Israel tourism and travel guide 

Hula Lake is an artificial lake of 494 acres, created between 1993-1998 and surrounded by the agricultural fields of the Hula Valley. Until fifty years ago, most of the Hula Valley area was flooded by a giant swamp stretching for 14,826 acres. Following the establishment of the State of Israel, a national project was initiated to drain and dry the Hula. The principle aim was to settle this outlying area and to create thousands of acres of agricultural area, needed to intensify and increase food production for the young state which had been established two years earlier, in 1948.
As the years went by, it became clear that the peat which lay under the great swamp was not very fertile and that internal fires tended to break out underneath it. The peat was rich in organic compounds which found their way into the Jordan river and flowed into Lake Kinneret, one of the most important water sources of Israel, and this led to the flowering of algae which harmed the quality of the water in the lake. In addition, the east winds in the valley lifted the dry peat into the air, causing dust storms. Thus, it was ultimately decided to recreate Hula Lake. With the creation of the lake, a new resting site was created for the hundred of thousand of migrating birds who fly over the Hula Valley each autumn and spring on their way from Europe to Africa and then back again. These include tens of thousands of cranes, pelicans and birds of prey along with many different types of aquatic birds: coots, mallards, herons, cormorants and more.
The entrance to the lake area begins from the Visitor's Center. We recommend that the visitor first watch the short film presenting the story of the lake. From the Visitors Center, bicycles or golf carts may be rented for an hour and a half to tour the lake area. The comfortable paths and the concealed observation points have made this spot one of the dozen best bird watching sites in the world.