- Address: 3 km east of Beit Shemesh, Israel;
- Website: parks.org.il;
- Phone: +972 2-991-1117;
- The cost of visiting the cave: adult - $ 7, children - $ 6.
Come to Israel and not visit the cave of Sorek - an inexcusable omission. This stalactite cave is one of the most visited and beautiful in the country. In addition, it is considered the largest in Israel, its every year seek to visit tourists from many countries.
Cave Sorek - history of education
Cave Sorek is famous for its stalactites and stalagmites. It was discovered in May 1968 in the quarry of the mountain of Khar Tov, where the construction crushed stone was mined. At the next explosion of the rock, a small hole formed - the entrance to the cave. Until this moment, there was no way out. In 1975, by a decree of the authorities, this place and the surrounding territory was proclaimed a reserve.
Cave Sorek is located on the western slope of the Judean Mountains, 3 km east of the city of Beit Shemesh . The name comes from the same name valley, which is a natural landmark, as well as a stream flowing through the valley.
Feature of the cave Sorek
The entrance to the cave Sorek is located at an altitude of 385 m above sea level. Overcome all the way upstairs is because of the beauty that opens before your eyes. In size, Sorek (Israel) is superior to any other stalactite cave in Israel. Its length is 90 m, width 70 m and height 15 m, the total area reaches 5000 m ². It constantly maintains air temperature - 22 ºС and humidity in the range from 92% to 100%.
The depths of the cave were not opened to the world immediately, because the authorities feared that the influx of tourists could damage all this magnificence. After the special lighting was provided in the cave and a convenient path was set up, and a special microclimate was created, Sorek became a tourist attraction. For travelers, there are all conditions, including guides, telling and showing the cave in different languages.
For the first time the foot of an ordinary visitor entered the bowels of the cave in 1977. Since that time, Sorek is a popular destination for tourists. Sometimes it is called Avshalom, because this name (the name of the deceased soldier) is kept by the reserve, in which the cave is located.
Coming to visit the cave, it is worth looking around, as you can see a lot of interesting - natural thickets of Mediterranean shrubs or artificially planted pines. If you come to the reserve from November to May, you can find abundant flowering plants. Therefore, all the way to the cave you can see the most beautiful landscapes.
Every half hour before the entrance, they show short films about the reserve. In the cave there are all known forms of stalactites and stalagmites. Mineral formations in form resemble both bunches of grapes, and organ pipes. Due to the maintenance of a special microclimate, karst processes continue, so many of the formations continue to grow. The Sorek Stalactite Cave is unique in density and concentration, the age of many of them is more than 300 thousand years.
The cave is quite dark. Light save specifically to not damage the mineral formations, which are very sensitive to changes in lighting and temperature. In addition to the fancifully fused stalagmites and stalactites, the cave Sorek (Israel) is famous for its petrified animals.
The entrance to the cave is paid - for adults it is approximately $ 7, children - $ 6. For groups, the cost will be different. It should be remembered that the ticket office closes 1 hour and 15 minutes before the closure of the tourist site.
How to get there?
To see the natural attraction, you can come from Highway 1, from which you need to turn off on Highway 38, get there and cross the railway, and then turn left at the traffic light.
Further, it is necessary to cross the industrial zone of the city, turn right to highway No. 3866 and go up the mountain 5 km to the sculpture of the spacecraft. From here it remains to turn to the right, drive 2 km, and parking will seem. From it it is necessary to go on foot on a mountain path from 150 steps. On the rise will take no more than 10 minutes.