Places such as Masada, Qumran Cave, Beersheva, City of David and Ein Gedi are all included in this package. And there are many more sites worth visiting! And seriously, $50 is nothing! Let me share more in details and a little bit about the tourist cards (not as good as Annual Pass though).

Annual Pass for National Parks in Israel

Israel, due to safety concerns, is generally an off-beaten country for tourists. But there are numerous sites in this tiny country. Best of all, most of these sites are managed under Israel Nature and Parks Authority. You buy this card, and you have access to all 68 sites! (or is it 55?)

With this Annual Pass, I went to 28 sites in 2 weeks. That’s less than $2 for a site! No way!!!! That’s too cheap! That is why I strongly recommend this pass if you plan to visit at least 5 sites (and if the City of David is one of them).

How To Purchase “Annual Pass”

1. Buy it online!

Simply go to https://fe.sales.parks.org.il/subscriptions

Remember to enter your passport number correctly!

You’ll get the bar code once the purchase is done!

2. Buy it at the park

Go to any national park WITH your passport!

Tell the ticket counter that you wish to purchase the “Annual Pass”. It’s for locals and tourists alike, but you need an Israeli address (a hotel address is fine). The actual card will be sent to that address, but you will get a handwritten card like this and with receipt. This can be used as the annual pass immediately.

 The Fees for Annual Pass

It’s pretty cheap. And the crazy part is…..   For one adult is ₪181 ($50). For two adults is ₪275 ($75)。  (The name of the second person will not be registered) 

And 2 adults with 1 kid is ₪340 ($94), and 2 adults with 2 kids are ₪396 ($109)。 Anyone less than 20 years old is considered “kid”. 

For details please go to their website, English version is available now! 

How to Use Annual Pass?

You present the barcode OR present that handwritten card and receipt at the ticket office, and you’ll get an entrance ticket and possibly a new map!

What’s Included? Is the City of David Included?

Yes, the City of David is included in the annual pass.

The exceptions are the following (not free, but 50% discount is available): Akhziv, Horshat Tal, Gan Hashlosha, Beit Yanay, and Palmachim. Probably tourists won’t find interests in going these parks anyways.

And of course, cable car rides and night activities are not included. And Poleg Nature reserve and Jerusalem Wall Promenade are not included.

What about the Israel Pass?

The new option, Israel Pass, is a combined ticket designed for tourists, you can save some shekels with this pass if you only intend to visit 3/6 parks within 2 weeks! But as a park lover, it isn’t as good as an annual pass in my opinion.

Let’s take a look:

• 3 sites: 78NIS ($22)
• 6 sights:110NIS  ($30)
• Unlimited sites in 2 weeks 150NIS ($42)

Though these combined tickets are transferable, the city of David is NOT included in this ticket, and these tickets  are good for 2 weeks only. 

The City of David ( ₪29) is where the Hezekiah Tunnel and Siloam Pool is, so when you cannot use this ticket for the site, then go for the annual pass!! In terms of pricing, the annual pass is better.

It looks like this (2019)

It can also come with  Israel’s oyster card called Rav-kav card. This is called “Israel Pass& Ride”

But there’s no further discount, you still need to pay 5NIS to get the unloaded card.

There’s a small feature of 20% discount on some sites, which I don’t find so relevant for tourists who are visiting Israel for just 2 weeks. (The logic is, if you have more than 2 weeks, there’s a ton of more important sites that can be used with annual pass). But here’s a list: https://www.israelpass.biz/north

You can buy Israel Pass online, here at https://fe.sales.parks.org.il/tickets 

And since March 2019, you can purchase the new at the airport!

And also from the following places

Conclusion

The Israeli national park annual pass is a GREAT option!! If you are in Israel for more than 2 weeks or if you are traveling as a family, consider the annual pass option!

*Anyone less than 20 years old is considered “kid”. 

En Gedi or Ein Gedi was the place where David hid in the Bible. It’s surprisingly close to the Dead Sea! Over here, you will find a famous Ein Gedi Kubbutz, Ein Gedi Public Beach that has been closed since 2016, and this famous Nature Reserve! This is a perfect place for hiking!

For entry, you can make good use of the Annual Pass of Israel’s National Park. There are some picnic tables at the entrance. You cannot bring food inside!

The Meaning of Ein Gedi

Ein Gedi or En Gedi is two words. The first word “Ein” or “En” in Hebrew עין means source of water. So Ein Gedi basically means the water source of Gedi.

Ein Gedi in the Bible

Ein Gedi was a city assigned to the tribe of Judah in the Bible, along with Secacah, the salt city of Qumran.

After killing Goliath, King Saul got jealous over David.

Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, they told him saying, “Look, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.” (1 Sam 24:1)

In his pursuit against David, King Saul found hismelf a cave to relief himself. This was the reason I wanted to visit Ein Gedi… I wanted to see a cave!

Ein Gedi was mentioned in Solomon’s Song of Songs

My love is to me a spray of henna blooms
in the vineyards of En-gedi. (Song of Songs 1:14)

The Map of Ein Gedi

There are 9 trails in this park. Find a level that fits you, just note that Israeli men serve 3 years and girls serve 2 years in IDF. So their standard is a bit different! You can find the original map here.

As a tourist, I think you’d only need to consider these 4 routes. Please ignore the Chinese description.

The Lower Section of David’s Waterfall

This is the entrance! Look at this landscape! There is only one way, so you keep going straight!

It is not a difficult climb. And the view is spectacular!

Turn around and take a look of the Dead Sea!

This is the same area where Qumran is. There is plenty of rocks and caves.  It’s very dry, though relatively speaking, it’s greener here.

So, if Saul hid in one of these caves, which one is more suitable for him to go to No.2?

Found a random bird in a bush! (Why?) He looks like a Tristram’s starling.

This is the way for upper waterfall. You can see a temple from Chalcolithic Age as people started to settle here in 3150-4000BC! Treasures made by copper were found in the caves near Nahal Mishmar.  So can you see people hiking in the picture?

Here they are! Hi Wally!

The area is dry, but you see water here! Now this hiking experience is more than just good views! It’s fun!

These people found themselves a good spot to chill! What a good place to bond!

Mini cascade!

Clear water. This is ideal!

The hiking trip involves going through a mini cave! How fun!

And then, a waterfall appeared! In Dead Sea Region! This isn’t David Waterfall yet. I don’t think this waterfall has a name. I put my feet inside the icy water. It was soothing! Some people swam here. That’s why it’s a nice idea to come here in your swim suit.

Keep moving up! Turn right to David Waterfall!

Here we go! The real David waterfall! David has intense love to God. He knew who His God is from an early age. And he was determined in loving God, regardless of what others think of him. This is what he wrote when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

O God, You are my God,
earnestly I seek You.
My soul thirsts for You.
My flesh longs for You
in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.

And this one is my pet Shafan. No his name is not Steven. It’s Shafan. I’ll explain!

If you aren’t satisfied, then keep hiking upwards! 

Saw unidentified fruit. Is it Giant Milkweed?

And finally… I have been looking for these little guys! Can you see what I was looking for?

It’s them! Shafan! This animal is hyrax. Or translated as conies or rock badgers. This animal in the Bible actually exists in the land of the Bible!

coneys are creatures with little power,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs; (Proverbs 30:26)

I thought it would be difficult to find these little creatures…

You could see them everywhere!

They were pocket size perfect! Don’t try to smuggle one!

In the southern part of Israel, you will find a relaxing city called Eilat! It’s by the Red Sea, hence a great place for snorkeling! Why not come to Coral Beach Nature Reserve to enjoy a lazy afternoon?

The entrance fee is reasonable, and it can be even considered free if you already have “Annual Pass” for Israel National Park. You can rent most equipments needed here! Just make sure you have a swimming suit!

The rental fees. The mask ₪15, snorkel ₪8, life jacket ₪13. Expect to pay a ₪100 deposit or leave your credit card here. If you want to save money, you can rent 1 life jacket for the 2 of you (if both of you cannot swim), since you will need a person taking care of valuables. There probably isn’t a locker with a lock that works…

The facility here is quite basic. It’s kind of like a public beach, where there’s no curtain for the shower.

Across the Red Sea, this is either Aqaba or …. Taba?

If I didn’t come with my family, I don’t think I’ll go snorkeling. There’s no lifeguard here. Then who is that guy in the watchtower? Well, he has ‘other’ assignment and saving drowning people isn’t his job.

The Map at Coral Beach

It’s kind of like this. Sorry about the Chinese translation on it. You will receive a new map when you get there.

If you cannot swim like me, these are 3 ways to enjoy snorkeling with a life jacket:

1) Stand on a Bridge

You see, there are two bridges. (*Map 3&5). It leads to the deep water area. But if you stand on the bridge, you can see right through the waters!

Here!

2) The 1-meter Deep Easy Zone 

There are only 2 small areas by the shore accessible to the public, and there’s no coral in this area. The boundary is set by buoys. Fishes come and go, so you only need to wait. They don’t know that human beings are standing in this area! You don’t even need to rent a snorkel if all you plan is to stand in this area (only 1 meter deep) and to put your head under water for 10 seconds.

Who is this happy fish?

3) Follow the Bouy Ropes in the Coral Zone

There are 2 routes in the coral zone for snorkeling. The short route is 130 meters long (*Map 1). The long route is 250 meters long (*Map 2). You get there by walking on the bridge mentioned in Option 1.  But there isn’t a bridge at the end of the long route.

If you cannot swim, hold the rope. My dad swims but he held the rope like us because it was windy that day.

It was a fun experience!

Very worthwhile! The beach was clean, it’s off-beaten, and seems like not much was happening. Just you, some tourists and the nature.

I can recommend coming here!

Originally a mining site, Avshalom Cave, also known as Soreq Cave was discovered in 1968 by accident. This hidden treasure has become a national park since then.

You can use the Annual Park pass for entry. The tour is about 30 minutes. But schedule at least 1 hour for this site as you can only register your session when you arrive. The tour is in Hebrew only. Photos are allowed but don’t use flash!

I don’t think it’s fully accessible because there were so many stairs from parking, down to information center, to the meeting point and finally to the cave.

You need to come to the souvenir shop to register for your session. You’ll be assigned to the next possible session There is a session every 20-30 minutes.

The tour is in Hebrew only. And you need to be in a group all the time.

You’ll first watch a movie in Hebrew about this place, English subtitle available. And then you’ll be led to the cave! It’s incredibly beautiful!

There were around 40 people in our group, Like this!

You can take photos, but don’t use flash. There’s so much diversity in this cave. You’ll find different types of stalactite!

There is a perfect balance between reseacher’s need and tourism. The pathway is built in a way that you can feel the majesty being surrounded by such beauty, but not too close to interfere scientific researches.

What surprised me was some stalactite was next to the fence. Anyone can touch it, even not deliberately. What I remember about stalactite is that if you touch it with your hand, it dies. But look at this one! It’s still alive! I’m just surprised how conscious Israelis are!