Richard Woolf - Tour Guide
Richard Woolf, a locally based official licensed tour guide, is a native English speaker and takes individuals, couples and small families on tailor-made tours around Israel. He is very familiar with Safed and the whole Galilee as he has lived in nearby Rosh Pina since making aliyah from Britain over 40 years ago. He is therefore an excellent choice as a guide whether you are just looking for a short walking tour of Safed, or a two week tour of the whole country.
Why Have An Official Guide?
Tour guiding courses are approved by The Israel Ministry of Tourism which sets the examinations at the end of the course and licenses the guides. These courses usually take between 18 months and 2 years to complete. They require students go on tourist site familiarization tours themselves in addition to considerable classroom study. These courses are extremely rigorous, giving students an accurate knowledge of the history, geography and archeology of the country, as well subjects like geology and botany. Guides must also have a basic understanding of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, whatever their own personal beliefs may be.
Guide licenses have to be renewed every year, and this includes taking a few refresher seminars. Apart from passing the examinations, guides have various character checks before they get their initial guide badge. So when you take a licensed tour guide you can be sure that you are getting someone who really knows the country and is an upright person.
Why Choose Richard?
Richard offers friendly, personalized tours, which are tailor made for just for you. As a native English speaker you can be reassured that you be able to understand him easily. He also has fluent Hebrew and will be able to deal with any problems that might arise simply and straightforwardly. Richard is very experienced as he has been guiding for over fifteen years.
Official Vehicle
Richard gives tours in an official tour guide vehicle which means that he is properly insured to carry up to six passengers, and has the necessary public vehicle driving license. His car also has to have a safety check once a month so you can feel at ease when touring with him.
Richard's Tours
Discussing your exact requirements enables Richard to help you make the best use of your valuable time. Whether you want to visit of all the historical and religious sites in the country or just take a day visiting one or two sites, Richard will be happy to oblige. If you travel in his car rather than a hired one, you don't have to worry about driving on unfamiliar roads and can just enjoy the scenery, although he can accompany your vehicle if you prefer. Unlike other guides, he doesn't require accommodation in either the north or in Jerusalem, so you don't have that extra expense. In order to protect local guides, Israeli guides are not allowed to cross the border into either Egypt or Jordan. If you want to cross the border, to visit for example Petra, Richard can't accompany you but will be happy to make suitable arrangements for you.
Guide Book
Richard also produces an annual guide to touring the Galilee and the north. The book is packed with ideas for both driving and walking tours, and a simplified road map of the whole area. It's a must have even for locals, and is available at tourist information offices.
