The grottos at Rosh Hanikra National Park
Rosh HaNikra is by the Lebanese border and is the only place in Israel where cliffs go directly into the sea. As a result of fractures developing in the cliff face over the millennia from earthquake activity, rainwater seeped into the fissures and eroded its soft chalk and the relentless sea waves carved a 200-meter network of branching corridors and interconnected chambers. The grottos can be visited by cable car.
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​Directions and parking: Enter into Waze “Rosh Hanikra cable.” There is free parking at the entrance.
Admission: The grottos are open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the summer, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the winter, Friday and holiday eves 9 a.m.to 4 p.m. and Saturday and holidays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are ₪53 for adults, and ₪43 for children (ages 3–18) and senior citizens. A bicycle or electric car ride along the coast is an additional charge. Online purchases offer a discount of approximately 12% compared to at-the-gate prices. Combined tickets are available that include Old Acco and Chai Park at Kiryat Motzkin. Their telephone number is 073 271-0100. This is their website:
Public transport: There is an infrequent bus from Nahariya. Enter “Rosh Hanikra Grottoes” into Moovit. The closest bus stop is a 600-meter/8-minute walk.
At the summit are restrooms, the ticket office, a kosher l’mehadrin restaurant, tourist store, store for snacks, and the entrance to the cable car. The cable car is steep, takes 2 minutes and provides panoramic views of the coast.
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At the bottom of the cable car is a café, shaded area with picnic benches and the entrance to the grottos. There is also an audio-visual presentation in an adjacent tunnel that reviews the grotto, its animal and sea life and the history of the cliffs.
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The 200-meter walking path can be a bit slippery, especially when wet. Comfortable, non-slip footwear is recommended. There are continuous railings for support. Access is partially wheelchair-friendly: the cable car, audiovisual presentation, and restroom facilities are accessible; however, due to the narrow and uneven nature of the grotto path, wheelchair users can only safely reach the first grotto and a portion of the second before needing to turn back.
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The Rosh HaNikra railway tunnel was constructed during the British Mandate between 1941–42 and was part of a Haifa–Beirut–Tripoli rail line. The audio-visual presentation is in a small part of this tunnel. This ambitious project would have connected the Israeli and Lebanese rail networks to a continuous rail network from Egypt via Sinai, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey to Europe. Engineers from the South African and New Zealand armies were tasked with blasting through the cliffs at Rosh HaNikra to create the tunnel. This allowed trains to travel from Haifa to Beirut and Tripoli during World War II, and facilitated the movement of goods and personnel. During Israel’s War of Independence, the bridge leading into Lebanon was destroyed by Israel because of concerns it would be used to bring in fighters and supplies into Palestine from Lebanon. The tunnel was sealed and backfilled.
There is a picnic area by the bottom of the cable car.
The audio-visual presentation is in the tunnel
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