Ein Perth, also known by its Arabic name, Wadi Qelt, is one of the most attractive desert water trips Israel has to offer throughout the year.
The options for the trip here are very varied: you can choose a trip on a circular route that requires one car or a route that requires two cars at the start and end of the route. It is also fun to have a picnic in the trees while wading your feet in the Perth River. The combination of the desert landscape with the greenery around the creek and the animals around it makes the visit here a super fun experience.
Ein Perth is a declared nature reserve and entrance fee is paid. As of June 2020 due to the Corona crisis (Covid-19) and Ministry of Health guidelines, entry requires pre-registration on the Nature and Parks Authority website and there is a restriction on the number of visitors.
Circular or landline trip
Up to 6 miles
1-6 Walking hours
Suitable for families
Starting point: Ein Prat Nature Reserve
The entrance to the reserve is near the Almon settlement, a few miles from Ma’aleh Adumim. After the gate of the entrance to the reserve, the road descends to a wide car park, in front of which there are picnic tables and a flowing stream that can be set on foot and hence start hiking.
If you are planning to make a landline trip between Ein Perth and Ein Ma-bo-a, you need to put one car at the entrance to the reserve and another car in the Ein Ma-bo-a car park which is a short distance from the pool.
Possible hikes in wadi Qelt
The length of the Perth River is 28 KM, and it has three sections for the trip. The most classic of the reserve is the walk between Ein Perth and Ein Mabu, 7 kilometers long.
The second section is between Ein Ma-bo-a and Ein Qelt and the third section from Ein Qelt to St George’s Monastery. These two routes require arriving in an organized group due to their proximity to military territory
I recommend trying to get here early in the morning and if possible even on weekends, then the site is full of visitors. As far as hiking gear is required, you should also bring waterproof sandals in addition to hiking shoes because parts of the route can be worn inside the creek.
Paran Monastery
From the cars in the entrance to the reserve there is a road uphill to the ancient Paran Monastery. It is the first Christian monastery established in the Judean Desert during the Byzantine period and is still active today. Below the monastery is Ein Perth spring.
Wadi Qelt pools
From the car park look for the path marked red, very quickly it will turn into a blue path that will be adjacent all the way to the creek. In some of the creek you can actually walk in the water with root sandals or wet your shoes. We quickly changed into swimsuits and stopped for a while to swim and swim. The earlier you start walking, the less likely you are to be able to see frogs, crabs, dragonflies and masses of fish better.
I have many more ideas for short and long trips in Israel
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