As a small and diverse country in a unique location, with several climate zones and a variety of different landscapes over a very small piece of land, Israel is one of the best countries in the world for flower-watching. At the right times of the year, it seems like the whole country is covered in beautiful and colorful flowers of various kinds, making it a terrific destination for nature enthusiasts. Here, you will find our comprehensive guide for flowers in Israel, with the best flowers to see in the country, and the best places to visit for flower-watching purposes.
The most iconic flowers in Israel
Cyclamen
Common cyclamen is a charming plant with lovely flowers and leaves. The cyclamen’s primrose has a round and large flattened tuber, which is sometimes deformed due to the pressure of the rock it grows at its feet. Common cyclamen blooms over a long period of time, between October and June, and is one of the most beloved flowers in Israel. It can be seen in many places in Israel, especially in mountainous and rocky areas.
Iris
The iris atropurpurea is an endemic species to Israel and one of the most impressive flowers in the country. It blooms from January to March, mainly in February, in a unique dark purple color. You can see the beautiful Irises in several different places in Israel, such as in Mount Gilboa, and on the coastal plain.
Anemone
The Anemone, considered to be one of the symbols of Israel, is an incredible sight to see in full bloom. This flower blooms in several different colors, but mostly in red, and in the wintertime, it covers entire fields, creating stunning red carpets. The full blooming of the Anemone is celebrated in Israel in the Darom Adom Festival, held annually in winter in the northwestern Negev, where the blooming is at its best.
Drimia
The Drimia is one of the only flowers in Israel that bloom specifically in the autumn time and is the symbol of the autumn holidays in Israel, including New Year’s Eve and Sukkot. This unique flower comes out of the ground in impressive “flower towers”, which get as high as 2 meters/6.5 feet, and have 200-300 white flowers each. During autumn, you can see the beautiful Drimias across the country, with some of the best places to see them being the Sharon Region and Jezreel Valley.
Best places to see flowers in Israel
Bashanit Ridge
The Bashanit Ridge Reserve in the northern Golan Heights, near Moshav Alonei HaBashan, is one of the most diverse flowering sites in the country. The Bashanit ridge extends for about 12 kilometers/7.5 miles and has 13 dormant volcanoes on it, which are covered in forest with common oak, tabor oak, Atlantic oak, and Syrian pear trees.
In between the trees, you can see many species of flowers here, which bloom in almost every season. Above all, the ridge is famous for its autumn blooms – in the fall it can be distinguished by the spectacular blooms of a large yellow sedge and the thread-leaf sedge, which is rare to see on such a large scale as here. Even in winter, the blooms on the ridge are incredibly beautiful, as this time of the year, you can see several rare species of irises here, including the Hermon iris and the Lebanese iris, along with the brown bee orchids and the Greek sedge. Later, in the spring, you will see the beautiful blooms of the impressive mountain lupine.
Nahal Tabor
Nahal Tavor, which flows from the area of the Nazareth Mountains to the east, until it merges with the Jordan River, is a beautiful and not very crowded site to visit, with small waterfalls, pools, springs, and rich vegetation. In the winter and spring, you can see in the area of the stream a spectacular bloom of anemones, primroses, poppies, chives, and mountain lupines, whose spectacular carpets cover the area in early spring.
In addition, the blossoming of the stunning almond trees, which can often be seen in February and March, adds even more beauty to this terrific flower-watching spot. One of the best places to see the beautiful concentrations of blooms in the area is the water-filled basalt canyon near Kibbutz Gazit. We would also highly recommend visiting the nearby Jordan Star National Park, where you can enjoy a particularly beautiful view of the flower carpets, the cultivated fields, and the impressive Mount Tabor.
Alonei Aba Reserve
The Alonei Abba Reserve covers a large area near the settlement of the same name near Bethlehem of Galilee. this charming reserve is worth a visit in any season, thanks to its beautiful forest, including a large forest of tabor oak trees, the largest remnant of tabor oaks that once covered the entire area, alongside common oak, linden, hawthorn, carob trees, and other species of trees that make visiting the reserve feels like a trip to a magical forest.
However, the best time to visit here is in the winter, when among the trees the blossoming of cyclamen, anemones, mountain tulips, and more, covers the whole area in spectacular fashion. The best way to visit the reserve is to take an easy walk on a short, 1.6-kilometer/1-mile circular path, that goes through the main places to see here.
Giv’at Harakafot in Ramot Menashe
The Ramot Menashe area is one of the most beautiful and impressive off-the-beaten-path areas to visit in Israel, and is known by locals as “Israel’s Tuscany”. This region is especially impressive in the months of February-March when the area is covered with spectacular carpets of cyclamen and many other types of flowers. The best place to see the blossoms is Givat Harkafot, a large hill that at the height of the blooming season is completely covered with cyclamen. The hike to Givat Harkafot is a very easy circular route that goes around the hill, where you can walk among the impressive flower paths.
Argaman Iris Reserve
An urban reserve in Netanya, with an amazing bloom of the Iris atropurpurea, which blooms every year from mid-January to March.
The reserve is located between the neighborhoods of Netanya near the seashore and features the world’s largest concentration of the Iris atropurpurea flower grows. The best way to experience this stunning reserve is by walking along the short trails here, that go among the colorful flowers and lead to great viewpoints of the sea.
Best time to see flowers in Israel
Undoubtedly, the best times to see flowers in Israel are winter and spring. The rainy season of Israel leads to an incredible blooming sight across the country, a trend that continues until the very end of the spring. While different flowers bloom in each month of this time, which stretches from November-April, a visit to Israel in those months will reward you with an epic blooming scene regardless.
In the dry months of summer and autumn, as the land gets arid, most flowers disappear pretty quickly, which makes the months of May-October less than ideal for flower watching.
