The cave kids' camp
The cave kids' camp is a parents' camp: club members organise it themselves every summer and lead the children through caves. It is free, and open only to the children of Israel Cave Explorers Club members.
- Who
- Children of club members only
- Cost
- Free (a parents' camp)
- Length
- Five days in the summer. Summer 2026, fourth camp: 23 to 27 August
- Size
- 20 to 30 children each day
- Groups
- Crawlers, basic vertical caves, advanced vertical caves
Three groups
Camp diary, summer 2026
This is the fourth camp, day by day. The summaries were written during the camp on the Israeli Speleo School page.
Day 1, 23 August
The first day of the cave kids' camp. The older kids went to a refresher day on a cliff and the little ones went crawling.
Tomorrow the crawlers will crawl through a hiding complex and the older kids will split into two groups: the advanced ones will go down a 70 m vertical cave and the less advanced ones a 45 m cave.
Day 2, 24 August
The crawlers made a thorough visit to one of the finest hiding complexes in the Judean Shephelah.
The vertical-caves group split into three. The seniors went into a complex 57 m cave, and the two younger groups went one to Bor Ahikam and the other to Bor Eli.
Tomorrow back to Ofra: the crawlers to Bor HaSini, the two younger vertical groups swap places, and the senior vertical group goes down a 70 m cave.
Day 3, 25 August
The children improve from day to day, and you can clearly see it in their speed and self-confidence.
We were back in Ofra. The little ones went down Bor HaSini on the iron ladders. The older ones went down a 70 m cave, and the two younger groups swapped: the group that was in Ahikam Cave yesterday went to Bor Eli, and the other way round.
Tomorrow we go north for two days, including a night in the field.
Day 4, 26 August
We were almost without reception for two days, so this summary comes late.
The crawlers visited a cave found while a plot was being prepared for building in one of the Druze villages, thanks to the owner, who wishes to remain anonymous. The experienced group went down a cave 71 m deep. The two intermediate groups went to two caves 30 to 40 m deep.
At night we all met near the village of Harashim for a shared night in the field. At 800 m it was a cool night. The next day all the groups were due to go down Hota 6 together.
Day 5, 27 August
The fifth and last day of the camp, one of the highlights of the Israeli caving association. All the groups went down Hota 6 together.
Every day for five days, 20 to 30 children crawled, climbed, squeezed through and pushed themselves, in four caves at once. Crazy logistics, just getting each child to the cave they are meant to reach, sometimes in completely different parts of the country, preparing all the caves and packing up all the equipment.
People ask us if they can join. The short answer is: in principle yes. But there is a long and much more complicated answer, because some of these children have been building themselves up as young cavers for years. Their parents bought them equipment worth thousands of shekels and they go out to caves and train on trees and cliffs. The experienced group entered a narrow cave 70 metres deep in an hour and came out in an hour and a half.
A huge thank you to Merav Hadar Ben Ami for running the camp, organising the smallest details and handling the daily unplanned problems, while she herself had four children in the camp.
How to join
The camp is open only to the children of club members, free of charge. If you are not a member yet, you are welcome to join. The vertical-cave groups need an SRT course.
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