Located 25 miles north of Tiberias, the Hula Lake park (In Hebrew: ‘Agamon Ha-Hula’) is a successful environmental project that reintroduces the local wildlife in a reflooded swamp area.

The park offers various outdoor activities in which visitors absorb the unique natural beauty of the park and its surroundings.

The history of the Hula Valley

Humans settled around the marshland of the Hula Valley in prehistoric times. In biblical periods, big cities like Dan and Hazor developed around the valley, yet the swamps limited further development. In the 1950s, the malarial swamps were drained by the Zionist movement, making way for settlement and agricultural cultivation. Later, some swamps were re-flooded to reintroduce the local wildlife, forming the Hula Nature Reserve. In the early 1990s, another area was flooded by heavy rains, which kept so, creating the Agamon Hahula.

Covering an area of 247 acres, the park comprises a lake interspersed with islands rich in local flora and fauna, and especially a flock of migratory birds. Due to its position along the major migration route of birds, Hula Lake Park is a world-class bird-watching site. Flocks of Pelicans, storks, cormorants, and egrets stop here for a night’s rest, ‘refueling’ before flying to their seasonal destination. In addition, the lake is home to many native birds, as well as amphibians, reptiles, and mammals. Even water buffalo graze in the meadows around the swamp. Perhaps the best proof of the project’s success is the fact that in 2011 the NPA announced spotting the endemic Hula painted frog, thought to be extinct.

Touring the Hula Lake Park

Hula Lake Park is open every day of the week. The entrance fee is minimal (about $1.5) for local food supply. The reserve offers guided tours, golf carts, bicycle and quad-cycle rentals, and a ride on the ‘Mystery Wagon’ – a hidden wagon drawn by a tractor that passes right next to the birds.

A tour of Hula Lake Park can be combined with a day tour in the north.