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| Distance: 4.5km | Time: 2-3 hours | Difficulty: Easy-Moderate |
| Ascent: 122m | Cafe BaHursha | Cafe BaHursha |
Should you go for a beautiful hike on your morning off? Or should you enjoy a relaxing brunch in a beautiful café?
Why choose?
The best of both worlds would be a gorgeous hike to a lovely café. And that’s just what we set out to do this past Friday morning.
As residents of Gush Etzion, we’ve passed by the small community of Gevaot hundreds of times. On the side of the highway, it always seemed an idyllic setting atop a hill, surrounded by a thick, green pine forest. A glance at our online hiking maps revealed no marked trails around Gevaot. So somehow, we never set out into the Gevaot Forest to explore.
But recently, we learned of a very special café in the community, called Café BaHursha. Aside from serving delicious food in a spectacularly beautiful setting, this café was also run by special needs kids. It seemed like a place we just had to visit.
So, this past Friday, we set out to explore the uncharted terrain of Gevaot Forest. Our hope was to find an easy-to-follow trail that would lead us all the way to the café. After a fun breakfast with forest views, we would hike back.
Our day didn’t turn out quite as planned – instead of an easy to follow trail, we did a lot of forest wandering. But I still highly recommend both the café and the surrounding area.
Here’s how we found our way to Café BaHursha through the Gevaot Forest.
The Hike at Gevaot Forest
To begin the hike, we parked at a relatively orderly dust parking lot just off the highway near Gevaot. A large KKL sign was posted at the spot, showing the area of the forest. We were off to a great start.
We grabbed our bags and crossed the road towards the next KKL sign. A beautiful pine forest stretched out before us. And what seemed to be a blue marked trail led right into the woods.
We made our way along the hiking trail, thoroughly enjoying our first exploration of the Gevaot Forest.
Sights from the Trail
The first part of the hike was really lovely. From the trail, we enjoyed unique views of the surrounding area – it was an entirely new perspective on Gush Etzion. Since it was a relatively cool morning, we were comfortable on the trail, even though it was mostly in the sun.
We hiked along like this until, after a short time, the trail markers dried up. Then, instead of continuing to follow the dust trail down into the valley, we made a slight left onto a smaller trail that hugged the fence of the community of Gevaot. And we hiked along with forest views for a while.
Then, we reached a big, locked gate right next to the café. Clearly, we weren’t going to be going in through there. So we decided to continue along the path and then double back once we reached the end of it.
Forest Wandering
Soon, we reached what seemed to be a good turnaround point. We followed another unmarked trail through a pretty forest (a great place for a picnic, by the way). After that, the right thing to do would have been to double back the way we came.
But instead, we decided to try to forge our own path around the community to the entrance of Gevaot. We were already more than halfway around. How hard could it be to completely encircle the town?
This went well for a while. We encountered some water, flowers, and gorgeous oversized fig trees. The path continued all the way to a beautiful little hangout area, with picnic benches, pergolas, and little built pathways. It felt like we were on the right track.
But we weren’t. After that, we proceeded to bushwhack our way through an overgrown forest, carrying our border collie over no less than three fences. Until finally, we found ourselves just outside of the entrance to the community of Gevaot.
We made it!
Cafe BaHursha
Thankfully, it was only a five minute walk to the café from there. We were all ready for some R&R after our adventurous morning.
And we definitely got it. The café was absolutely beautiful, inside and out. Lots of people were gathered around the tables, on the patio, down in the forest. Despite the number of people, it didn’t feel noisy or crowded at all. Just supremely relaxing.
After we ordered our food (which was ridiculously inexpensive), we debated where to sit. Should we sit on the barstools outdoors, overlooking the forest? Or should we sit inside by the giant glass windows, where we could enjoy the air conditioning and nature at the same time?
We opted for an inside table.
A Bit About Gevaot
While we sat there, we took a minute to research the community of Gevaot.
It was clear that special needs services were a huge part of the community’s identity. The café served yogurt and cheese made by Sadnat Shiluv, the program that integrates children and adults with special needs and helps them learn crafts and skills. There were baskets, ceramics, and woodworking items for sale, all beautifully finished by Sadnat Shiluv. It was incredibly impressive.
Gevaot, established in 2012, was built with the express purpose of incorporating those with special needs into the community. Many of the families who moved there have special needs children of their own. In this way, a rich tapestry of people come together to create a beautiful life in a beautiful place.
In Gevaot, a magnificent vision is brought to life.
The Dining Experience
The food was absolutely delicious, the iced coffee superb. Our waiter was friendly and thorough. We enjoyed every minute of our time at Café BaHursha.
Looking around, I couldn’t imagine a more perfect place to enjoy Friday morning breakfast. The inside of the café was beautifully designed and finished. And somehow, surrounded by walls of glass, it felt like we were eating in the forest itself.
When we finished breakfast and set out to return to our car, I noticed on the chalkboard sign that the café was open every morning. And I decided right then and there that I’ll be coming back to Café BaHursha soon, perhaps with my high school daughter or younger boys. It’s a delightful place to escape and enjoy a delicious meal.
The Verdict
So, what was my verdict on the day? I recommend hiking around the Gevaot forest, at least out and back on the easy-to-follow trail. But if that is too adventurous for you, head on over to Café BaHursha anyway. You’ll get the feeling that you’re out in nature, be part of a great cause, and have an amazing experience to boot.
On our way out of the cafe, I got the feeling that the other diners were really enjoying themselves – much more than they would have at a regular city café. As I overheard one woman saying….”Ahhh! It’s so good to breathe fresh air!”
Hikers’ Notes:
Don’t forget to read my guide to the navigational features in this post before you hit the trail!
Trail map from Amud Anan.
Beyond the cafe itself, there is a little “wilderness garden” area which we found to be a great place to wander in as well — say, if you didn’t hike to the cafe but still want to feel the earth beneath your feet for a bit. It sort of felt like a tiny “hiking playground,” where you could walk on a path, climb over rocks, etc., but without going into the wilderness.
Thank you for that excellent recommendation Dena!