Ein Lavan is a spring in the Jerusalem mountains located about one kilometer south of Moshav Aminadav and below Givat Masua. The spring springs to a short tunnel through a canal to a large and beautiful man-made pool, measuring about 30 square meters and a depth of about a meter and a half. The spring is surrounded by fig, strawberries, almonds, carob, and terebinth trees. On hot days it is a perfect place for a refreshing swim, and since it is very close to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, it is fun to combine the visit of the two.
Getting to Ein Lavan
The start of the route is in the parking lot of the Jerusalem biblical zoo (you can put it in Waze or any other navigation app). From it comes a dirt road marked with a blue trail marker (this is “Nadav Road”, which we will talk about later), with which you should continue driving with the vehicle or take a short walk of about 20 minutes until you reach the stairs that climb to the spring. The ascent is marked with signs and the way is clear.
You can give up the walk and get with the vehicle directly to the spring pools, just put “Ein Lavan parking lot” in Waze.
For Whom It Is Suitable
Suitable for small groups, families with children and couples, and generally for almost everyone. Unfortunately, in light of the stairs leading up to the spring, it is not accessible to the disabled.
Distance and Nature of the Walk
For those who start from the parking lot of the biblical zoo, a leisurely and short walk of about a kilometer and a half until reaching the spring, and back on the same route.
For those who go with the vehicle directly to the spring, there is no walking at all. No special equipment is needed, but it is recommended to come with comfortable shoes for walking in the water.
Admission and Timing
Admission to the place is free and with no time limit. Can be very busy on holidays and weekends.
About Ein Lavan
Ein Lavan is one of about a hundred stratum springs located in the Judean and Jerusalem mountains, located about a kilometer south of the settlements of Ora and Aminadav. The spring was used by the residents of the village of Walja, who lived on this bank of Nahal Refaim until 1948 and whose residents left it after it was captured as part of the Israeli War of Independence. Today the spring is named after a white ridge from which it springs (“Lavan” = White in Hebrew).
The white ridge itself is built of light and soft chalk rock, hence its name, it is part of the Soreq ridge – one of the spurs sent west from Jerusalem to the lowlands. In the spring area, burial systems and other finds dating to the Iron Age and the Second Temple were also found, including multiple mosaic stones and shingles indicating a public structure, pottery fragments dating mostly to the Byzantine and early Muslim periods, and a minority to the Iron Age, and six coins.
Ein Lavan has undergone many changes in recent years as part of a long rehabilitation process. In 2015, the spring was renovated and the water pools were built and restored by the Jerusalem Municipality and the Nature and Parks Authority as part of the Jerusalem Park project. The place was declared part of Nahal Refaim National Park and since then the pools have been restored, fruit trees have been planted and access roads have been arranged.
In the vicinity of the spring, there is a natural grove of oak, elm, and carob trees, and even an orchard with plantations of the area’s ancient inhabitants – almond, walnut, and fig trees. Next to the pools, there is a large, shaded dirt surface suitable for picnics, but no tables. Those arriving by SUV can continue on the dirt road from the parking lot to Ein El Blad or to the Yad Kennedy (a memorial to John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States). This is also a great route for cyclists as well.
The spring originates from a rock-cut hole that feeds two pools, one shallow and the other deeper, and reaches a depth of about 160 cm. A paved road about 1.5 km long leads from the biblical zoo parking lot to the spring. The road is named “Nadav Road” after Nadav Elad, a soldier in an engineering company of the paratroopers’ brigade that died during combat activity in Hebron.
Is It Possible to Bathe in the Water?
One of the common questions regarding Ein Lavan is about the water quality in the spring. So it is important to say, in the water of Ein Lavan there is no pollution – even though the water looks green it is completely clean and there is no fear of bathing in it. The pool has been thoroughly renovated and can be entered barefoot as the bottom has a pleasant and comfortable floor to stand on.
For young children, who cannot enter the deep pool, there is another shallow pool that also feeds on the spring water.