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Stalactite Cave Nature Reserve |
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Where the imagination runs wild |
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Level of difficulty: easy |
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The Stalactite Cave, also called the Sorek Cave, is at the heart of the reserve in memory of Avshalom Shoham, located on the western slopes of the Judean mountains near Bet Shemesh.
The cave, 82 meters long and 60 meters wide, was discovered accidentally by workers blasting at the nearby quarry. This small cavern contains a wondrously varied world of stalactites and stalagmites. Some formations are at least 300,000 years old and can help scientists track climate changes in our region over the millennia.
Some of the stalactites hanging from the ceiling of the cave are up to four meters long, and in some cases they fuse with stalagmites growing from the floor. They can range from a few millimeters to a few meters in diameter.
Other formations resemble shelves or sheets of cloth, branches, corals and clusters of grapes, among many other objects. In several still-active areas of the cave, which maintains constant heat and humidity year-round, the stalactites and stalagmites continue to grow. |
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A visit to the cave seems especially magical in winter, when drops of water splash noisily to the floor, where they glisten beautifully, giving the sense of a world that is growing before our very eyes.
A visit to the cave includes a Performance and a guided tour.
Baby strollers are not allowed in the cave!
The descent to the cave from the parking lot is via 150 steps, and takes about 10 minutes. There are handrails and benches along the way.
Click here for site pamphlet
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How to get there:
From the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway (no. 1), take the Sha'ar HaGai-Bet Shemesh road (no. 38). Pass the railroad tracks and turn left at the traffic light. Continue through the Bet Shemesh industrial zone and turn left onto road 3866, continuing up the mountain for about five kilometers to a junction with a large sculpture commemorating the Challenger spacecraft. Turn left and continue for about two kilometers to the parking lot. |
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| Useful information |  | Length of tour: | About 45 minutes |  | Best season: | Year-round; especially winter. On Saturdays and holidays, full tours are given until 11 A.M. after which tours may be shorter due to large numbers of visitors. Tours are usually in Hebrew; tours in English are usually scheduled for before 10 A.M. |  | Don't miss: | The stalactite cave nature reserve will be holding a special tour for English speakers at 11:00 am, Sunday - Thursday, during July-February (holidays and Saturday excluded)
For more information: 02-9911117
"Romeo and Juliet" ––the stalactite and the stalagmite that will never meet. |  | Other facilities and attractions: | Slide show; souvenir shop |  | Hours: | April–September 8 A.M.–5 P.M.
October–March 8 A.M– 4 P.M.
On Fridays and holiday eves, the site closes one hour earlier than above:
The ticket booth closes one hour and 15 minutes before the site closes.
|  | Phone: | 02-991-5756, 02-999-4730, 02-991-1117 |  | Fax / Email: | 02-999-0215 including reservation center |  | Entrance fee: | Adult: NIS 25; child: NIS 13
Israeli senior citizen: NIS 13
Group (over 30 people): Adult: NIS 21: child NIS 12
|  | Entrance to dogs: | No entrance to dogs or other pets |  | Accessibility: | There is parking for wheelchair-users and a paved path to the cave. Tours of the cave are currently not wheelchair accessible.
Click here for more details | | | |
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Main tourist sites in the vicinity:
Independence Park, Te'omim Cave |
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