Skip to Content

Rosh Hanikra: White Chalk Cliffs & the Mediterranean Sea

Rosh Hanikra sunset

At the very northern tip of Israel, on the border with Lebanon, is a strange geologic formation. Rosh Hanikra (“head of the grottoes”) is an area where white chalk cliffs meet the Mediterranean Sea. Many grottoes (or caverns) have formed throughout the picturesque cliffs because of the constant battering by the sea.

The tourist location is advertised as the place of “a love story between the sea and the mountain.” A cable car takes you down from the top of the mountain to where the grottoes are. A short video gives you a strange history and description of the region. The British ordered a tunnel to be blashed through the mountain for a rail line connecting Cairo with Istanbul—linking the Allied troops during the war.

In 1948 the railway bridge between the tunnels was destroyed to disconnect the British Mandate of Palestine from Lebanon.

Rosh Hanikra grottoes

With the water-formed grottoes and the blasted tunnel, the location along the sea is a relaxing & romantic stop—especially at sunset.

Rosh Hanikra, White Chalk Cliffs

  1. Elad Avron says:

    Wow, these are really awesome pictures! Did you take them? If so, what camera are you using?

    • Adam says:

      Thanks Elad!

      And yep, they’re my photos. Taken with just a Canon G10 – nothing too special.

  2. Sarah Peduzzi says:

    Wow this looks incredible. And yes romantic, but also looks like a peaceful place just to BE.

  3. Susan says:

    So beautiful.

  4. Emily Groffman says:

    Beautiful. The Mediterranean never fails to impress me.

    • Adam says:

      Yep! It’s nice to get to live alongside it for a short while, too. Though you definitely lived much much closer to it than I have!

  5. Russell Burck says:

    Great to hear from you again, Adam. Rosh Hanikra is beautiful and mysterious. Your pix make me want to go there. The Rosh Hanikra website says that you can see into it from the tourist site. Is it easy to get into the caves from there?
    Their website also refers to the possibility that the site was the home of ancient fish ponds. Reminds me of Moloka’i and its ancient fishponds.
    Thanks again, Russ (http://scribblerstravels.com/)

    • Adam says:

      Thank you very much Russell!

      It’s an incredibly easy-to-access tourist attraction. I’m pretty sure I only spent a short amount of time here, too – it’s rather small. I think they also rent it out for weddings and big groups.

  6. Spencer says:

    Looks utterly beautiful! The kind of place where you could spend a lovely afternoon losing yourself in your thoughts.

  7. enrolled agent cpe says:

    When you look at the pictures, it is certainly a love story of the nature’s finest. It is very rare to find a spot where the land meets the sea in such a splendid way.

  8. Rosh Hanikra : Northern Israel | Cultural Travel says:

    […] Rosh Hanikra: White Chalk Cliffs & the Mediterranean Sea […]

Comments are closed.