Sea of Galilee Mountain Bike Trail: First section now open

Stretching from Capernaum to the Arik Bridge, the first leg features several rest and picnic areas, easily navigable trails and unrestricted access to the sea's beaches and nature reserves. Travelers may also rent mountain bicycles and helmets and receive guidance by the trail's professional bikers.

Once completed, the trail will bring cyclists through Tiberias, the Golan Heights, Ein Poriya, the Kineret, the Yardenit baptismal site on the River Jordan, Almagor, the Church of the Beatitudes, Mount Arbel and Kfar Hittim, and past Israel's first hydroelectric plant at the southernmost tip of the Sea of Galilee.

"The Sea of Galilee bicycle trail will allow travelers from around the world to experience the region's historical and religious sites from a whole new point of view," says Arie Sommer, Commissioner of Tourism, North and South America. "And the trail will create some additional excitement for cyclists arriving in Israel this summer."

The Israel Ministry of Tourism recently announced a $30 million plan to create more than 3,100 miles of bicycle paths, primarily in the Galilee and the Negev, in Israel over the next five years.

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