The Yehudiya Waterfall is a place you most certainly won’t find on your typical Israel itinerary.
The closest I’ve come so far was with 2 Birthright groups. Yes, I’ve only been here twice since starting to guide in 2015.
And even then, we did the water hike, where you hike in the Yehudiya Stream, but didn’t make it to the waterfall. Generally speaking, most organized groups won’t come to the waterfall for insurance reasons. You’re not allowed into the water in areas where there’s no lifeguard on duty. And there’s no life guard on duty here.
Seems silly to me to bring a group all the way down here, say hey look at this beautiful waterfall and amazing pool of water, and see all the Israelis swimming? Oh no, we’re not allowed in, let’s go now. See why it’s not on the itinerary?
But! If you’re on a DIY trip, especially in the summer, this place is AMAZING.
How to Get to the Waterfall
First off, rent a car. Public transportation won’t do you much good in this area. If you haven’t read them yet, I’ve got posts both on public transportation in Israel and on driving here as well.
Once you arrive at the Yehudiya Reserve, you go to the kiosk to talk to the park rangers who will guide you as to how to get to where you’d like to do.
The park itself has multiple hiking routes and waterfalls, and those will be covered in separate posts as I continue to revisit these sites.
The hike that we’re talking about now, to the Yehudiya Fall, is the red route.
The color of the trail markings is arbitrary. It’s like 1, 2, 3, 4. The color has nothing to do with the ease/difficulty of the hike, it’s just to designate and differentiate the trails. If you’re on the red trail, then you’re not on any of the other ones.
Anyway, we’re on the red trail, and following the red trail all the way down to the waterfall. It’s as easy as that. The red trail is also our way back up.
And when I say down and up, I mean it.
Hiking Route Details
It takes about 45 or so minutes to get down to the waterfall, and also back up. At least, that’s what they told me when I checked in before beginning my hike. I’m not sure it actually takes that long. It didn’t feel that long to me at least.
The first portion of the hike takes you through some ruins from an old Syrian village that was here, which was built on the ruins of an ancient Jewish village, potentially dating back to the 3rd century.
The next section is still flat, but with a view of the canyon we’ll be hiking down into. In the winter the surroundings are green, but it being summer, everything is yellow/brown.
Finally, the trail takes a downward turn, and it’s a relatively steep downhill hike to get to the pool and the waterfall. But it’s worth it.
What to Bring to the Yehudiya Waterfall
The most important: WATER. At the site they recommend 3 liters of water per person, so make sure you’re prepared to be carrying all that water. They sell water on site at the kiosk, but you’ll have to make sure you have a way to carry it all.
Other things to bring:
- sunscreen
- hat
- hiking shoes
- towel
- food (fruits, snacks, sandwiches…depending on how long you plan on staying)
- plastic bags to use as garbage bags for the wrappers and remains of your food
- camera/phone/gopro
- water (yes, it’s that important that I’m writing it again)
- bathing suit (have it on under your hiking clothes)
- change of clothes (leave in the car, easily accessible, for when you get back from the hike and want to change out of your wet bathing suit and clothes)
Don’t Forget!
You need to reserve your entrance slot in advance for the national parks now, Yehudiya included.
Have you been to the Yehudiya Waterfall? Tell me about your experience in the comments!