Ariel Sharon Park

The largest metropolitan park is located in central Israel, in the last piece of open land left in Gush Dan. Ariel Sharon Park. The park's unique story combines that of one of the most complex and biggest in the world of environment restoration, taking a piece of highly polluted and neglected land and turning it into a green and blossoming park.

The park covers an area of 2,000 acres and at its center is a mountain that was made out of compost from garbage waste that the municipality transformed into a symbol of social and environmental change. At the site, you can take part in a number of recreational outdoor activities. At the mountain there is an abundance of activity in nature: a viewpoint that overlooks the metropolis of Gush Dan, a visitor center with experiential multimedia exhibits that tell the story of the mountain, the ecological lake and a walking path lined with points of interest.

The mountain is surrounded by a series of open land areas and the Ayalon River and three of its tributaries flow there. The area of the park includes Shalem Farm, old Bnei Barak, Mikveh Israel agricultural school, and the Menachem Begin Park. In addition, the park is home to a diverse range of reptiles, mammals, amphibians and 200 species of birds for which the areas of the park are used as a stop on their migration route. Its grounds create an ecological corridor for movement and transit of animals and there are many different habitats, flora and fauna.

The site is open to the public free of charge between the hours of 9:00-15:30 except for some holidays and other special days as listed in their event calendar. On weekends, the public is invited to take guided tours at no cost by registering in advance.

Photograph: Uri Aharon, Albatross