Beyond what you read in the press...

Besides the religious aspects of the country, if I were to ask you what sprung to mind first when thinking of Israel I am sure most, if not all of you, would think of the civil fighting in either the Gaza Strip or the West Bank. It is fair to say that Israel has received a lot of bad press over the years and many people therefore have a unfavourable impression of it. However, during my recent visit to the country I could not have found it any more different. I spent ten days in total extensively travelling the country from Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea to Nizzana and then south to Eilat, in which time I had the opportunity to see and experience a number of the great things Israel has to offer. The reason for my visit was admittedly wildlife based, but I was nonetheless keen to experience the real Israel.

First things first; Israel is not as war torn as the media would have you believe. Infact from my initial impressions on arrival I found it to be surprisingly western-ised. Tel Aviv, with its high rise buildings and McDonald's restaurants, reminded me more of somewhere in America rather than the Middle East. Eilat was similar with a concentration of expensive hotels looking out over the Red Sea, a scene more reminiscent of either Mediterranean France or Spain.

Israel has a reputation of having a strict army, and so with many of our birding locations close to the Jordanian border we fully expected to have a run in with them at some point. However whether it was down to luck or not, we had no problems what so ever. The only time we were stopped by the army was when we passed through a check point cutting through the West Bank. Understandably they wanted to know more about the binoculars, telescopes and camera equipment myself and my friends were kitted out with, as I'm sure we looked rather suspiciously like spies. The rest of the inspection just consisted of routine checks on the vehicle for devices etc. Even here the people were polite, friendly and willing to joke about, despite the fact they were holding 12-inch calibre assault rifles.

We found this attitude present throughout our trip, and people were genuinely interested in what we were doing and quite keen to hear what we had seen. Little did they know just how good Israel is in terms of wildlife, where it is possibly one of the best countries in the world to witness migration during the spring and autumn passage as millions of birds are funnelled up and down by the Red Sea.

The landscape is surprisingly varied too; not just desert, which is how I expected it to be. In the north there are snow-capped mountains and in the centre, lush green plains of agricultural lands and rolling hills, whereas the south is unsurprisingly drier. The huge open gorges that scar the landscape are incredibly picturesque looking out over the Dead Sea; you'd be forgiven for forgetting that you were actually at one of the lowest points on Earth! The Dead Sea is a must for anybody passing, with its high salt and mineral content, not only is it good for the body but where else can you effortlessly float on the surface without moving a muscle?  I would also highly recommend a visit to the Red Sea. Ok it's no Great Barrier Reef, but a couple of hours spent snorkelling around the colonies of coral just offshore are certainly productive, with a beautiful array of uniquely shaped and fluorescently coloured fish. You won't be disappointed. Keep an eye out for the Octopi there that have the ability to immediately change the texture and colour of their skin to become remarkably camouflaged. They simply disappears before your eyes!

Our ten days in Israel passed by far too quickly and we didn't even get the chance to explore the north of the country. I would certainly not hesitate making another visit in the near future!