Metula is Israel's northernmost town, a tiny settlement of around 2,000 people perched on a finger of land that juts into Lebanon. Founded in 1896 as one of the earliest Jewish agricultural colonies, the town sits at about 500 metres elevation with views north into the Litani River valley and east toward Mount Hermon.
There is not much to Metula itself — a single main street, a few guesthouses, and the Canada Centre, an ice-skating rink and sports facility that is incongruously popular in this warm climate. The real reason to come is the setting: the Iyyon Nature Reserve on the edge of town has a waterfall trail through a shaded gorge, and the area is a good base for hiking in the Golan Heights and the upper Galilee. The Fatima Gate border crossing to Lebanon, once a notable humanitarian conduit, is visible from the edge of town and carries a heavy recent history. The nearby Tel Hai site, 8 km south, is the most historically significant monument in the region.