MyWorldReviews.com

Ein Gedi Botanical Gardens

Ein Gedi, HaDarom, Israel

Inside the Ein Gedi Botanical Gardens

The Ein Gedi Botanical Gardens are a set of gardens that are built around the Ein Gedi Kibbutz. There is an administration building at the entrance to the Kibbutz. Visitors pay their fee at the administration building (parking just outside the entrance is fine).

Visitors are then invited to watch a 10-minute video in either English or Hebrew. The informational video is really quite poor - it doesn't provide any historical information on the Kibbutz, it just shows a selection of flowers and plants that are located in the gardens. The video was also quite old, and of poor quality. Definitely feel free to skip the video!

The gardens at Ein Gedi were really quite nice. They had a large selection of cacti and tropical plants that were great to look at. The view from the area is also very beautiful. The Kibbutz is located on the slopes of red mountains with a view of the Dead Sea. Our group also got quite lucky - after we arrived, a local came up to us and said he had some free time, and offered to show us around. He told us a little bit about some of the plants that were growing. He spoke mainly Hebrew, although he did make the occasional effort to say something in English.

Unfortunately, there aren't any restaurants or food places located near the botanical gardens, so we decided to eat at the Ein Gedi Cafeteria. That was a disappointment! If you're going to the area, bring your own food, or leave early enough that you can get somewhere else for meal time.

Cost

The entrance fee to the gardens is 26 NIS per person, or 22 NIS for students/children/seniors. Cameras and video cameras are permitted.

Estimated Visiting Time

Another picture inside the Ein Gedi Botanical Gardens

60-90 minutes is probably sufficient for a leisurely walk through the gardens.