The Golan Heights

The Golan Heights are a different Israel from the one you expect. A volcanic plateau in the north of the country, strewn with black basalt, green even when the rest of the land has dried out — and noticeably cooler than the coast. Come in winter and you may find snow.

Nimrod Fortress is the largest surviving castle in Israel. Muslim rulers built it in the 13th century along a narrow rocky ridge to hold the road from Damascus to Galilee against the crusaders. From its walls, which follow the shape of the rock, you look out over the whole Hula Valley.

Not far away rise the springs of Banias, one of the three sources of the River Jordan. The Greeks kept a sanctuary to the god Pan here — which is where the name comes from — and it was here, at Caesarea Philippi, that Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah. A shaded trail along the stream ends at the most abundant waterfall in the country.

On Mount Bental we stand in abandoned trenches and bunkers right on the Syrian border. In clear weather you can see as far as Damascus, and below you lies the Valley of Tears, where one of the largest tank battles in history was fought in 1973. It is the place where today's Israel explains itself.

But the Golan is also a country of water, orchards and wine. Basalt soil and cool nights make the local wineries the best in Israel, so a stop for a glass belongs to the trip — and in season, for cherries or apples straight from the growers.

What we will see

• Nimrod Fortress — The largest surviving castle in Israel, built against the crusaders above the road from Damascus.
• Banias — a source of the Jordan — The spring, a Greek sanctuary to the god Pan and the most abundant waterfall in the country.
• Caesarea Philippi — Where, according to the gospels, Peter declared Jesus to be the Messiah.
• Mount Bental — Bunkers and trenches on the Syrian border, overlooking the Valley of Tears and, in clear weather, Damascus.
• Gamla — The “Masada of the north” — a town that fell in the revolt against Rome, today a griffon vulture colony.
• Katzrin — the Talmudic village — A reconstructed village from the Talmudic period, with dwellings and a synagogue.
• The Golan wineries — Basalt soil and cool nights — the wines of the Golan are among the best in Israel.