Manot offers two different ways to experience a stay: wine tasting at Firuan Boutique Winery in Moshav Manot and the nearby Manot Cave. The winery focuses on winemaking and tasting; the cave combines distinctive karst formations with archaeological traces. If you are looking for a hotel, this distinction can help you decide what to focus on during your trip in advance.

Wine Tasting in Moshav Manot

Firuan Boutique Winery in Moshav Manot offers couples a wine tasting by prior arrangement, accompanied by a talk about winemaking. The offering includes three types of wine, a cheese platter, mineral water, and espresso. The stated price is ₪250 per couple. The visit combines a tasting with an insight into winemaking.

Prior arrangement is part of the offering. So, if you want to make wine tasting a firm part of your plans, check availability before your visit.

Manot Cave: Karst Formations and Prehistory

The nearby Manot Cave is a karst cave with numerous stalactites and stalagmites. The terms distinguish the formations by their direction: stalactites hang from the ceiling, while stalagmites rise from the floor. This makes it possible to distinguish the cave’s geological features from its archaeological finds.

During an initial examination of the cave, a human skull fragment was found and dated to approximately 55,000 years before present. In addition, settlement layers were identified and attributed to the Atlitien and Levantine Aurignacian cultures. Thus, a single find with an approximate date and culturally attributed layers stand as distinct archaeological evidence.

Animal use is also part of the cave’s history: during periods when no people were staying in the cave, it served as a shelter for hyenas, which brought their prey there. Alongside its human prehistory, the cave therefore also has a recorded animal history.

Archaeological Sites in the Wider Destination of the Northern District

In the wider destination of the Northern District, Tel Hazor offers a distinct archaeological focus. As a biblical tell, the site preserves significant remains of a city with biblical connections. The visit focuses on the upper city. There, Solomon’s Gate, dating to the 10th century BCE, is one of the notable structures: it has six chambers and two towers. The Canaanite palace at Tel Hazor was used by the kings of Hazor in the 14th and 13th centuries BCE. The Late Bronze Age palace is considered the most elaborate in Israel and one of the most significant in the Levant.

Another highlight is Tel Hazor’s underground water-collection system. Its significant remains represent sophisticated engineering adapted to the geography for water storage. The excavated shaft is 45 meters deep. Three-meter-wide steps are cut into the walls of the vertical shaft in the water system. Tel Hazor’s fortifications are also considered the finest example of their kind in the area from southern Turkey to the northern Negev.

Tel Megiddo adds another perspective on archaeological sites in the Northern District. The tell preserves significant remains of a city with biblical connections and is closely linked to events in the Bible. The Early Bronze Age temple complex is exceptional in terms of the number of its temples, the continuity of cult activity, and the documented ritual activities. The orthogonal Iron Age city plan has few parallels in the Levant.

Discover more destinations: Yokne'am, Hashmona'im, Nahariyya, Maagan, Shefer, Sde Tzvi, Keramim, Bethlehem.

To the wider travel overview: Israel.