(Communicated by the Israeli Ministry of Tourism)

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), in partnership with Google Israel, is photographing the Israel National Trail using Google Street View technology for Google Maps. This will be the longest hiking trail ever photographed to Google Maps and the first that stretches the length of an entire country.

Over the next three months, SPNI’s Youth Volunteers will hike the 1,100 km Israel National Trail carrying Google Street View Trekker cameras to map the trail for future hikers and users. Two specially built cameras have arrived in Israel for this project.

The Israel National Trail was inaugurated by SPNI in 1995, creating a hiking track across the entire country. The trail begins in Kibbutz Dan in northern Israel and ends at SPNI’s Eilat Field School on the Red Sea. It passes through the Galilee, Carmel, along the Mediterranean coastline, the cities of Tel Aviv, Rosh Ha’ayin and Elad, the Modi’in area, the Judean lowlands, archeological sites at Bet Guvrin, the Negev wildernesses and the Eilat Mountains.

The Israel National Trail embodies the nature, landscape, heritage, tradition, religions and cultures that make up the kaleidoscope of modern Israeli society, making the trail an unforgettable experience. The Israel National Trail tells the story of this country, of its people and heritage, its various landscapes, flora and fauna. The entire melting pot of Israeli society can be seen on the trail - young children, youth groups, soldiers, tourists, immigrants, families and senior citizens. The Israel National Trail is a registered trademark of SPNI.

Google's Street View project was launched in May 2007 and is currently available in 66 countries on all seven continents. It allows users to explore virtually and navigate neighborhoods, historical areas and cultural sites through panoramic street-level images. Google Street View lets you explore some of the most breathtaking natural wonders and world heritage sites. The Israel National Trail will be joining a long list of hikes and landscapes that are documented in Google Maps. Among the different sites that can be viewed are Khumbu Valley at the foot of Mount Everest in Nepal, the Colorado River, the biggest corals in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef and the Ancient Pyramids at Giza.