After breakfast Don planned to investigate Alma Cave. This is north of Safed, about 20km from the spa. He expected to be gone for several hours. Meanwhile Lesley was free to lounge around the hotel, read her book, enjoy a facial treatment in the spa, to do whatever she fancied.
Despite the hot weather (33C and above) I dressed in classic denim bluejeans and a thick cotton shirt. I also removed my sandals and put on hiking boots over thick socks. From what I had read, the terrain around and within the cave warranted reasonable skin protection and climbing leverage. I drove along a winding mountain road and passed Safed toward Rehaniya, following directions in an article I had read about caves in Israel. As directed, I turned onto an unpaved road and drove another 2km until I reached what was obviously the last place to park an ordinary vehicle.
From this point the path presented a very rocky descent, sometimes mild and sometimes steep, for a couple of hundred meters. My choice of footwear was already proven correct. Then I reached a pair of signs announcing the Alma Cave area.
One panel was in English (the others Arabic and Hebrew) which mainly cautioned about the risks of the terrain and warned not to disturb bats in the cave. Unfortunately I could not see any clear trail markers from the sign to the cave itself. The article had mentioned dirt paths with red trail markers, but there were none. I noticed a few posts with which might have held further signs (now missing) but they were sparsely spread and not in any obvious sequence. Instead there were scattered bits of litter (naughty!) which seemed to indicate the route that previous (careless) people had taken, so I followed these occasional empty bottles and food wrappers.
When I spotted some people ahead of me, I clambered over the rocky path in that direction. This led me to a tree under which a few people sat or stood, but it was clear from their clothing that they were not dressed properly for caving. Indeed they were simply eyeing a large deep hole which probably was part of the cave. I looked around for an entrance but none was visible. I walked all the way around the area, sometimes following litter and sometimes
what appeared to be worn pathways. Large stinging most of the foliage, so I was glad to be wearing my thick jeans.
The weather was heating significantly, and I was getting more frustrated. Alma Cave is 500 meters inside, with many chambers and interior corridors. It has extensive stalactites and is one of the largest and most impressive caves in Israel. But all I could find was a steep hole that I would have to jump down (20 feet?) with no apparent means to get back up. If this was the true cave entrance, then I was simply stuck. Supposedly there was a pole situated to help climbers down and up again, and maybe I saw this unlabelled pole but did not bring my own rope. Honestly I did not intend to explore the cave all on my own, since that seems as unsafe as swimming alone. I had hoped to meet some other spelunkers who at least knew the basics of Alma Cave and ask them to allow me to tag along. Lacking I was at least hoping to enter the front of the cave so see and photograph whatever I could
Oh well at least I got exercise trekking around the long winding rocky paths through the scrub in that area and it gave Lesley a break from me for several hours. Next time we are in the area, ideally our daughter and I can book an experienced guide in advance and really explore Alma Cave along with other interesting spots nearby.
On the drive back to the spa I passed the town of Dalton. Three years ago my older brother and his wife visited us and toured around Israel. We spent a couple of days with them in Safed and together went for a tasting at the Dalton winery. While it was nice being with family then, yesterday at the Ramot Naftaly Winery was much more interesting.
In Safed I stopped for fuel at a petrol station and checked in with Lesley.
