Length: 1.5 km each way (not a loop) - about 3-4 hours
Mode of Transport: Sneakers and carriers; not stroller friendly
Why Go? Bat cave, huge natural slide, rocks and shade
Toilets? Nope, pick a bush, any bush
Entrance Fee? Free! No reservation needed
What to Bring: Flashlight, good sneakers with traction (or hiking sandals), water, food
We are still in the kid phase where the hike can't be too long, must be interesting and the car ride cannot exceed 1.5 hours before Meltdown Central. Today, we found the holy grail hike that checks all the boxes: The Twin Cave or Me'arat HaTeomim מערת התאומים.
Located near Beit Shemesh, plug in Waze חניון מערת התאומים to arrive at the parking lot. The overall gist: follow the red trail marker for 1.5 km till you hit the entrance of the bat cave. Once inside, it's about 100 meters trail, turn around at the dead end and go back 100 meters to the sunshine. From there, continue 2 minutes to the giant baller natural slide. Knock your socks off. And turn around for the 1.5 km walk back to the parking lot.
Let's unpack this bad boy. The trail itself is pretty stinkin' fun. The first 5 minutes are in the sun, but don't let that fool you. The rest is in blessed shade, filled with pistachio and oak trees to sit under for a water break. The terrain is rocky, giving kiddos a fun adventure/mom mini heart attacks. There are also hand rails for the slippery parts, which on the way back, turn into more slides.
While the hike is open all year round, the bat cave is only open to the public April 1st - October 31st, so make sure to get it in while the gettin' is good. Hey man, the bats gotta rest, too. Bring a flashlight cause it's pitch black inside. The trail is paved with a wooden railing and gets slippery from the natural water dripping into the karst cave. Oh, and spoiler alert - there are lots of bats flying above your head.
Stalactites and stalagmites give the trail its name. Legend has it, a barren mama drank from the cistern inside the cave and gave birth to twins. And bada bing bada boom, somehow those twins were immortalized in the form of two stalactites. Lesson learned, bring your own water.
Why stop the party here? Keep on trucking for another few minutes and you'll find the ultimate time suck/natural high - a slide made of stone. I gotta say, it was cool.
Ok, one more time.
Done? Yalla, now turn around and do it again, but downhill.
We were six kids ranging in ages from two-and-a-half to five years old. My 2.5-year-old was in and out of the carrier. One 3-year-old speed ran the thing, while another 3-year-old was slower. And the 5-year-old's made it their biatch. And I, as a giant kid, loved it!
As always, it's recommended to get there early to avoid crowds and bottlenecking in narrow spots.
Finish off your adventure by wiping creamy hummus in Abu Ghosh or enjoying pizza and salad with a view at Bar Bahar - each one 15 minutes away.
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