The Lemon Valley Garden and Pool. (Photo by: Alena Jabarine)

They say the best destination is not on any map yet.

It is on trips like these that we truly feel and appreciate the spirit of Ahlan Palestine, that aims to discover and find the best destinations in Palestine that are not heavily advertised or talked about.

A hidden treasure in Aboud

Malak takes a photo of Bisan with a watermelon at the entrance to the Lemon Valley Garden and pool. (Photo by: Al e na Jabarine)

On a very early Friday morning, Malak and I decided to discover a new trail in the village of Deir Ghassaneh, a small village north of Ramallah with many old stone-houses and palaces that stand to bear witness to the village’s rich and mesmerizing history.

After walking for few hours in Deir Ghassaneh, we decided to go back to a destination we loved and wrote about before, Ein Zarqa Spring. We drove through Beit Rima down to the Lemon Valley in Aboud village. Aboud is located 30 km northwest of Ramallah, sitting 450 meters above sea level. It is also known as the “City of Flowers” and has a beautiful mountainous landscape cultivated with olive trees.

Besides its rich natural heritage, Aboud is equally rich in its historical treasures. It has several churches, monasteries, and mosques that are built on foundations dating back to Byzantine, Ottoman, and Crusader periods.

While we were driving towards Ein Zarqa, we passed by a place surrounded with trees and a wooden fence. Being the curious beings we are, we decided to go in to find out what this place is exactly.

Malak (left) and Bisan (right) at the Lemon Valley Garden and Pool. (photo by: Mohammad Zarour)

We were surprised to find a very cozy garden filled with lemon trees and two swimming pools filled with the water of a fresh spring from the surrounding mountains.

The place is built, owned and run by Abu Radi, a very humble Palestinian man from Aboud. Abu Radi showed us around the place and we were very impressed and decided to come back during the week.

Few days later, we prepared ourselves, put on our swim wear, packed few snacks and headed to the Limon Valley Garden and Pool. It was a special day, as two of our friends joined our adventure. Maha who came all the way from Jerusalem and Alena, a Palestinian-German journalist who works with Malak.

Hussien Abu Eida, a Palestinian originally from Hebron but lives in Ramallah. His watermelon stand is located at the entrance of the Rihan residential compound on the way to Birzeit. (photo by: Malak Hasan)

On the way to Birzeit, we spotted a watermelon seller exactly by Jabal Al Nijme road at the entrance of the Rihan residential compound. Malak immediately asked Maha to stop so we can buy a water melon to take with us on our trip. We also bought white cheese to eat with the watermelon, because nothing beats a chilled watermelon with white cheese while swimming on a hot day.

(Side note: Malak asked Hussein to give us the best watermelon he has and she promised to visit him again and give him her feedback. Guess what? We actually went back to tell him the watermelon was amazing! He was so happy and gave Malak another watermelon as a gift. And you wonder why we love this land and its people.)

We also bought some fresh Fakous “Armenian cucumbers” on the way as this area is very well known for planting organic Fakous, a vegetable widely known in Palestine that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae gourd family. We enjoyed Alena’ss reaction trying her first Fakous ever.

Splash, Splash, Splash!

The minute we arrived at the garden Abu Radi welcomed us and led us to our table under the shade of the lemon tree. We spent our day swimming and having the best time around the pool area, making the biggest splash and playing ball in the water with children from villages around Aboud, who came that day to enjoy the chill water too. (Check our instagram for more videos and photos from the day)

The place had a different vibe every few hours. And as the sun started to go down, and the pool got empty, the place became magical and we were tempted to camp at the garden, which is also a possibility if you have the necessary camping gear!

We did not camp this time, but we promise to do that and report on it for you all. We left the valley around sunset and headed back to Ramallah.

(From left) Malak, Bisan and Abu Radi sit at the spring that feeds the pools at the Limon Valley Garden and Pool. (Photo by: Mohammad Zarour)

We Recommend:

Visit this place very early in the morning or later in the afternoon if you have the ability to camp to enjoy the quiet sunset or sunrise.
Visit this place during the week instead of the weekend, if you prefer a quiet place because it could get really loud during the weekend.
Take your food, snacks and drinks with you or ask Abu Radi to prepare a meal for you that day. You can also buy your snacks from his small cafeteria to support him.
If you are a big group, you can ask for Zarb, a meal cooked based on an ancient technique of preparing food in underground pits and is usually prepared with chicken, goat, or sheep, as well as various vegetables such as carrots, onions, potatoes, or tomatoes. If you decide on this option you will have to call Abu Radi a day before so he can prepare it.
Take a comfortable footwear as the beauty of the surrounding areas might tempt you to go for a walk or a hike to Ein Zarqa spring, which we wrote about before.
For questions or reservations call Abu Radi at +970599281815.
This is the best destination for people traveling on a budget. It is cheaper than anything that you will find in the Ramallah area.

Directions:

Leave Ramallah through Birzeit town towards Rawabi city. At the Rawabi roundabout, keep driving straight towards the entrance of the village of Nabi Saleh.
Once at the intersection, take your left away from Nabi Saleh and drive straight. You will pass by Deir Abu Meshal before you see another intersection with a sign saying Aboud on the right side.
Take your right and enter Aboud and drive straight until you find a sign saying Wadi Al Limon or Lemon valley, take that exit driving between the old houses and backyards of the village.
Keep driving down a steep hill and you will reach another intersection with another road going up the hill on the right side.
Keep driving straight and only few meters ahead you will see the Lemon Vally Garden and Pool on your right.
The road on the right side of the intersection will take you straight to Beit Rima and Deir Ghasaneh. You can also arrive at the Lemon Valley driving through Nabi Saleh (See Map above).

Hope you enjoyed reading this as much we enjoyed the experience and writing about it! Stay tuned for more adventures and do not forget to share this with your friends.

Sunrise over the Dead Sea in Palestine from the area near Arab Al Rashayde Bedouin community. (By: Malak Hasan)

Bisan and myself have camped in many places around the world; we camped in the golden deserts of Dubai in the UAE, the medieval city of Visby in Sweden, the majestic mountains of Malga in Spain and last but not least the Rose City of Petra in Jordan. Shockingly, we have never camped in Palestine, our homeland and the place where we spend most of our time.

But this finally changed this week when my friend Nayef Hamouri, a talented Palestinian photographer invited Bisan and I to join him on a hiking and camping trip in Arab Al Rashayde, a bedouin community in the southern West Bank, close to an area overlooking the Dead Sea. The trip has been done annually under the name “Tent and a Moon”, a very romantic name I must admit! And we were so excited to finally have the chance to camp in Palestine.

I think the reason why we never camped here before is because we were so preoccupied with camping and traveling abroad, we were unsure if it is safe or not, or if it can be done properly like in other countries. Turns out many people camp in many areas and it all is a matter of good preparation and knowing the right locations to camp safely. (Check out or new series about camping in Palestine).

Leading up to camp day,

The group was consisted of 30 people, from all parts of Palestine. Photo in 360 by: Malak Hasan.

Deciding that we would like to learn more about camping in Palestine, we signed up for the trip and it cost us 165 shekel per person. The price was actually very affordable, especially because the cost was shared by a large number of people. Sometimes you take part in other outdoor activities in Palestine and unfortunately you pay a lot for a simple hike, which is why we were eager to join this specific group.

It was important for us to be prepared as well, because camping in the desert comes with its own set of challenges such as the low temperatures at night, painful insect bites and the lack of access to any shops or stores while camping in a remote desert. For that reason, Bisan and I purchased a 4-person tent, sleeping bags, hiking back bags, torch lights a bit more. (Check out our Camping 101 video to see what you need for a camping trip).

Bisan shares her top essentials for a camping trip. (by: Malak Hasan)

Being the photographer in this gang, I also had to make sure that my gear is ready and that I have everything I might need for a successful photography trip. I took a DSLR camera, one wide lens, a polarizing lens, a wired shutter release, extra charged battery, car battery charger, tripod and extra memory card.

You probably would need more preparation if you are planning to shoot through the night, but because my main goal was to photograph the sunrise, I did not feel the need to bring a long more lenses and batteries. It would be very heavy to carry in the hike.

Camping Day,

Dareen, Abu Al Abbas, Bisan and Malak posing before starting the hike at Arab Al Rashayde Bedouin Community. (By: Yazan Taha).

We all met at 3PM to take off to the camping site and it was so lovely getting to know people in the bus. I am not sure if this is a universal phenomena, but a bus ride is the best chance to get to know companions in travel, laugh, chat and most importantly dance before you even get to your destination. Our group was simply the best and we laughed so hard it was ridiculous.

The funniest part was when we noticed that we are driving through Bethlehem. We were a bit shocked because we honestly thought that we are going to camp over the Dead Sea near the city of Jericho. We realized then that the camping site is actually near Arab al-Rashayida, a Palestinian village located twelve kilometers east of Jerusalem. The village is in the Bethlehem Governorate, central West Bank.

Approaching the bedouin community, we started to see sheep herds and shepherds scattered over the hills, the empty and vast yellow mountains and small kids waving at the bus from afar. This is one of the most precious characteristics of Palestine; you can find all sorts of landscapes and experience different climates in such a small space.

We arrived at the site and were told that we will hike for a few kilometers to the camping site overlooking the Dead Sea. We were offered a chance to leave our heavy bags in one of the cars, which will be driving to the camp site. That was actually a good offer because without the heavy bags, we were able to enjoy the walk and spend more time taking smashing pictures.

The hike was actually very easy and the weather was cool, because we started around sunset. We left Ramallah around 3PM and arrived at the bedouin site around 5PM, and this meant we were hiking with the sun setting and the weather was not as hot as we thought. While this was a good aspect hiking at night, this also meant that we will arrive at the camping site after dark and miss the chance to see the Dead Sea at sunset.

Bisan and I were divided on whether it is better to hike in the afternoon or at sunset, so we decided to leave it up to you to decide what you like more.

Sunset Hike VS. Afternoon Hike

You hike in cooler temperatures, but have limited daylight.
You see the sun set over the yellow dunes from the west (great for photographers).
You hike in the moonlight especially if it is a full moon night.

The weather is still relatively hot, but you have enough daylight.
You arrive around sunset at the Dead Sea, but will not get a great shot because the sun is setting behind the mountains behind you.
You avoid hiking in the dark, which could be riskier.

Camping at site,

The group gathered up around the fire sharing stories of travel, photography and life. (By: Malak Hasan).

Mid hike the organizers decided to transport us in cars instead of hiking the remaining few kilometers for reasons I am honestly not sure about, but Bisan and I agree that it would have been an amazing hike for lovers of hiking. We arrived at the site and the food was waiting for us; rice, lamb and a green Arabic salad. We ate, cleaned up and began to set up our tents. It was a bit windy at first which made the process of setting up tents a bit fun! (Watch our story highlight to see how one tent required the help of 5 people!)

The bedouin group we were with provided us with camping mats which we used to sleep in the tents and they also stayed the night with us for protection and guidance. The group we were with is that of tour guide Farhan Ali, a Palestinian bedouin from Arab Al Rashayde community and an expert in this field, which we recommend you contact him in case you want to camp at Arab Al Rashayde. You can find his contact info on his Facebook page.

It was an experience dinning with the Bedouin tour guides and hearing their stories from the past and sharing their insights about life as a bedouin. While it seemed like a difficult life to adopt for me and the rest of the group, it was clearly the only thing they want and enjoy. Abu Hussein, a very funny old man, told me that while our kids in the city were locked up in cement blocks and are fearful of going anywhere, their children are free with the wilderness as their home and backyard. He made us want to try to explore their lifestyle further and experience life as free bedouin souls. You never know, maybe Bisan and I will move into a Bedouin community for few days!

Abu Hussein posing in front of the sunrise over the Dead Sea near Arab Al Rashayde Bedouin community near Bethlehem (By: Malak Hasan).

During the night, we sat in groups around the big bonfire and shared our stories about travel, life and the future. It was a beautiful experience and chance to leave our phones and technology behind and simply enjoy the moment. But soon, Bisan and many others sneaked into their tents and decided to get some rest before dawn. Meanwhile, I stayed up to watch the moon dive slowly behind the mountains and the sun rays start to light up the day.

Around 5am and as a few hikers started to wake up, we moved to sit at the edge of the camp sit to set up our cameras and phones on the tripods in anticipation of a majestic sunrise. We drank Arabic coffee and talked about how blessed we are to be able to see another sunrise. As the sun peaked from behind the Jordan mountains, everyone was quiet for the first time since we arrived at the site. It was definitely a moment that reminded us of everything beautiful in life, including being able to share such a moment with the people you love and care about.

We then had a very simple breakfast made of jam, Labaneh (strained yogurt), Qalayit Bandura (A tomato pan with garlic and green chillies) and hot black tea. As the sun continued to rise along with the temperature of the location, we gathered our belongings, dismantled our tents and cleaned up in preparation for departure and the last exciting part of our day; racing in pickups through the desert!

We got in the back of a 4×4 pickup with Abu Rasheed, also a local from Arab Al Rashayde community who clearly enjoyed drifting in the desert too much. He got too excited when we started cheering for him to go faster and we ended up racing other cars and beating a few on the way back to the bedouin community.

We are so happy to have been able to experience this amazing trip and we plan to camp in more places around Palestine and continue to provide you with the more experiences to learn from and maybe live yourself. We have a lot more stories and videos from this amazing day and you can find all of it on our instagram page and the stories highlights.

Tag: west bank

Swim in the Lemon Valley