Hazuri Stream

Nahal Hazuri is a small stream originating on the slopes of Mt. Hermon and emptying into the Guvta Stream. The stream cuts a channel through the soft limestone and dolomite, passing giant boulders. The route is challenging and hikers should walk slowly and carefully.

The route begins at the parking lot near the tomb of Nebi Othman Hazuri. (See Option 2 below; you may wish to leave a vehicle at the Nimrod Fortress National Park before you start your hike). From the tomb, a Druze holy site, walk along the red-marked path to the Egoz Commando Unit Memorial. Individual memorials to the unit’s fallen soldiers are scattered among the oak trees in the Hermon Nature Reserve.

After visiting the tomb and the memorial, return to the parking lot and descend on the blue trail to the Hazuri Stream. Walk carefully between the large boulders, shaded by the Mediterranean trees growing along the stream. After about one-and-a-half kilometers, you will reach a signpost at the intersection of two trails:

Option 1: Hike along the Guvta Stream, ending near the Banias Nature Reserve. Length: about 5 kilometers; duration: 7–8 hours

Option 2: Take the blue trail that ascends to the Nimrod Fortress (length: about 1.5 kilometers; duration: about two hours). Take some time to explore the mountaintop national park and the impressive medieval fortress with its vast meeting halls, arrow slits in the massive stone walls, and water cistern. (Entry fee; free for holders of Matmon card. Check on opening hours.) At this point, you may end your trip and return to the car you left at the park before starting out. Otherwise, continue on the red trail, an uphill hike of about a kilometer back to the Nebi Hazuri parking lot.

• The trail is challenging; high-cut hiking boots or shoes are recommended.
• The stream trails are not suited for hiking after rain, due to the danger of slipping.