Trek Golan Heights — Hermon Stream (Banias) Nature Reserve, Israel

The Banias: Spring of Pan to the Waterfall

An easy day through the Hermon Stream reserve — from the cave and spring of Pan along a suspended riverside trail past Roman palace ruins to Israel's largest waterfall.

The Banias: Spring of Pan to the Waterfall — Photo: gugganij · CC BY-SA 3.0

Duration: 1 days
Distance: 4 km
Ascent: 60 m
Difficulty: Easy
Best season: Year-round; the waterfall is fullest in winter and spring (December–May)

The Banias packs an improbable amount into a short, shaded walk: the gushing source of the Hermon Stream, a Greek shrine cut into a cliff, the ruins of a Roman capital, and a thundering waterfall — all fed by snowmelt from Mount Hermon and wrapped in some of the coldest, clearest water in the country.

The reserve sits in the northern Golan Heights and can be walked one way from the spring down to the waterfall, or explored as shorter loops from either entrance. It is mostly flat and well shaded, which makes it a rare summer-friendly walk, though the river runs strongest in winter and spring.

Getting there. The reserve is in the far north of Israel, best reached by car via the Golan Heights; it has two entrances, the upper (spring) gate and the lower (waterfall) gate, a short drive apart. With one car, either walk out and back or arrange a pickup at the far gate.

Permits & tickets. The Hermon Stream (Banias) Nature Reserve is run by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and charges an entrance fee. It is open daily; check seasonal closing times, which are earlier in winter and on Fridays.

Good to know:

The point-to-point route from spring to waterfall is downhill overall and the easiest way to link every highlight.
Wear shoes that can get wet and bring water; the stream is beautiful but the paths near the falls are damp and can be slippery.

Day 1

Spring of Pan to the Banias Waterfall

Banias Spring (upper entrance) → Banias Waterfall (lower entrance) 4 km ↑ 60 m

A mostly downhill line following the Hermon Stream from its cave-mouth source to the reserve’s roaring waterfall, taking in the ancient sanctuary and palace on the way.

Segments

The Spring & Cave of Pan 0.3 km

Upper entrance → Sanctuary of Pan

Paved path and rock terrace

Begin at the great cliff-face cave from which the Hermon Stream once burst, sacred in antiquity to the Greek god Pan. Along the 80-metre natural terrace you can still read the carved niches that once held statues and the ruins of the temples of the Pan sanctuary. Allow about 45 minutes.
The suspended (hanging) trail 1 km

Sanctuary of Pan → Riverside boardwalk

Suspended boardwalk over the river

Follow the stream onto the famous hanging trail — about 100 metres of boardwalk pinned to the basalt cliff with the cold, fast river roaring just below your feet. It threads the shaded gorge past pools and rapids. About 40 minutes at an easy pace.
Agrippa's palace & Roman Banias 1.2 km

Riverside boardwalk → Palace ruins

Dirt paths among ruins

Reach the excavated remains of the Roman city of Caesarea Philippi, capital of Philip the Tetrarch, including the grand palace attributed to King Agrippa II. This was a real city on the Roman road, and its walls, halls and streets still trace its plan. About 45 minutes.

About this place

Banias, also spelled Banyas, is a site in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, Syria near a natural spring, once associated with the Greek god Pan. It had been inhabited for 2,000 years, until its Syrian population fled and their homes were destroyed by Israel following the 1967 Six-Day War. It is located at the foot of Mount Hermon, north of the Golan Heights, the classical Gaulanitis, in the part occupied by Israel. The spring is the source of the Banias River, one of the main tributaries of the Jordan River. Archaeologists uncovered a shrine dedicated to Pan and related deities, and the remains of an ancient city dating from the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
Read more on Wikipedia ↗
Photo: gugganij · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Banias Waterfall 1.5 km

Palace ruins → Waterfall viewing deck

Forest path to viewing deck

Finish at the Banias Waterfall, at about 10 metres the largest in Israel, where the full force of the stream crashes into a pool below a wooden viewing deck. In winter and spring the spray drifts over everyone who stands to watch. About 30 minutes down to the falls.