Some 100,000 Israelis go out into nature on sunny Saturday
Visitors flock to the Hurshat Tal National Park, Caesarea, the Yarkon and Tel Afek National Park, and Ein Gedi, among many other sites in northern and central Israel to see the squill bloom and enjoy the warm day.
Many Israelis took advantage of the warm weather on Saturday to go outside, with some 100,000 people visiting national parks and nature reserves across the country.
Among the popular places were the Hurshat Tal National Park, Caesarea, the Yarkon and Tel Afek National Park, and Ein Gedi.
Some 4,000 people took part in a kite-flying event at the Beit Guvrin National Park in Tel Maresha.
In addition, several hundreds of Israelis went camping in the different Nature and Parks Authority sites, with guided tours being offered to visitors at the Einot Tzukim nature reserve, as well as the Herodium and Mamshit national parks.
Visitors were able to see the squill bloom in various areas across the country, which heralds the arrival of fall.
The Nature and Parks Authority said a total of 300,000 people went out into nature during the Rosh Hashanah holiday and weekend, a 13 percent increase to last year.
The popular sites during the four-day weekend were the Gan HaShlosha National Park (Sakhne), the Magrase Nature Reserve in the Golan Heights, the Achziv National Park, and the Banias nature reserve.
Some 20,000 people stayed at the authority's camping grounds across the country.
"The comfortable weather, somewhat autumnal, brought with it the storks and pelicans in big flocks to our country," said Re'aya Shorki, a Nature and Parks Authority official.
"The most visitor activity was seen in the north and central parts of the country, mostly in water sites and in places that offered special activities to the general public."
