170,000 Israelis flock to national parks on final day of Passover

Some 170,000 Israelis visited national parks Friday for the final day of the Passover holiday.

Nature reserves and parks with water bodies saw the highest number of visitors, among them the Yarkon-Tel Afek park with some 5,000 visitors and the Ein Gedi reserve with some 4,000 visitors, the Nature and Parks Authority said.

The Tel Ashkelon, Caesarea and Gan Hashlosha parks and Banias Nature reserve saw some 3,000 visitors each, the authority said.

Elsewhere, some 25,000 people visited the Sea of Galilee, the Kinneret Authority said, with several of its recognized beaches closing due to reaching capacity.

The Nature and Parks Authority said it was anticipating many more visitors over Saturday as well, and recommended booking visits in advance to ensure entry in the event of overcrowding.

Friday was the final day of the week-long Jewish holiday, but most Israelis will only return to work on Sunday.