Israel is not usually one of the countries that first come to mind when it comes to green areas and especially gardens . Unlike the typical image that one has and that is usually related to desert countries , it is a country that also has gardens, some of which can be considered as authentic oases, although not in their traditional concept either. But what are they? What is to be seen?
The gardens
It is true that about 60% of the territory of Israel is desert . But in that remaining 40% you can find several gardens, which are characterized by having great beauty. In fact, some of them are even impressive due to the vegetation they have and the environment they make up.
Any of the 150 nature reserves and 65 national parks in the country can be visited, but this time we are going to keep four gardens for their particularities.
The first of these is the so-called Jerusalem Botanical Gardens , which are considered a true green lung in the middle of the city. In addition, thanks to its area of ​​4,000 square meters, they are one of the largest gardens in the Middle East. It is not its only attraction. It is also possible to see more than 6,500 species and varieties of plants that are native to the five continents.
You can also see the Bahai Gardens , which are located in the town of Akko. These are less well known, but they are very striking for their circular shape and being arranged in a way that surrounds the mansion in which Bahá’u’lláh, the prophet of Baha’i vibrated).
The tour of the landscaped areas of Israel also takes us to Yarkon Park , which is located in Tel Aviv. Here is the rocky-type garden, which is considered the largest in the world. One of its main attractions is to see the stones from various areas of the country. In addition, it is possible to visit the garden it has in which there are more than 3,000 varieties of cactus alone.
Another option is the Ein Gedi Botanical Garden , which is near the Dead Sea, with more than 1,000 varieties of plants, some of which are rare or strange such as baobab trees or flora native to Madagascar.
And finally, there is the Eilat Botanical Garden , which is an authentic tropical jungle in the middle of the desert. Located in the south of the country, it has a flora of more than 1,000 species, including native plants such as the balsam of Abraham.