By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated
From Galilee farm tours to the Arava date harvest — guided agritourism experiences that go beyond the city. Pick your season and find a small-group tour with a local guide.
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Israel grows more than most travellers realise. The Golan Heights produce cherries in June, the Arava desert grows some of the world’s finest Medjool dates in October, and the Galilee and Central Coast moshavim open strawberry and citrus farms to self-pickers in late winter. Beyond the seasonal calendar, a cluster of archaeological farm sites lets visitors press olive oil and grind grain using 2,000-year-old methods.
This guide covers the seasonal picking calendar, the main farm-experience sites, and how to plan a trip around Israel’s agricultural landscape.
Each season runs for a few weeks at most and is dependent on weather conditions in that year. Always confirm a specific farm is open before travelling — the dates below are typical ranges, not guarantees.
The main growing regions are the Shefela lowlands east of Ashdod and the western Galilee foothills. Farms in these areas open for self-picking during the February–March window, typically on weekends for the family market. Israeli strawberries are intensely sweet — the dry, warm climate concentrates sugars in a way that cold-climate berries rarely achieve. School-holiday weekends in February fill the most popular farms early; arrive at opening time for the best selection.
The season corresponds with the almond blossoms in the lower Galilee and the wildflower blooms across the northern Negev — if you are combining picking with hiking, late February to mid-March is one of the most scenically rewarding windows of the year.
The Sharon Plain north of Tel Aviv and the Central Coast moshavim between Netanya and Hadera are Israel’s citrus belt. Varieties include Jaffa oranges (the original export orange, named for the port), clementines, grapefruits and oroblanco. Some family farms open for self-picking, though the commercial picking experience is less developed than strawberries — look for farms explicitly advertising English-friendly tours or pre-booking. Jaffa orange juice pressed on-site is one of those experiences that makes the origin story coherent.
The most prized and most fleeting of the seasons. The Golan Heights — particularly the area around Moshav Odem and the plateau near Har Avital — receives enough winter cold at 700–1,000 metres elevation to grow cherries, a rarity in the Middle East. The season lasts roughly two to three weeks in June, with orchards open for self-picking during that window. The scenery is extraordinary: volcanic basalt hills, wide sky, and the Syrian border in the distance. It is one of the few Israeli agricultural experiences that genuinely rewards planning weeks ahead.
The Golan combining well with a Nimrod Fortress visit, Banias waterfall, and the Hermon ski area (which becomes a hiking destination in summer). A rental car is essential; no public bus reaches the orchard area.
The Arava Valley — the desert corridor running south from the Dead Sea to Eilat along Route 90 — produces some of the world’s highest-quality Medjool dates. The extreme heat, sandy soil and low humidity create ideal conditions for the large, caramel-sweet variety that commands premium prices globally. Kibbutz Ketura and Kibbutz Lotan, both visible from the highway, have date-farming operations and welcome visitors during and outside harvest season.
The date-harvest window (September–October) is when ripe clusters are cut from the tops of tall palms. Year-round, farm-gate sales operate at several kibbutzim. The drive itself is dramatic: the Arava is a narrow valley between the Negev and Jordanian Edom mountains, bone-dry and almost entirely undeveloped. A stop at Kibbutz Lotan — which also operates a permaculture and eco-tourism programme — makes a useful addition.
Figs ripen August–September in the Lower Galilee and the Judean Foothills; look for small farm-gate stands on rural roads rather than formal picking operations.
Pomegranates are harvested October–November, predominantly in the Galilee and Jordan Valley. Juice pressing operations appear at farmers’ markets and some farms in this season.
Bananas are grown year-round in the warm Jordan Valley north of the Dead Sea. Some kibbutzim near Beit She’an operate informal visitor programmes. They do not have a picking season in the traditional sense but banana plantations are a distinctive part of the Jordan Valley landscape.
These sites reconstruct ancient or traditional farming methods rather than seasonal picking — they run year-round and suit families, school groups and anyone interested in the agricultural roots of the region’s food cultures.
Neot Kedumim (near Lod, between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem) reconstructs the agricultural landscape of the Bible across 250 hectares of planted terrain. Olive groves, fig orchards, threshing floors, ancient oil presses and terraced fields represent the Seven Species of the Land (wheat, barley, grape, fig, pomegranate, olive, date) mentioned in Deuteronomy. Guided and self-guided tours run in English and Hebrew; hands-on sessions including olive pressing and grain grinding are available on specific programme days.
It is one of the few Israeli agritourism sites accessible without a car: limited bus connections run from Ben Gurion Airport and Tel Aviv on certain days — check the official Neot Kedumim website (neot-kedumim.org.il) for current transport and programme schedule. Pre-booking is recommended for English-language sessions.
Kfar Kedem sits in the hills near Kibbutz Arbel in the Lower Galilee and recreates life in a village of the Second Temple period. Activities are hands-on: visitors ride donkeys, use a stone olive press, grind grain with millstones and participate in reconstructed agricultural rituals in period clothing. The experience is theatrical and explicitly educational, aimed at families and groups wanting to understand how biblical agriculture worked rather than a working farm environment.
English-language programmes are available; pre-booking weeks ahead is advised. It combines naturally with Nazareth (20 minutes by car), the Sea of Galilee and Tiberias.
Ein Yael, in the Rephaim Valley south-west of Jerusalem’s city centre, is an archaeological farm museum set around a 2,000-year-old working estate. The site demonstrates seasonal agricultural methods — grain threshing, oil pressing, pottery and weaving — in a setting that connects urban Jerusalem with its agricultural past. It is reachable by Jerusalem city bus. Sessions are family-friendly; check the Jerusalem Municipality website for programme days and English provision.
Several kibbutzim operate visitor-accessible farm experiences beyond the standard zimmer (rural B&B) stays:
Kibbutz Lotan (Arava Valley) runs a well-regarded eco-farming and permaculture programme. Visitors can tour the organic food gardens, the bird and nature trail, and the eco-dome building projects. Short-stay visits are bookable; longer residential volunteering has historically been available for those wanting an immersive agricultural experience.
Kibbutz Ketura (Arava Valley, adjacent to Lotan) grows Medjool dates and has pioneered solar energy systems; tours of both the date farm and the solar research centre are sometimes offered through the Arava Institute.
Galilee kibbutzim hosting general farm visits are expanding under the 2026 Ministry of Agriculture investment programme. Check the current programme via the Galilee Tourism Board or regional tourism offices — new English-friendly farm programmes are being added through 2027.
Most kibbutz programmes require advance contact directly with the kibbutz guest coordinator. Walk-in visits to working farms are not generally available; organised tours or pre-booked programmes are the standard format.
A rental car is essential for most seasonal farm-picking experiences. The Golan cherry orchards, Arava date farms, Shefela strawberry farms and most of the Galilee picking sites are rural areas with no practical public transport connection.
Exceptions with non-car access:
For everyone else: pick up a car at Ben Gurion Airport (the most flexible option) and combine farm visits with a wider north Israel or Negev itinerary. The car rental guide has current comparison prices and Shabbat pickup timing notes that matter for agricultural-region weekends.
Seasonal picking is predominantly a weekend activity in Israel — farms tend to open Thursday through Saturday (noting most are closed Saturday night after Shabbat ends and on Sunday morning). Plan arrivals accordingly.
Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture announced a 13 million ILS investment in 2026 to develop agro-tourism infrastructure in the Galilee specifically for international visitors. The programme is building new visitor centres at select farms, funding English-language seasonal experiences and improving rural signage. Some elements are already operational; others are expected to roll out through 2027–2028. This makes the Galilee farm sector one of the more dynamic parts of Israel’s tourism offer for the next few years.
For current programme details, the Israel Ministry of Tourism (tourism.gov.il) and the Galilee Regional Development Authority maintain updated listings of participating farms and seasonal event calendars.
Best combined itineraries:
For all north Israel routes, the Galilee tours guide covers organised tour options if you prefer not to self-drive. Accommodation in the Galilee ranges from kibbutz guesthouses to Druze village homestays and rural zimmer lodges — a different experience from the city-hotel circuit.
The main seasons are: strawberries (February–March in the Shefela plains and Galilee), citrus and oranges (November–February in the Sharon and Central Coast moshavim), cherries (June in the Golan Heights — very brief, typically two to three weeks), and Medjool dates (September–October in the Arava and Jordan Valleys). Fig and pomegranate season runs August–September. Each season is short and dependent on that year's rainfall and temperatures, so always check with individual farms or the regional tourism boards before making a specific trip.
The Golan Heights, particularly the area around Moshav Odem and Har Avital in the upper Golan, is Israel's main cherry-growing region. The season is brief — typically two to three weeks in June — and orchards open for self-picking during that window. The Golan's elevation (700–1,000m) provides the cold winters cherry trees need to fruit. It is one of the few agricultural experiences in Israel that genuinely requires advance planning: confirm the season has opened with the specific moshav before driving up. A rental car is essential — no public transport reaches the orchard areas.
Yes. The Arava Valley — the stretch of desert highway between the Dead Sea and Eilat — produces some of the world's highest-quality Medjool dates. Kibbutz Ketura and Kibbutz Lotan (both on Route 90 south of the Dead Sea) have visitor-friendly operations and both grow dates. The harvest window is September–October when the ripe dates are cut from palm trees. Some kibbutzim also sell direct from the farm gate year-round. Visit combines naturally with a Negev road trip: the Mitzpe Ramon crater is roughly midway on the drive south from Be'er Sheva. Verify current visiting arrangements directly with each kibbutz before arriving.
Kfar Kedem is a living recreation of village life from the biblical era, set in the Lower Galilee near Arbel. Visitors ride donkeys, press olive oil, grind grain on stone mills and participate in reconstructed agricultural activities in period costume. It is primarily aimed at families and school groups and runs Hebrew and English sessions. The experience is theatrical and deliberately educational rather than a working farm — it reconstructs ancient methods rather than showing modern agriculture. Pre-booking is required; it is one of the few agritourism sites in Israel with consistent English-language provision. Combined naturally with a Nazareth or Sea of Galilee day.
For most farm-picking sites, yes — a rental car is essentially required. Strawberry farms in the Shefela or Galilee, cherry orchards in the Golan, and date farms in the Arava are all located in rural areas with no public bus access. The exceptions are the historical agritourism sites: Neot Kedumim is accessible by bus from Ben Gurion Airport or Tel Aviv on certain days (check the site's official page), and Ein Yael Farm Museum in Jerusalem is reachable by city bus. For the seasonal picking circuit, see our car rental guide for current comparison prices and pickup logistics from Ben Gurion Airport.
Israel's Ministry of Agriculture announced a 13 million ILS (approximately $3.5 million USD) investment in 2026 specifically to develop agro-tourism infrastructure in the Galilee for international visitors. The programme is funding new visitor centres at select Galilee farms, English-language seasonal picking programmes and signage improvements. Some planned experiences are already operational as of 2026; others are expected to open in 2027–2028. Check with the Israel Ministry of Tourism or individual Galilee regional councils for current programme details — the investment is ongoing and the available experiences will expand over the coming years.
By The Visit Israel Editorial Team · Last updated