Flash flood danger
Do not enter the canyon when rain is forecast in the area or upstream, even under clear skies. Check the forecast on the morning of the trip.
Inside a nature reserve
Keep to the reserve rules and stay on the marked trails.
Lower Nahal Halamish, from Route 31 to Metzad Zohar, with five drops up to twenty-five metres, in a nature reserve that needs a permit.
At a glance
- Tallest waterfall
- 25 m
- Number of waterfalls
- 5
- Shuttle
- Needed
- Circular route:
- No
- Flash flood risk:
- High
- Reserve:
- Yes
Field reports
How much water there was and how it went, from people who were here. Every report is reviewed before it is published.
No reports from this place yet
Were you here lately? Tell us how much water there was and how it went. It helps the next group plan.
Meeting point (parking)
Route 31 crosses Nahal Halamish
The meeting point is the parking spot. You continue on foot from here.
Coordinates: 31.14680, 35.33555
About
Below Route 31 Halamish continues in a canyon with gentler banks, more plants and wide pools, until it reaches Nahal Zohar by Metzad Zohar. From around the twenty-five metre drop the stream is inside a nature reserve, and entry needs a permit from the Nature and Parks Authority.
Just after the road there is a low step in a crack and a slab of about six metres with a bypass on the right. Then comes a drop of twenty-five metres with two large alcoves like caves at its foot. After a passable step and rock steps comes a fifteen-metre drop that lands on a flat area with acacias, from where a built path climbs to the north bank.
Further on are a pair of five-metre steps, a rock chute with a bypass and a last drop of eight metres, followed by sloping rock slabs down to Metzad Zohar.
Access notes
Start where Route 31 crosses Nahal Halamish, below the upper part. Finish at Metzad Zohar. The book gives no way back, so leave a car at each end.
Parking
At the start, on the side of Route 31 where it crosses the stream; at the end, by Metzad Zohar.
Descent profile
Scroll sideways for details
Waterfalls(5)
| # | Name | Height | Obstacle | Profile | Landing | Anchor | Bolts and stations | Rope | From previous | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | – | Height: 2 m | Downclimb | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| ||||||||||
| 2 | דBypass on the right | Height: 6 m | Waterfall / rappel | Slab | – | – | – | – | – | |
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| 3 | ה | Height: 25 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
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| 4 | – | Height: 2 m | Downclimb | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| ||||||||||
| 5 | ו | Height: 15 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | Dry | – | – | – | 50 m | |
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| 6 | ז | Height: 5+5(10 m) | Waterfall / rappel | Stepped | – | – | – | – | – | |
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| 7 | Bypass on the right | Height: – | Downclimb | Chute | – | – | – | – | – | |
| ||||||||||
| 8 | ח | Height: 8 m | Waterfall / rappel | – | – | – | – | – | – | |
| ||||||||||
Points on the map
- Route startPrimaryRoute 31 crosses Nahal Halamish
31.14680, 35.33555
- Route endMetzad Zohar
31.15118, 35.34644
Safety
No entry when there is flash flood risk. The section is in a nature reserve and entry is only with a Nature and Parks Authority permit. There is a way out on the built path from the flat area below drop F.
Escape routes
- From the flat area below drop F a built path climbs to the north bank.
Recommendations
For experienced groups with a permit arranged in advance. It can be joined to the upper part for a longer day.
Equipment
Full rappelling gear, a helmet for everyone and plenty of water.
Data sources
The information on this page was collected from these sources.
- osm© OpenStreetMap contributors, License: ODbL 1.0
- Based on the Hebrew guidebook "Judean Desert Canyons" by Ronen Kalimi (2023)
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