Exploring the fascinating Stalactite Cave was an amazing adventure. Cycling through tough terrain and enjoying the stunning views, I wanted to make cherished memories. The bikepacking route to Stalactite Cave was a perfect mix of excitement, natural beauty, and thrilling challenges. Let’s delve deeper into this trip.

Every journey is preceded by preparation, as you know. In my case, preparation consisted of purchasing the necessary equipment: a luggage rack, bags, a tent, a mattress, a sleeping bag, two pillows, and a helmet.

I did not bring a spare inner tube with me in case of a puncture. For some reason, I was confident that nothing would pose a threat to the new tires. I must admit that this was a naive and foolish idea.

I rode through the city streets for 9 km, enjoying the nice weather and the feeling of freedom. But then I encountered a road closure due to repairs, forcing me to take a detour of 2 km before finding an alternative route along the railroad tracks in the countryside.

The road along the railway was sandy in places, rocky in others, and sometimes it was necessary to overcome large puddles. It seemed funny, and I perceived it as a quest in my childhood when my friends and I would ride our bikes away from home for the whole day and explore new streets, new areas, new villages unknown to us. Long-forgotten memories awoke and this made the journey even more meaningful.

I was very inspired by the journey and didn’t realize that I had already cycled 33 kilometers. The hot weather made me feel tired, and my body started to ache. I found a shady spot, laid down on the grass, and poured water from my bottle all over myself. After a few minutes, I started to feel better and regained my energy.

I found a gas station with a café nearby. I parked my bike, bought some cold mango juice, and ate my homemade lunch. But still, I was so tired that I decided to take a nap right there at the table. After sleeping for 3 hours, I woke up and got ready to continue my journey. I bought 3 liters of cold water and moved on. Since the hottest part of the day was over, I felt more confident and energized. To stay cool, I made sure to wet my head, chest, and back frequently and also took breaks in the shade of trees. This is an important tip for cyclists traveling in hot weather.

Diving into off-roading again. Hills, valleys, muddy patches, and boulders. I forgot about everything else and just lived in the present.

I moved through the fields of various crops like bananas, watermelons, corn, sunflowers, and others. I enjoyed the calmness and the familiar surroundings of these places. I really enjoyed cycling through agricultural fields when I was a child.

Sometimes I got off the bike and checked the crop, and found that due to the strong sun, all the watermelons in the harvest turned sour inside, and the sunflowers wilted. This has resulted in major losses for Israeli agriculture.

Travelling by bike is cool because the scenery keeps changing. You go up hills, through forests, across fields, and into villages. It’s like watching a movie but you control the speed.

I visited a village where Orthodox Jews live. I sat on a bench and enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere while people went about their day.

Finding a gas station along the way brings joy. It offers the convenience of buying cold water and juce, enjoying a snack in the shaded area, and charging your phone and power bank.

I arrived at the campsite after dark. The uphill climb was tough, so I had to push my bike for about 2 kilometers. But the next morning, I effortlessly breezed down the hill.

I set up my tent and brought all my belongings inside. I spent the evening mapping out tomorrow’s route and snacking on nuts and juice.

The campground “Hidden Forest” (Google Maps) is a great place for a vacation. It has everything you need: tent spots, picnic tables, BBQs, garbage bins, and even a playground for kids. It’s spacious and located on a hill, so there’s plenty of room for everyone.

The natural beauty of these locations is breathtaking, as you can see in the photos. Such a place is the perfect place to build a dream home and live a happy life.

The American Independence Park is a large natural area covering about 7,500 acres in the south-western part of the Jerusalem Mountains. It was created by KKL-JNF in 1976 to celebrate the 200th Independence Day of the United States. You can check the park’s website for bike routes, hiking trails, and more information about the park.

Car cemetery at the base of the hill.

Just before the cave, there is a big active quarry that is a few kilometers away.

I have arrived at my destination and now I want to park the bike, eat lunch, and take a break before going to the Stalactite Cave.

You can buy food, souvenirs, and tickets at the shop in the building. The hall is big and has benches and air conditioning, so you’ll be comfortable. Before going into the cave, they show a short film about its history and stalactites. The cave was found while they were mining.

The Stalactite Cave (Google Maps), which is about 300,000 years old, has been studied by scientists to understand the climate of the region for the past 185,000 years. Geologists consider it to be a valuable source of information about the climate. However, in 2017, there was some controversy as the signs at the site mentioned that the formation of stalactites took “many years” instead of the scientifically measured 300,000 years. This conflicted with religious beliefs that the world was only created 5,000 years ago.

The Stalactite Cave is amazing. Stalactites look strange but fascinating. For more information, you can check out the Stalactite Cave Wikipedia page and find details about tickets and opening hours here.

The mountains have a beautiful view of the valley and the city.

I stopped under some trees and accidentally ran over thorns. I didn’t realize it until I had already ridden 2 kilometers. Since I didn’t have an extra inner tube, I had to walk 9 kilometers in the hot weather, pushing my bike to the nearest bike shop on the highway.

The mechanic fixed a flat tire by replacing the inner tube. He mentioned that the inner tube didn’t have a gel layer inside, which caused the flat tire. So, I bought two gel inner tubes from him and quickly rode back home straight down the highway.

This trip had everything except a fast race. It took me 2.5 hours to cover 45 kilometers and satisfy my need for speed.

At the end, I will sum it up and say again that the journey was amazing! It gave me a lot of good and exciting feelings and also taught me a lesson for my naivety. You can find some extra details and stats of the route on my Komoot profile. Good luck, folks, and stay safe on your journey!