The Hula Lake Nature and Bird Park is KKL-JNF’s flagship project in the north of Israel. The lake occupies part of the area once covered by the original Hula Lake, which was drained in the 1950s and re-flooded in the 1990s, restoring the ecosystem that once flourished there and serving as a vital filtering process for Lake Kinneret. The Hula Valley is located along a major migration flyway, over which close to 500 million birds fly every spring and fall, many of them spending winter, spring or summer in the valley, where they are joined by hundreds of thousands of nature lovers from Israel and the world over. Nothing symbolizes the successful rehabilitation of the valley more than the cranes, thousands of which migrate over the valley in autumn, with thousands more staying for the winter.
KKL-JNF has already completed the first stage of development, which included infrastructures, roads, bicycle trails and various educational programs. Existing projects are accessible to people with disabilities and the park will continue to be developed in accordance with the principles of universal design. The second stage of development includes:
- A state-of-the-art visitor center that will serve the more than 400,000 annual visitors to the park and eventually include educational and research functions as well.
- Improved accessibility with the addition of new equipment for the benefit of people with audio and visual disabilities.
- The latest attractions and equipment to make a visit to the Hula Valley an unforgettable experience.