Golan Heights is one of Israel’s most scenic regions. From soaring peaks to crashing waterfalls and alpine meadows, this is a peaceful corner that sees far fewer tourists than most parts of Israel and offers a bit of countryside calm in between city stops. It’s not all nature here – Druze and Jewish families reside in the scenery and a rocky, much-disputed past offers an interesting bit of background history too.

On a day trip in Golan Heights you’ll be taken off-road in a jeep with a local, private guide who can tell you all you need to know about this little-visited gem. One of the (literal) pinnacles of the day will be soaking in the views from Mount Bental, from which you can gaze out across Galilee and also look to neighbouring Syria. This is the site where Israeli’s took control of the region in 1973 during the Yom Kippur War, and a memorial is here to commemorate the battle that ensued, alongside an abandoned bunker.