Mount Hermon is Israel’s highest mountain, standing 2,814 meters above sea level. It offers glorious views of Israel and neighboring Lebanon and Syria, but for a wheelchair user, views are all it offers. The hiking trails aren’t accessible, and the ski resort offers no adapted ski lessons or equipment.
If you choose to visit, here’s some accessibility information:
If you have a disability certificate stating you need a 24/7 caregiver or an equivalent to the Israeli “exception from paying for a companion” , your caregiver doesn’t need to purchase an entry or cableway ticket.
Most visitors arriving at the Hermon site must park their vehicles at the bottom parking lot and take the shuttle up to the bottom cableway station. The shuttle isn’t wheelchair accessible. If you are a wheelchair user with a wheelchair parking badge, you can drive up to the bottom cableway station. If you’re a tourist and don’t have a parking badge, explain to the staff that you’re a wheelchair user and can’t ride the shuttle – they’ll let you through.
At the bottom cableway station, I could roll around on the packed snow, but all the fun activities weren’t adapted for wheelchair users. Yet.
Once at the cableway, you can skip the line by rolling through the exit way. The cablecars are tiny, just enough for one wheelchair user and maybe two more people.
At the top station, there’s not much to do for wheelchair users. The cafeteria and the bathroom are wheelchair-accessible, but no viewing platform or a stepless way out.
