor fee of 5 shekels that goes toward the bird food. Now it is a birds paradise. Rumor goes may of them never even continuing the journey to Africa.

Turn your volume on to hear the birds feasting in this video:

There are cranes, pelicans, storks and many others.

                       

The route around the lake is around 10 km. 

You can travel it by foot, rent bikes for 1-5 people or a golf carts. Pushing such 3-person bike with my kids turned out to be an excellent and a very hard physical exercise.

In addition to birds there are also nutrias

and water buffaloes:

After these hard physical activity we planned to stop somewhere for a hamburger but couldn't resist trying the Druze pita. Paper-thin, spread with lebane, zaatar, tabule and spices and heated in front of us on a taboon, it was a delicious culinary experience.

Related and recommeded is a good Israeli family movie: Igor & The Crane's Journey