Nahal Me'arot Nature Reserve
שמורת טבע נחל מערות
A World Cultural Heritage site on the western slope of Mount Carmel. Prehistoric caves such as Tabun document some 500,000 years of human evolution.
Nahal Me'arot, meaning 'Cave Valley,' lies on the western foothills of Mount Carmel. In 2012 it was inscribed as the World Heritage Site 'Mount Carmel: Sites of Human Evolution.' Four caves, Tabun, Wadi, Jamal and Skhul, contain a continuous record of human activity spanning about 500,000 years. They have yielded remains of Neanderthals and early Homo sapiens, as well as Natufian culture graves and stone tools from the period just before the origins of agriculture. The site is a key location for the study of human evolution. Visitors can follow a trail up the slope into Tabun Cave and Wadi Cave, where reconstructed scenes and multimedia displays explain the findings. A circular nature trail also offers views of the valley. The site is managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and is generally open from 08:00 to 17:00 (until 16:00 in winter, and closing early on Fridays). A ticket is required, and the national park pass is accepted. It lies about 20 km south of Haifa along Highway 4, near Ein Hod. It is most convenient by car, and it can be visited on the same day as Ein Hod and Atlit.
Opening hours
Summer 08:00–17:00, winter 08:00–16:00; closes 1 hour early on Fridays and before public holidays
Nearby sights
- Ein Hod
- Atlit Detainee Camp
- Dor HaBonim Beach Nature Reserve
- Daliyat al-Karmel
- Mount Carmel National Park
- Zichron Ya'akov
- Hecht Museum
- Muhraka Monastery