The Ein Afek Nature Reserve, on the outskirts of Kiryat Bialik, is the last vestige of the Nahal Na'aman swamps, which once extended all the way to the Acre valley. The Ein Afek Spring is in the nature reserve. A wooden path over the swamp passes near typical riverbank flora, such as tamarisk trees, blackberry hedges, reeds, and bulrushes. Plants growing in the water include duckweed and pond weeds. Apium and watercress can be spotted near the water.

When the water level rises in the winter, birds flock to the reserve: pelicans, cranes, pygmy cormorants, gray herons, moorhens, European coots, and black-winged stilts, to name just a few. In the winter and spring, the reserve is carpeted with flowers. A fine spot for admiring the blossoms is Tel Afek, situated on a low sandstone hill on the edge of the reserve. On the northern slope of Tel Afek is a two-story fortified building from the Crusader period, where a film about the flora and fauna in the reserve is now screened. A flour mill once operated on the lower floor of the building. The roof affords a magnificent view of the surrounding area.

In April 1991, seven buffalo were brought to the reserve from the Hula Nature Reserve and placed in a pen with electric sensors, to prevent them from wandering into the swamp. From time to time they can be seen grazing or stretching out in the specially dug pond.

The guidance center at the reserve provides information in Hebrew and Arabic to members of the general public, students, and educational institutions about the Land of Israel, ecology, wetlands, and biotopes.


Directions:

Take Route 4 (Acre-Haifa) to the Curdani junction (near Kiryat Bialik) and turn east. The reserve is about 2 kilometers east of the junction.

	Average length of visit:		1-2 hours
	Best season to visit:		Year-round
	Make sure not to miss:		Panoramic view from the top of the flour mill
	Also available:		Snack bar; exhibits; guidance center; Beduin tent in the spring and summer; picnic tables. Parts of the reserve are wheelchair accessible
	Hours:		April-September: 8:00-17:00 October-March: 8:00-16:00
	Telephone:		(04)877-8226 or (04)877-9992
	Admission fees:		Individual: adults NIS 18, children NIS 8 Groups: adults NIS 15, children NIS 7

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Our previous tour was a walk on top of the Old City wall, from the Tower of David to the Zion Gate. We now return to the Tower of David from the Zion Gate, walking along the base of the wall.