Hai Bar Carmel Nature Reserve – The Location
Waze: Hai Bar Carmel
Hai Bar Carmel Nature Reserve on the Carmel Mountains, near Haifa University. Entry requires a fee (NIS 22) or a Matmon subscription
1-2 hour round-trip route.
Who is it for?
Suitable for everyone, families / strollers and babies / children and the elderly.
Background on Hai Bar Carmel Reserve
A small nature reserve dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating endangered (or already extinct) animals in Israel, and its goal is to return the animals to nature.
Don’t miss the short film screened at the beginning of the tour, which is very invested and interesting.
Last weekend we again didn’t go too far (as we like) and went for a walk in the Hai Bar Carmel Nature Reserve, which is about half an hour drive from Binyamina – from home (for fun places around Binyamina click here). We had already visited Hai Bar near Eilat in Yotvata (In south Israel), where we met the desert animals, so we waited for the opportunity to complete a visit to Hai Bar Carmel.
The Carmel area used to be a different world, there were tigers, reindeer, eagles, night raptors. There used to be a real jungle here and almost all of them have disappeared. There are many reasons for the disappearance of the animals from the nature of the Carmel Mountains – hunting, cutting down trees, poisoning, picking up chicks (stealing chicks from their nest), fires, electric shocks – what did not happen to the Carmel.
What animals will you meet at Hai Bar Carmel?
Carmel deer, wild goats, Persian fallow deers, salamanders (who hid for us), eagles, hawks, falcons and other raptors. The special encounter is mainly with the Persian fallow deers and eagles. Hai Bar Carmel is considered the best and closest place to watch eagles and Persian fallow deers in Israel – the eagles literally fly and land next to us.
Not forbidden. These are wild animals, so you have to keep your distance from them and just watch.
“there’s an eagle in the sky.” – (famous song in Hebrew)
I don’t think I’ve ever seen or been so moved by a vulture. A spectacular, huge, peaceful animal – the way it flies in the sky just mesmerized me. It’s sad for me to think that there are almost no more of them. The eagles are so huge that they want to rest on electricity poles they touch two wires at the same time, close a circle and are electrocuted to death 🙁 . These special vultures also suffer from eating poisoned foods, pickling eggs and fires. There are hardly any birds of prey in the sky anymore. Hawk Eagle – In 1950 there were 60 pairs in Israel and in 2019 only 14 remained. Golden Eagle – in 1984 there were 40 pairs and in 2019 only 6 remained. Soon they won’t be left.
Deployinga wing
While touring the reserve, you can see the eagle cage (in the distance) where pairs of eagles and their chicks are raised. The cage is under the framework of a special project, “Spreading a Wing” aimed at increasing the population of eagles in Israel. As part of the project, and in collaboration with Dr. Moti Charter, they installed a camera that broadcasts live a pair of cute eagles. The vultures suffer from a bone disease “rickets”, which causes a disability due to which the eagles remain in the nest – in the reproductive nucleus in the complex.
If you want to see a live feeding site located right across from Hai Bar Carmel you are welcome to watch from the link here, maybe we will catch them snacking.
There is Eagle Day not to be missed
Please note, International Eagle Day falls on the first Saturday in September and is all about raising awareness of the dangers eagles face. The entire day is intended to increase awareness and information about habitat loss, electric shock and poisoning of eagles. International Eagle Day, celebrated at Hai Bar Carmel, is celebrated with a variety of special activities, and includes the release of an adult eagle into the wild.
Neither Bambi or Santa’s reindeer – Persian fallow deer
How cute this Persian fallow deer is. The Persian fallow deer is a species of deer, it is called “Persian fallow” because its fur is slightly reddish and resembles the soil of the deer. The Persian fallow deer that used to be in Israel is completely extinct 200 years ago. In place of the extinct species, a related species was brought to Israel – the Persian fallow deer, which is also an animal that is almost completely extinct. It was certain that all the Persian fallow deers were completely extinct all over the world, until a small herd was found in Iran from which a number of individuals were caught and taken to establish a breeding nucleus. The Persian fallow deer has many roles and collegiate meanings in nature, it is nature’s “gardener”. It eats and “prunes” the trees and shrubs of the forest throughout the year, thus helping to thin the thicket of the forest and prevent the spread of fires.
At first, two pairs of Persian fallow deers were brought to Israel. 20 years later, the two pairs became a herd of 150 individuals, and since then, groups of 10-15 Persian fallow deers are released into the wild every six months. Today the Persian fallow deer roam in nature in the Galilee Mountains, the Judean Hills, the Carmel Mountains and the Jerusalem Mountains – the herds of donkeys survived better in the north of the country. They are very cowardly animals, so to see them up close it is best to go to Hai Bar Carmel.
As of 2019, there are 240 Persian fallow deers roaming freely in the country – the largest Persian fallow deers population in the world.
Additional information and links
Hai Bar Carmel website – click here
Hai Bar Carmel’s charming Facebook page – click here
Charter Group’s interesting YouTube channel – click here
Keep preserving our nature ♥
Opening Hours
Throughout the year, the site is open to the public on Fridays, Saturdays and public holidays only.
Groups can coordinate in advance. The entrance to the reserve closes one hour before the listed hours
Friday and Saturday: 8:00 – 16:00
