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Nahal Ha-Me'ara is a seven-km route that requires 4 - 6 hours for completion. The difficulty level of walking is easy and fits for families. The route is not a circular one, so another vehicle should be left at the route's end, but some circular routes are available in few parts. The route is spectacular all year long, but in the winter months (November – March) Me'arat Ha-Te'omim is closed to visitors to protect the bats that populate and hibernate in there. It is recommended to bring at least 3 lt. of water for a person, a hat, sun tan lotion, while bringing a flashlight is imperative.

How to Arrive

From the north entrance of Beit-Shemesh on road 38 (Sha'ar Ha-gay-Beit Shemesh-Beit Govrin), take the right turn (follow the sings to the Industry Zone). With this road (3855) go past Beit Shemesh and continue until a left turn [1] toward Ness Harim and Bar Giyora (pay attention to the signs). (If you arrive with two vehicles, it's recommended that in this point, you'll read our directions about leaving the second vehicle before taking this left turn).

From this junction, start the climbing uphill with road 3866. After a nine-km drive, an information booth of the Nature & Parks Authority [3] would be on your left side, so park your car there. Notice that even without a second vehicle you can make this route for all of its length, you would just need to take a taxi from Beit Shemesh or to hitchhike back to the vehicle in the beginning of our route.

Leaving the second vehicle

Leave the second vehicle in the end of the dirt road [10], whose entrance if ½ km south [U1] to Moshav Zano'akh on road 3855. [This dirt road is marked red in the footpath-marking map) Drive in this dirt road and after ½ km from the crossroads [2]; park your vehicle in a big dirt parking area.

Toward Beit 'Iti'ab Hirbe

After parking the car in the information booth parking lot [3], we'll walk backward besides the asphalt road until the starting point of the route, which is marked red in the footpath marking, and situated in the point which an access road[U2]  to the local cemetery begins (on southern side of the road).

We'll take the red route that leads us between plantations, planted forest of mainly pine trees, and natural Mediterranean forest of oak, terebinth, and carob trees. The typical view of the Judea Mountains is widely unfurled in front of you. We will walk this enchanting road until reaching, after 1.5 km, Ein Beit 'iti'ab [2] or in Arabic, Ein Khod (the trough spring), a tiny spring that flows from a small stone-house shrouded by orchard of mostly almond and olive trees. Five stares on the side of the building will take you down to the straight [U3] of an elliptical surface. If we'll go forward another 20 m from the stone house we'd meet a shaft from which stems the groundwater of the fountain. You could continue upward and southward from the shaft to stairs surrounded by terraces of olive and fig trees until you'll arrive a columbarium cave with 30 curved cavities, which were used in antiquity for growing doves. From a ramification in this cave, there is an 85-m long tunnel, which allows for bowed ducking walk in it, and what was the function of this cave is still unknown.

We'll track again the red footpath, which climbs between the orchard trees toward the ruins of the Arab village Beit 'Iti'ab and toward the Hirbet 'Iti'ab [the ruined house of 'Iti'ab] in its pike [6]. This is an ancient fortress whose ruins are from the time of the Crusaders (the 12^th century), and it allows from its strategic location the entire view of the region and is built on the watershed that lays between Nahal Dolev to the north and Nahal Ha-Me'arah to the south. In a later period, the Arab village Beit 'Iti'ab inhabited this place. In the 19^th century, the inhabitants of this village restored the fortress, so the ruins that we'll see today in this Hirbe are dated to their time. Soon as you'll take the road climbing up the fortress, you could witness that the village had used to cultivate the land in a traditional way. This agriculture was based on both dry farming (rainfall-based irrigation) and spring-based irrigation that had watered the terraces and orchards on the mountainside, and was based also on sheep and goat grazing. During October 20-21 1948, the IDF (Israeli Defense Army) started the Ha-har operation to widen the unsafe narrow corridor to Jerusalem and push out to the southwest. During this operation, the IDF had conquered the village el-ha-wah (currently Nes Harim), and also the village of Beit 'Iti'ab.

From the top of the fortress, the scenery of Jerusalem Mountains to the east, of Hebron Mountains to the south, and of the coastal plane to the west is spectacular. In days of good visibility, you could see the shoreline far away, with Beit Shemesh in between. The footpath winds between the ruins of this ancient fortress, and roaming around these ruins is recommended, for sensing the extent of this fortress' size; however beware from the pits in the area, which are scattered wide open.

After visiting the fortress, and maybe after a nice breakfast in the fresh mountain air, we'll continue our walk along the red route. Note the very many caves that are gapped on the west side of the fortress, to the footpath' right. These are mostly burial caves of various types, built and carved ones, with or without ornaments.

Not long after descending 100 m from the fortress, we'll see the conjunction of the red and the blue footpaths. The blue footpath will take you back to the parking place of the car, and following this route can answer the needs of those who want a shorter circular route. In case you'll make this decision and return to your car at this point, we recommend driving back your car to the end point, to the Me'arat Ha-Te'omim site, and from there to take an additional shorter circular route (see at the route's end).

However, we'll stick to the red footpath and continue down the mountain range, savoring, during our refreshing walking, the blossom of various flowers, depending on the month and season. In the end of winter and beginning of spring we'll meet with the many crown anemones, buttercups scarlet, and Florist's cyclamens, while toward the end of spring we'll see the flowering columns of the bristly hollyhock, and the flowers of the sage-leaved rock roses, Creatan rock roses, horny burnets, wild carrots, Judean viper's buglosses, and red cudweeds.

After an 800m walk, the red footpath will depart from the dirt road with a descending down to Nahal Ha-Me'arah, but we'll leave the footpath and walk east following the topographic contour and find 'Ein Sufla (the spring of Sufla) [8].

'Ein Sufla

An additional 50m walk, in the wakes of the fading goat path we follow, and we'll reach a place above which the high voltage line is passes, and encounter with a huge oak tree that grows above a small crevice between two big boulders with additional rock above them. 'Ein Sufla stems from between the boulders and tree roots. During searching the spring, you might notice the many red signs of the formerly footpath. 

The water of 'Ein Sufla used to irrigate a small Arab village named 'Ein Sufla (the lower) which stood on a low plane on the mountain between two hills, and was also laid waste in 1948. The most brave and thin among you will enter, with flashlights in their palms, through the little pit to the subterranean cave from which the spring emanates, and probably will get dirty from the mud.

Finding the location of the spring is not a simple thing, and if after ten minutes of searches you wouldn't find it, skip it and descend down following the red footpath toward Nahal Ha'me'arah. The red footpath will join in the wadi (a stream in Arabic, which is usually dry at summer) with the green one, which already winds in the wadi.

Take another 330m walk until the red footpath will split again, on your left side it will lead toward the watercourse, while the green footpath will start climbing on the bank to your right. Most important, notice that this ramification[U4]  is not well-marked, so you should follow the red footpath, and if in case, you'll mistakenly follow the green one and climb up the bank to your right, remember to track back your way down into the wady and locate again the place of red footpath.

From here and during the next 3km, the red footpath goes through an impressive and pleasant jungle of Kermes Oak, Eastern Strawberry Tree and Broad-Leaved Phillyrea which grow wildly beside the watercourse. At times, our ears might hear the sounds of a wild animal that is startled from its lair and runs among the bushes, while our eyes wouldn't be able to grasp it. The trees are covered with climbers such as prickly asparagus, Rough Bindweed, and evergreen clematis. Occasionally our way will lead us to big stone surfaces worn out by the water. It seems that these boulders could also turn into interesting slides, and sometime the best way to pass them will be by sliding down on your butts.

During our walk, it is warmly recommended to pause for an intermediate stopping and to feel how nature breathes around you. If we'll keep quiet, we could hear the twittering of the birds, penetrating the air like a splendid melody.

Another 3-km walk and you'll encounter to your right the Me'arat Ha-Te'omim [9].

Me'arat Ha-Te'omim

A short path from the watercourse will take you to the Me'arat Ha-Te'omim (Twins Cave). It is an impressive dripstone cave that was created by dissolving of limestone by water in a simple chemical process called karst, and hence the name karstic caves. Usually such caves allow the formation of beautiful stalactites and stalagmites, a stone, which is molded by the dripping water from the ceiling of the cave. Each drip would leave a tiny pinch of calcium behind it, and thus during thousands of years, a stalactite would be developing from the ceiling. In the same time, a stalagmite would gradually be growing from the floor, and after undisturbed thousands of years, they would eventually meet and become an impressive column. Evident of such columns are seen in this same cave. Notwithstanding, a human touch, which is naturally oily would hurt the perennial process.

The cave is closed to the public during November to March in order to preserve the four species of bats that dwell there. Bats are a genus of mammal that during its evolution developed a film between its pads, which enables it flying. In Israel there are 31 species of bats, 30 species of insectivorous bats i.e. insect eating bats (a name that was given to them after their most important food), and another specie of fruit bat. Bats has a well-developed auditory system, and they navigate their way in the cave through transmitting sound waves, which strike the near objects in their surroundings and return back as echoes, of which sound waves the human hear can't hear. The Me'arat Ha-Te'omim is the dwelling place of four species of bats: ettus aegyptiacus, Myotis nattereri, eptesicus serotinus and rhinolophus hipposideros, the last three are insect eating bats. During the winter months, bats would decreasingly lower their level of activity and hardly use any energy for their sustenance. Entrances of human beings to the cave might endanger the lives of the bats, because the moment they would woke up, their body temperature would be raised, which might result in burning off the energy that is preserved for enduring their hibernation.

For entering the cave and discovering its interior, you should bring flashlights. The Nature and Garden Authority built a facilitating rail inside the cave, and going past it is forbidden. In walking the cave, we'll be receptive to the humidity, the trickling noise of water, the sight of stalactites and stalagmites and the enchanted atmosphere. After going down into the large spacious hall of the cave, we'll see the impressive stalactites and stalagmites.

According to one of the tales, the Arab villagers of the area feared to enter the cave because of the horrible demon that dwelled there. One day, a young man called Sa'id was resolved to show his courage to everyone. He entered the cave and reached its end. He didn't find there any demon, and he laughed at his friends' fear. In order to prove to his friends that he really visited in the cave, he decided to thrust a wedge in the end of the cave for all those who might doubt his hardiness. Sa'id thrust the wedge in the soil, and without noticing it, he pushed the wedge through his gown. When he wanted to leave, he suddenly felt that the horrifying demon is holding him. He tried to run forward but with no success. His feet failed him and he turned into a stone on the spot… from thence on you can see a rock molded in his image, somewhere at the cave's end.

From the big hall, there is an additional staircase with a rail besides it that will take us toward the spring of the cave, and to the water, which flows to a curved water pool. The tale relates the story of a sterile woman who arrived here to drink the water of the spring that emanates from the bottom of the cave. Consequently, she gave birth to twins. This story gives the cave its name - the Twins Cave. Until our very day, there are people who drink the water of the cave with hope – and what about you?

The caves consists of more halls deep inside, but remember that they are dangerous and not to be walked through.

After visiting the cave, we'll continue and descend another 5000 m down the wadi until we'll meet the parking area where we had left the second car [10].

Those who don't wish to do the entire route and want to visit only the cave, can park their cars in the parking area [10] and go for the short circular route, back and forth to the Me'arat Ha-Te'omim.

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