Journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem
Spring: 21 March - 1 April 2019 Autumn: 20 September - 1 October 2019 |
Day 1: Arrival. Arrival at Tel Aviv International Airport. Transfer to hotel in Nazareth. Introduction and welcome by Angels Tours & Travel representative. Dinner and overnight in Nazareth.
Day 2: Nazareth & Mount Tabor. Tour of the Old City of Nazareth including the Church of the Annunciation, St. Joseph’s Church, Mary’s Well and the Melkite “synagogue church.” Bus transfer to Mount Tabor. Ascend Mount Tabor and visit the Monastery of the Transfiguration. Bus transfer to Jenin. Tour in Jenin City, and after a bus transfer to Zababdeh.
Length: city-walk
Dinner and overnight with local families in Zababdeh, a Christian village near Jenin
Day 3: Zababdeh to Sanur. Begin hike from Zababdeh towards Sanur village through the northern West Bank hills, passing the villages of Miselia and Jurba en route to Sanur.
Length: 20 km
Dinner and overnight with local families in Sanur
Day 4: Sanur to Sebastia.
Begin hike from Sanur, travelling through villages of Jabe’ and Beit Emreen to Sebastia. Arrive to Sebastia, visit the archeological sites of Sebastia.
Length: 15 km
Dinner with local families, and overnight at Guest House in Sebastia
Day 5: Sebastia to Nablus. Hike from Sebastia to Nablus. Visit Jacob’s Well and Tel Balata (Biblical Shechem). After checking in our hotel in the Old City of Nablus, walking tour of the Old City.
Length: 12 km
Dinner and overnight in hotel in the Old City of Nablus
Day 6: Nablus to Duma. Transfer to Awarta, tour of the Ottoman-era buildings and religious Sufi Muslim mausoleum shrines. Continue hike to Mount Awrma. Rest at Mount Awrma and enjoy landscape and local archeological site. Continue through Aqraba, Majdal Bani Fadil to Duma village.
Length: 18 km
Dinner and overnight with local families in Duma
Day 7: Duma to Ein Auja. Descend Jordan Valley Hills to Auja Spring (Ein Auja), one of the largest water sources in the Jordan Valley.
Length: 18 km
Dinner and overnight with Bedouin Shepherd’s near Al Auja
Day 8: Auja to Jericho: Journey to the Mount of Temptation with its Cliffside Greek Orthodox monastery. Hike to Jericho, Drive to the Dead Sea for an afternoon swim.
Length: 12 km
Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Jericho
Day 9: Jericho to Nabi Musa: Hike through Wadi Qelt to the Greek Orthodox monastery of St. George Khoziba. Hike to Muslim pilgrimage shrine of Nabi Musa.
Length: 15 km
Dinner and overnight in a Guest House near Nabi Musa
Day 10: Nabi Musa to Mar Saba: hike through Bethlehem wilderness to the Greek Orthodox monastery of Mar Saba in the Kidron Valley, with stop at Hyrcania, one of King Herod’s mountain-top fortresses.
Length: 17 km
Dinner and overnight in a Bedouin community near the monastery
Day 11: Mar Saba to Bethlehem: Hike from Bethlehem wilderness to east Bethlehem villages. Visit to Mar Theodosius, where the Magi were told by the angel to return to their lands in a different direction. Stop in Beit Sahour, place of the Shepherds, then continue on to the Church of the Nativity: the end of our journey and the starting point of the Christian faith!
Length: 9 km
Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem Hotel.
Day 12: Jerusalem. Take the bus to Jerusalem. Visit the Old City of Jerusalem: Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Church of St. Anne, Pool of Bethsaida, Flagellation Chapel, Haram Al-Sharif (Al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, if possible), Via Dolorosa and Western Wall. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem, and prepare for departure.
Length: City-walk
Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 13: Departure. Transfer to Tel Aviv international airport for departure.