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| Trail Map |  Hike it with Google Earth | Terrain View |
| Distance: 3.5km | Time: 2 hours | Difficulty: Moderate |
| Ascent: 175m |  Trailhead and Markers Gallery |
This week, we decided to go hiking in the Carmel. While I was doing some research, I came across a place called Oranit Cave. It looked stunning: a wide-open entrance with crazy views out to the mountains and the sea, plus deep rooms and tunnels you could crawl through.
I couldn’t believe we’d never visited Oranit Cave before, especially since the most popular loop to the cave includes Nahal Galim and Ein Kedem Spring, two places we’d been to several times.
With our plan for the day set, we headed up to the Haifa area, looking forward to a fun day of hiking in one of my favorite parts of Israel: the Carmel.
The day didn’t go exactly as planned, but we had a spectacular time. Here’s how we hiked it.
Tirat Carmel
The day began in a neat, well-organized parking lot next to Kedem Spa in Tirat Carmel. We got ourselves and the kids sorted out and set off on the trail.
Almost immediately, the trail took us uphill, past newly blossoming autumn squill. Although we were climbing, the scenery was so spectacular that we didn’t mind the exertion. The higher we climbed, the better the views became. Under a stormy, cloud-filled sky, the sea looked brilliantly blue, and the green mountains framed it in the most picturesque way.
It was a little warm, though, and at least one of our kids was complaining about the heat. Then we felt one drop fall from the sky, then another, and before we knew it the most beautiful rain was falling.
We weren’t hot anymore.
Toward the Caves
Soon we could see the caves up above, sitting at the top of the mountain like a jewel in a crown. We climbed through the rain and drizzle, past more squills and perfect scenery, until we reached an iron gate.
On we climbed, higher and higher…
Until we reached the most spectacular cave I’ve seen in a really long time.
Oranit Cave
From the moment we stepped inside, it was clear we had arrived somewhere very special. A huge stone chamber sat perched above the most incredible view. The colors outside looked even more intense against the dark shadows of the cave.
Full of explorers’ spirit, we headed deeper in, eager to discover every hidden chamber and tunnel we could find. We climbed into the darkness, into one room, then another. Then we squeezed through a small crawl tunnel into a dark room at the very end.
It was silent in there, the perfect sensory deprivation chamber. We were completely enveloped in blackness and quiet.
Onward Through the Cave
After a thorough exploration, we sat at the edge of the cliff for a while, just taking it all in. We thought about having lunch in that perfect spot, but it was still a little early, so after squeezing every last drop out of the view, we continued along the trail through Oranit Cave.
That was one of the coolest things about this trail: going through the cave isn’t optional. To continue the hike, you actually have to climb through a (more open) section of the cave and emerge on the other side.
Once we came out, we had a decision to make. Should we continue along the path toward Nahal Galim and Ein Kedem below, for a loop of about 3 kilometers? Or should we follow the red trail out into the great wide world for an 8-kilometer loop?
Of course, we chose the bigger adventure.
Maybe Don’t Follow in My Footsteps
And a bigger adventure it certainly was. The trail worked out well for us for most of the way. But at our connecting trail, we found ourselves bushwhacking through an unmarked forest, searching for the trail in vain.
This would not work for most people.
Strangely enough, though, my family seems to thrive in unpredictable survival situations. Our team was strategizing, dodging thorns, and comparing scratches and scrapes.
It took a loooooong while, but eventually we made it back to the trail.
The Right Way to Hike This
That’s why the maps for our long adventure aren’t included in the table at the top of this page. If I were doing it again, I’d take the short (and extremely beautiful) route to Oranit Cave, then down to the valley and Ein Kedem.
By the time we’d finished getting lost, it was late in the day, and we still had to stop at Ikea for my son and daughter-in-law and then drive two hours home. So, sadly, we had to skip the detour to Ein Kedem.
Instead, we followed the trail through beautiful Nahal Galim all the way back to the car.
Next time we hike this incredible family-friendly trail in the Carmel, we’ll take the short route and hit the spots we missed. This hike to Oranit Cave and Ein Kedem is definitely one we’ll be coming back to again and again.
Hikers’ Notes:
Here’s what you need to know to hike this trail:
- Kid friendly for kids who like to climb and crawl.
- Bring a flashlight, water, and a hat. The trail has almost no shade outside the cave.
- Cave closed November–March for bat hibernation.
- Short loop: red trail to the cave, unmarked trail then black to Ein Kedem, back toward blue, then blue to the end. A short dirt path at the end leads back to the parking lot.
- Check the trail map in the table at the top of this page to find your way. You can also use the Google Earth file to follow the correct path while you're there. We're missing trail marker photos for the turnoff from the red trail towards Ein Kedem and of the dirt path at the end.
