About Hula Nature Reserve

Migrating birds flock to the wetlands of Israel’s first nature reserve, the Hula Nature Reserve. Every spring and fall, half a billion birds touch down at Hula nature reserve to rest and refuel.

History

The Hula Lake and its marshes, once a breeding ground for malaria mosquitoes, were drained to form agricultural land in the 1950s. It provided some of Israel’s richest farmland. By the early 1990s, sinking groundwater levels had rendered some farmland unsuitable and prompted efforts to turn a portion of the Hula Valley back into a natural wetland.

Fauna and Flora

The Hula Nature Reserve is located on the worldwide bird migration route, making it an important site for water birds. Birds like cranes, pelicans and egrets stay in the reserve. The reserve also shelters rare aquatic plants such as paper reed and white water-lily. Besides bird fowls, a broad diversity of mammals lives in the reserve.

Hula Lake (Agamon HaHula in Hebrew)

Bird watchers come from around the world, especially during the International Hula Bird Festival every year in the fall, to watch the birds. Visitors may choose to explore the reserve by foot or rent a bike to get around. For the adventurous ones, a tractor-drawn “Safari Wagon” tour brings visitors closer to the birds without scaring them away.