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| Distance: 4.8km | Time: 2 hours | Difficulty: Moderate |
| Ascent: 213m | End point near Kfar Eldad | End point near Kfar Eldad |
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One of my favorite things about hiking is the chance to see the best of Israel at every season.
For those tuned into the rhythm of nature in Israel, early November means the second wave of fall flowers. After the early blossoming squill flowers and coastal lilies (which blossom before any rain begins to fall) come the autumn crocus and Sternbergia flowers, locally known as Holmoniot.
These yellow blossoms are very hard to come by. They only appear in very specific places. Usually they bloom between rocks, sometimes on the floor of a forest. But that doesn’t mean that any forest or any rocky space will have holmoniot flowers. If you want to see the famous yellow autumn crocus, you must seek out a trail that specifically features them.
I’ve never come across these flowers accidentally in all of my years of hiking in Israel.
So when November rolls around, I know it’s time to get out there and go flower hunting. This year, we decided to revisit an old favorite, but to see it in an entirely new way.
Seeing Old Sights Anew
In Eastern Gush Etzion near Kfar Eldad, a little desert Holmoniot trail awaits fall flower peepers. This year, I discovered that the trail actually connects to the Tekoa Canyon, one of our favorite local hiking trails, via a green marked pathway.
The trail from the end of Tekoa Canyon to the beginning of the Holmoniot trail near Kfar Eldad was only about 4 kilometers. We decided to tackle it as a one way trail, following the gaping valley of Nahal Tekoa as it twists back and forth through the desert hills.
We were pretty sure that we would see some beautiful sights along the way – Nahal Tekoa is known for its gorgeous caves and beautiful rock formations. And we were hoping that even though it was a bit early in the season, we could catch the first autumn crocus flowers at the end of the trail.
Here’s how it went:
From Tekoa Daled
We hiked down from Tekoa Daled, past a grove of olive trees and into beautiful Tekoa Canyon below. We had actually never hiked down this pathway before. Rather, we had always climbed up to Tekoa Daled at the end of our hiking day.
It was trickier on the descent than it ever was on the ascent. But it didn’t take very long. Before we knew it, we were heading through Nahal Tekoa, away from Haritoun Cave and towards Kfar Eldad.
As always, the scenery in Nahal Tekoa was simply spectacular. We took in the majestic views of rolling desert hills above a deep gorge, the valley snaking through. Birds flew in flocks from one side of the canyon to the other, picking up breezes that allowed them to glide through the air gracefully.
We were focused on our footwork. Although this is a marked and organized trail, it is very rocky, and somewhat technical. We moved slowly as we followed the path past caves and gorgeous views.
Breakfast Time
From the start of the trail, I had my eyes peeled for a flat, shady ledge where we could eat breakfast. After climbing through a little rock tunnel, we saw our picnic spot.
There’s something about Tekoa Canyon that always makes me want to stop and sit in silence for a while. We enjoyed our hot coffee, our blueberry muffins, a grapefruit, and then just sat there enjoying the scenery.
I knew that we still had quite a distance to go before reaching the end of the trail – the terrain was tricky, and it would take us a while to complete the four kilometers. But I couldn’t tear myself away from this spot overlooking the canyon. It was just so beautiful – I wanted to stare out at my surroundings forever, enjoying the cool fall breeze, the picture perfect rock formations.
After a while, we acknowledged that it was time to move on. We packed our bag back up and continued on our journey through Nahal Tekoa.
So Beautiful Always
On we continued. We had actually never been in this part of Tekoa Canyon before. First, the green trail continued along the ledge, up above the valley.
At some point, the trail led down the side and through the valley. We enjoyed the different scenery, as we peered up at the tall hills and rock crevices that now towered over us.
Eventually we found ourselves on the other side of the canyon, walking along towards the junction where we would turn left and leave Nahal Tekoa for the Holmoniot path at Kfar Eldad.
Towards the Holmoniot
After a morning of very beautiful hiking, we turned left towards the Holmoniot trail. We recognized the pathway immediately – we had hiked it just a year or so earlier.
The trail itself felt more like a rocky desert. We climbed up and down rock ledges as we awaited our first sightings of the yellow autumn crocus flowers.
Soon, we began to despair. We hadn’t seen any holmoniot and we were almost done with the trail. Perhaps we had arrived a bit too early in the season?
And then, wouldn’t you know it? A splash of yellow was visible in the distance, poking out of the rocky ground. A closer inspection revealed a newly opened Holmonit flower. We took some pictures, then searched for more.
Although there weren’t many, there were enough yellow blooms that we could call the day’s mission a success. We had seen the first autumn crocus flowers of the season and enjoyed a spectacular hike in a beautiful place. At the end of the trail, we returned to our car full of excitement about the day’s adventure.
Hiking this one way trail from Nahal Tekoa to Kfar Eldad was a beautiful way to spend a November morning in Israel.
Hikers’ Notes:
Here’s what you need to know to hike this trail through Nahal Tekoa to Kfar Eldad:
- This is a one way trail.
- This trail located in Judea and Samaria. Make sure you feel comfortable with you level of personal safety before hiking this trail.
- This trail is slightly technical. Although it is a moderate hike, it is rocky and steep.
- You can see the Holmoniot flowers here in November time. At any other time of year, it is still a beautiful hike. Avoid this trail on hot days in the summertime.
- Use the GPS links at the top of this page to park a car at each end, or hike out and then return the way you came.
- Make sure to wear proper footwear and sun protection to hike this trail.
- There are no facilities on this trail.
- Trail colors: follow the black trail down to the second turnoff to the green trail. Make a right onto the green trail and follow it to the end. At a certain point, the trail will turn left towards Kfar Eldad.
- Suitable for dogs.
