- Address: ד.נ עמק המעיינות, Nir David, 10803, Israel;
- Website: gan3.co.il;
- Phone: +972 4-658-6219;
- Working hours: every day from 8:00 to 17:00.
In the north of Israel, there is an amazing place where you can spend time having all the "33 pleasures": to swim in crystal clear water, admire the picturesque natural views, visit the interesting archaeological museum, see unusual ancient structures and have a picnic right in the middle of all this splendor. It is the national park of Gan HaShlosh in Galilee. According to the magazine "Time" he is included in the list of 20 most beautiful parks in the world. Every day, Israelis and guests come here to enjoy the extraordinary atmosphere that reigns here.
A bit about the park itself
The name of the park in Hebrew means "the garden of three". The number 3 is connected, first of all, with the main attraction of this place - water sources , which here are three. The second association can be traced to the history that happened in 1938. In that year, three Jewish pioneers (Aaron Atkin, David Musinzon and Chaim Sturman) searched the mountains for a successful place to build a new kibbutz. Their car accidentally hit a mine, no one could survive. After this tragic event, everyone learned about the wonderful place that had hitherto been hidden among the northern Israeli mountains.
The peculiarity of the sources in Gan Ha-Shlosha Park is that the temperature is maintained at + 28 ° C throughout the year.
The largest swimming pool (Ein Shokek) is about 100 meters long. From it you can go to two sources, which are smaller, on special bridge crossings. Go into the water should be very careful. There are no gentle smooth slopes, and the depth everywhere is decent - up to 8 meters. Each descent is equipped with comfortable staircases, for children there are separate shallow pools-frogs. In the sources of Gan Ha-Shloshi you can not only swim, but also feel at the present SPA-salon. Putting your back and neck under the stream of waterfalls that connect different sources of height, you will get an excellent invigorating whirlpool. And you should sit on a deserted shore and drop your feet into the water, as a flock of small fish will come to you and make an unusual peeling.
After swimming, you can relax on the beach, sitting in gazebos, at tables or just on soft grass. The park is allowed to bring food, but you can not build a fire. The whole area is very well maintained, lots of greenery, the air is fresh and clean. There is even a small botanical garden, where ornamental and fruit trees grow (fig, pomegranate, pear, dates, etrog).
Sights of Gan Ha-Shloshi in the Galilee
A trip to this national park will bring not only positive emotions from recreation in nature, but also leave impressions after acquaintance with the ancient history of these places.
In Gan HaShloshe there is an interesting reconstruction of the building "Homa u-Migdal", which means "Wall and Tower". Such buildings began to appear in Eretz Israel in the 30s of the last century. At first glance it was an ordinary watchtower and a wall that existed in each settlement, but the only peculiarity was that they were erected in just one night. The fact is that in those days there was a law that said that the building of buildings built from sunset to sunrise did not need permission. In addition, these buildings were forbidden to demolish later. This was used by the founders of the new settlements. For one night they built a tower with a wall, not being afraid of sanctions from the authorities, and then gradually settled down the courtyard. So in Erez Israel there were about 50 settlements, which significantly strengthened the position of Jews in the region.
Another place in the park of Gan HaShlosh, which will be interesting to visit for adults and children - is an archaeological museum. It presents expositions dedicated to the ancient Etruscans and Greeks, artifacts found in the valley of Beit She'an. There is even an entire location - an old shopping street, recreated with a high degree of realism, with authentic counters, display cases and goods. And the museum in Gan HaShloshe is the only one in Israel where you can see a collection of Persian and Ancient Greek ceramics.
Among the attractions of the park a special place is occupied by an old mill. Historians believe that it was built during the Roman Empire. To date, the mill is fully restored and even works, but rather not for production purposes, but as a museum interactive exhibit.
A trip to the national park of Gan HaShlosh can be combined with another interesting excursion. Only 250 meters away is the Australian mini-zoo Gan-Guru. Here you will meet kangaroos, who freely walk around the territory, koalas, monkeys, cazoars, iguanas and other representatives of exotic fauna.
Information for tourists
- the schedule of the Gan Ha-Shlosha Park in Israel: in the warm season from 08:00 to 17:00, in the winter from 08:00 to 16:00;
- Ticket price: adult - $ 11, child - $ 6.5, pension - $ 5.5;
- entrance to the archaeological museum is free;
- there are facilities for people with disabilities;
- You can not fish in the territory of Gan Ha-Shlosha Park;
- you can rent a brazier;
- near the park there is a fish restaurant "Muza al-ha-maim", where delicious dishes of Mediterranean and traditional Israeli cuisine are served;
- rest areas are equipped with toilets, washbasins and showers;
- pets are not permitted to enter the house;
- on the territory there is a cafe, a shop with products and various accessories for rest on the water (inflatables, mattresses, beach towels, etc.);
- if you want to stay in this wonderful place for the whole weekend, you can rent a house in the kibbutz Nir-David, which is located nearby;
- twice a year in Gang HaShlosh Park there is a festival of bard songs, where lovers of gatherings in nature come with a guitar not only from all over Israel, but also from other countries.
How to get there?
Park Gan HaShlosh is located between two tourist cities - Afula and Beit She'an. From them it is convenient to get on both personal and public transport. Between these cities there is a shuttle bus number 412, which stops near the park.
If you are driving by car from Afula , follow the line number 71. At the pointer, take the number 669. Go to the park for 25 minutes (24 km). From Beit Shean, too, is the road number 669, you will reach your destination in just 10 minutes (6.5 km).