A biblical landscape reserve nestled amidst the Judean Hills, Neot Kedumim offers an extensive array of exciting programs geared to the entire family. Our group contained contained visitors of every age group  from the United States, and it was therefore, critical that the afternoon outing meet both the physical and educational needs of all the age groups. At Neot Kedumim we had  a private, 2.5 hour tour that began with an explanation of  the history of this vast 600 acre reserve and the abundant plant life that is represented throughtout this landscape. Our guide directed us onto an easy trail to different stops along the reserve where we learned about the lives of biblical women, the chosen topic for that day. One child cleverly dissappeared from the group while we were busy admiring the trees and moments later  when asked about how Miriam hid her brother, Moses, amongst the reeds, we all began "looking" for Miriam in the similar landscape.

We learned about ancient olive manufacturiing and had the opportunity to push the olive press in order to understand the process of extracting the tasty and useful oil. At another stop we learned about ancient caligraphy by using reeds to create our personal works of art. Our day concluded with planting our own trees, in this case we planted  locally found Carob trees. In the past, during the  push towards the reforestation of Israel, there was an emphasis on planting of certain non-local trees and over time it was demonstrated that varieties not native to the region were actually a detriment. Therefore here, as in many areas of the country, the emphasis now is on the planting of only species that are native to the region.

Neot Kedumim uses the local surrounding and incorporates it into the learning process together with practical experiences of the ancient way of life. they offer tours that relate to periods of the year, holidays, biblical charactiers, etc for various types of groups as well as in several languages. Neot Kedumim gives wonderful insight into the Biblical way of life and the parables of Jesus through experience. Visitors are introduced to the deep connection between the land of Israel and the Biblical messages and teachings through biology, zoology, botany, Biblical time's water management and even hands-on Biblical cooking, among other things. The aim of Neot Kedumim is to create the setting for learning and understanding the ancient, local way of life, to be able to relate to the Biblical stories and thereby Israel's history. My tips: Dress for outdoor experiences. with comfortable walking shoes. Handicap accessible.