Travel Guide Carmel Forest

The Mount Carmel forest lies to the south-east of Haifa. It covers 8,500 ha and has several peaks exceeding 500 meters. Because of its size, it can also be accessed via Route 4 from Atlit (to the west), Elyakim (to the south) and Nesher (to the northeast).Most of this forest is home to Mount Carmel National Park, one of Israel's largest national parks. Home to Mediterranean vegetation and fauna, it receives thousands of visitors every year, mainly at weekends due to its proximity to Haifa and Tel Aviv. Of particular interest is the Hai-Bar nature reserve, in the area near Haifa University known as "Little Switzerland". Several hiking trails run through the forest, and there are numerous rest and picnic areas.In December 2010, the largest forest fire in Israel's history claimed the lives of over 40 people on Mount Carmel. The fire destroyed almost 5 million trees over an area of around 5,000 ha between Isfiya, the Beit Oren kibbutz, Haifa and Tirat Carmel, and 17,000 people had to be evacuated. Some thirty airplanes and helicopters, as well as extensive ground resources, were mobilized over several days to bring the fire under control and halt its spread. Several countries, including Turkey, Jordan and France, provided assistance to combat the disaster.