Hermon Nature Reserve

About

The Hermon Nature Reserve, also known as the Banias Nature Reserve, preserves a large swath of natural and historic sights, made easily accessible by two entrances. The Spring entrance entices visitors before they even set foot on the hiking trails with a glimpse of the mouth of Pan’s Cave. A pleasant walk along the Hermon stream leads to the cave, which up close reveals the ruins of an ancient Roman settlement founded by Herod’s son Philip. The shrines dedicated to the forest go Pan are where the park’s name comes from - Banias is a corruption of the Roman “Panias”, or “of Pan”. The Falls entrance, on the other hand leads visitors to the 10-meter-high Banias Waterfalls, the tallest in the country, via a boardwalk suspended from the walls of the river gorge. For those looking to experience both sites, they’re connected by a hiking trail that takes about 90 minutes one-way, so make plans to be picked up at the alternate parking lot it you’d like to take this route.