Gamla Nature Reserve

"Masada of the North" — the dramatic Roman siege site. The ancient Jewish city resisted Rome until 67 AD. Today, it's a nature reserve with vultures and stunning views. Bring a bottle and drink to the memory of ancient resistance.

What to do there

5 things to do

1. 1 Stand at the Cliff Edge Where 5,000 People Chose to Jump History · Price: low

   Where: The main lookout platform at Gamla Nature Reserve — reached via the 600m paved Vulture Trail from the entrance kiosk. Coordinates approx. 32.883, 35.754. Enter 'Gamla Nature Reserve' in Waze; park free at the entrance lot. Entry ~28 NIS adult (~$8). Open summer 08:00–17:00, winter 08:00–16:00 (last entry 1 hour before closing).

   What: In October 67 CE, 5,000 residents of this city — the city you're now looking DOWN at — threw themselves off this canyon edge rather than surrender to Vespasian's legions. Not 50. Not 500. Five THOUSAND. Josephus records it in Jewish Wars: the Romans killed 4,000 with their swords; the other 5,000 jumped. The cliff you're standing above is 250 meters deep. The city was abandoned the same day and was never reoccupied — not one person returned to rebuild. What you're seeing below you is exactly what the Romans left: the camel-hump ridge (gamla = camel in Aramaic), the single eastern wall, the synagogue footprint, the layout of a city that ceased to exist in a single morning. And one other thing: Vespasian didn't even WIN cleanly the first time. He breached the wall with siege ramps, his legions poured in, the defenders fled uphill, the Romans gave chase onto the rooftops — and the rooftops collapsed under the weight of armored soldiers. Vespasian's entire army fled, and Vespasian himself barely escaped. That almost never happened. He came back six weeks later with three full legions.

   How: Walk the 600m Vulture Trail (paved, accessible) from the kiosk. It ends at the cliff-edge lookout with the canyon and the city ruins below. Read the information panels — they include Josephus's own words. Use the binoculars (hire at kiosk) to pick out the V-shaped breach in the wall next to the synagogue — the point where the Romans finally poured in. Spend at least 20 minutes here before moving on. The view is the revelation.

   Backup: If visiting in high summer and the ruins trail below is closed, the lookout still gives the full panorama. The city was never rebuilt — the view is identical to what it was in 67 CE.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Watch the Vultures Soar Over the Canyon That Killed Them Once Before Adventure · Free

   Where: The vulture observation platform — end of the 600m Vulture Trail, same platform as the history lookout. No additional cost. Binoculars available to hire at the entrance kiosk.

   What: There are roughly 70–80 griffon vultures living on the cliff ledges directly below you — nesting in the same cracks and caves that the fleeing citizens of Gamla scrambled through in 67 CE. These birds were EXTINCT here within living memory. By the 1990s, poisoning from farmers protecting livestock had reduced Israel's entire griffon vulture population to a crisis point. There were mass poisoning events — 40 birds found dead at once in 1998. Today, 200+ survive nationwide, but Gamla remains one of their last major nesting colonies in Israel. In 2025, for the first time in eight years, a chick hatched on these specific cliffs. The comeback is measured one egg at a time. The birds soar on thermal updrafts rising from the canyon floor — the same canyon that received 5,000 people in 67 CE. They ride those thermals for hours without a wingbeat. Wingspan: 2.5 meters. Watch for the tipping moment — when the thermal catches them and they stop flapping and just RISE.

   How: Arrive at the platform between 09:00–11:00 for peak soaring activity (thermals build as the canyon floor warms). If you hire binoculars at the kiosk (a few shekels), scan the canyon walls for ledge nests — you can see the nesting birds motionless on the cliff face. The information panels at the platform explain their reintroduction history in detail.

   Backup: February–May is peak season (nesting and chick-rearing). June–August the birds are active but the heat is brutal. September–October many depart for Africa. In full winter (December–January) the birds are preparing nests — still visible but less dramatic.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Cross the Bronze Age Tomb Field to Reach Israel's Tallest Waterfall Adventure · Free

   Where: The Gamla Waterfall and Dolmen Trail — begins at the same entrance/parking lot as the Vulture Trail. The route is signed from the kiosk. Total route: ~4.2km (2.6 miles), elevation gain ~74m. Allow 1.5–2.5 hours. No additional entry fee beyond park ticket.

   What: The trail to the waterfall passes through a dolmen field — a cluster of Bronze Age megalithic burial chambers built 4,000–4,500 years ago from the same black basalt that surrounds you. About 700 dolmens have been documented around Gamla; the ones on this trail are flat basalt slabs balanced on two upright stones — the typical single-chamber tomb of Golan nomads from around 2500 BCE. Nobody knows who was buried inside most of them. The path then drops to a bridge over Nahal Gamla stream and follows the canyon edge to the observation platform above the waterfall. At 51 meters, it's the highest waterfall in Israel — a single unbroken plunge of black basalt-filtered water into the canyon. The canyon geology is the same basalt-over-limestone geology that made this defensive terrain so lethal in 67 CE — and now makes the waterfall so dramatic.

   How: Start from the kiosk, follow signs for 'Waterfall Trail' or 'Dolmen Route.' The path is relatively flat (unlike the ruins trail — no dangerous drops). Cross the bridge over the stream, then follow the canyon rim to the viewing platform. The falls are most spectacular January–April when the stream is full. Take the natural shade break at the oak grove (there's a rough bench) midway. Bring water — almost no shade for most of the route.

   Backup: In summer (June–September) the waterfall can be reduced to a trickle. Still worth going for the dolmens and canyon views. If short on time, skip the full dolmen route and just walk to the waterfall viewpoint — 45 minutes each way.

   Log Memory
4. 4 Read the Wall That Vespasian Breached — Find the Ballista Stone History · Free · Optional

   Where: The city ruins of Gamla — accessible via the Ancient Ruins Trail (~1.9 miles / 3km each way, elevation +469ft). Trailhead at the same park entrance. Allow 1–1.5 hours each way. IMPORTANT: As of 2026, the road to the ancient city is reportedly closed; the ruins can be viewed from the lookout above OR reached on foot via the trail when open. Confirm trail access at the entrance kiosk before starting the descent.

   What: When the trail is open, you descend to the ruins on the ridge itself. Three things to find: First, the V-shaped breach in the eastern wall directly beside the synagogue — this is the exact gap where Roman legionaries poured in on October 20, 67 CE. Second, the synagogue: a 22 x 17 meter public hall with stone benches still in place around the walls — people sat here, debated Torah, organized the city's defense. Third, find a ballista stone. More than 2,000 were discovered at Gamla — a density unsurpassed at any Roman siege site in the entire empire. They're basalt spheres roughly the size of a cantaloupe. You may find one still embedded or lying near where it landed nearly 2,000 years ago. The site was sealed under collapse debris and never disturbed — which is why it preserves the moment of its own destruction.

   How: Descend via the marked Ancient Ruins Trail. Start early (08:00–09:00) — the trail is steep, rocky, exposed. No shade. The trail follows the ridge to the city level. At the ruins, look for the standing wall section east of the synagogue — the breach is on its north end. The synagogue entrance faces southeast. The ritual bath (mikveh) is outside the main hall.

   Backup: If the ruins are inaccessible, the lookout platform above gives a clear aerial view of the city layout — bring binoculars and use the labeled diagram on the information panel to identify the wall, the synagogue, the olive press, and the tower from above.

   Log Memory
5. 5 Taste the Wine Grown in the Soil That Stopped an Army Wine · Price: moderate

   Where: Bazelet HaGolan Winery, Moshav Kidmat Zvi, Golan Heights — approximately 5km north of Katzrin. Enter 'Bazelet HaGolan Winery' in Waze. From Gamla, follow Road 869 north to Road 808, then northeast toward Katzrin; Kidmat Zvi is signposted off Road 808. Drive time from Gamla: ~25 minutes. Hours: Sunday–Friday 09:00–15:00, Saturday closed. Phone: listed on bazelet-hagolan.com. Tasting fee: ~70 ILS per person.

   What: The basalt soil beneath this vineyard is the same volcanic rock that built the walls of Gamla, formed the cliff the 5,000 fell from, and made the catapult balls that Vespasian's artillery fired. It's also what makes Golan wine unlike anything grown in the coastal plains — porous, mineral-rich, heat-retaining volcanic basalt at 480 meters elevation, with cold winters and large diurnal swings that force the vines to work hard and produce wines with structure and acidity that coastal Israeli wines can't match. Bazelet makes a wine called 'Magma' — named for the volcanic origin of everything around you. It's a Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend from the single Kidmat Zvi vineyard, aged in French oak. The name is accurate: this is what the ground looked like 20 million years ago.

   How: The winery offers a short film on vinification, then seated patio tasting with views toward the Sea of Galilee. Ask specifically for Magma (the single-vineyard Cab/Merlot blend) and the Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. When it arrives, ask where the grapes were grown — they'll point to the field visible from the patio. For backup tasting: any bottle in the Bazelet range shows the basalt terroir. Advance booking not required but recommended for groups.

   Backup: If Bazelet HaGolan is closed (Saturday or holiday), drive 45 minutes north to Odem Mountain Winery in Moshav Odem — Israel's highest winery at 1,060m elevation. Their 'Volcanic' label range (Riesling, Merlot, Chardonnay) makes the terroir connection even more explicit. James Suckling scored the 1060 Cabernet Sauvignon 94pts (2024). Hours: Mon–Thu/Sun 10:00–17:00, Fri 10:00–16:00.

   Log Memory