Pilgrimage to Israel: Walking the "Jerusalem Way" - INTI Tours

Arrival from Stuttgart via Vienna to Tel Aviv. Reception and approximately two-hour drive to Nazareth. First dinner with getting to know the group and the tour guide. Overnight stay at the Villa Nazareth Hotel.

Your first day of travel takes you first through Arab-Israeli Nazareth with its special sights: the impressive Catholic Church of the Annunciation, the intimate Orthodox Gabriel Church and the Arab market - the Souk. A short drive takes you to Zippori, which is famous for its fine mosaic work and ancient cistern system. From here you walk on an easy path through sparse forest to Cana. On the way you will pass through the Arab village of Mash'had, which boasts the tomb of the Prophet Jonah. In Canaah, a meeting and talk with the Jewish-Arab women's initiative Sindyanna of Galilee is planned to learn more about the coexistence of Jewish and Arab Israelis. A bus transfer of about one hour will take you to Kibbutz Lavi. This religious kibbutz is special - the socialist tradition of the kibbutz movement unites here with the old religious Jewish tradition. Second night at Villa Nazareth Hotel. (7 km / 4 hrs - times include breaks)
> Hiking time: approx. 3-4 hrs.

After breakfast, walk over the Kibbutz with explanations of the history of the Kibbutz by a Kibbutz member. A short bus transfer takes you to the tomb of the Druze saint and prophet Jethro, also called Nabi Shuaib. You will visit the sanctuary with the tomb and the impressive festival hall and learn more about this small religious community. Continue on to the Arbel National Park. After a short walk, the Arbel cliff offers a fantastic view of the mountains of Lower and Upper Galilee, as well as the Sea of Galilee. If you feel like it, you can descend to the Wadi Hammam - also known as the Dove Valley - in about an hour via a narrow path (you need to have a head for heights and be sure-footed). If this is too adventurous for you, you can take a leisurely walk back to the bus and meet the hikers in the village of Hammam.  In nearby rural Moschav Migdal - whose name recalls the ancient and in its time largest city on the Sea of Galilee, as well as Mary of Migdal/ Magdalene - visit the excavations. Overnight at Karei Deshe Guest House.
> Hiking information: 1-2 hrs.

Today you visit the Mount of Beatitudes and the famous Capernaum of the Franciscans with its excavations. A short pilgrimage walk takes you to Tabgha. Continue on to Capernaum. A few metres away, the traditional place of the Russian Orthodox Church lies almost forgotten and quiet. Here the beauty of the sea atmosphere invites you to inner peace and meditation. After a lunch break, you will travel by bus along the Jordan Rift Valley to the Dead Sea. Enjoy a bath in the Dead Sea and let yourself float like a cork on the water. Overnight at Almog Guest House with wonderful views.
> Hiking time: approx. 1 hr. 
> Total driving time: approx. 3 hrs.

Today you will experience a real desert day! The landscape of the Judean desert early in the morning in the first sunlight is overwhelming. Today's first destination is Nabi Musa, which is revered in Islam as the tomb of the Prophet Moses. Then a short drive to the gorge of Wadi Qelt. You will visit the St. George Monastery and then hike for about two hours through the impressive nature of the wadi down to Jericho. After a short orientation drive through the "oldest city in the world", you will spend your lunch break here. Afterwards you will learn more about the life of the Bedouins, who will tell you about their cultural balancing act between centuries-old Bedouin traditions and modernity. Second overnight stay at Almog Guest House.
> Hiking information: approx. 3 hrs.

A shorter drive takes you to the Mount of Olives with the best view of Jerusalem. Here you will take part in a unique experience: under expert guidance you will become "amateur archaeologists" and sift ceramic shards from "historical rubble" of the Temple Mount. Afterwards, the tour continues via the Kidron Valley to the City of David, the most important archaeological site of biblical Jerusalem. Through the Dung Gate you enter the Old City proper and visit the Western Wall - Wailing Wall - from the Herodian period. On the famous Via Dolorosa you walk up to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Church of the Resurrection. On the way you will visit the most important religious sites for Judaism, Christianity and Islam and highlight similarities as well as differences between the three monotheistic religions. Overnight at Ecce Homo Convent Pilgrim House in Jerusalem. 
> Hiking information:1-2 hrs.

In the morning, you will explore Government Hill with the Israeli Parliament and the Knesset, the Holocaust Memorial Hill with the Shoa Memorial Yad Vashem. Afterwards, you will walk through Jewish West Jerusalem to the colourful Mahane Yehuda Market, which has become a trendy nightlife district in recent years with its cafés and bars. You continue your explorations in the Old City on Mount Zion, where the tomb of King David and the Upper Room are located. Second night at Ecce Homo Convent Pilgrim House.

Today you will drive to the Palestinian village of Battir, which has been on the border between Israel and Palestine for 60 years. You will talk to local people and get to know the beautiful terraced sites, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From here you will walk to Beit Jala, the Christian suburb of Bethlehem. A visit to LIFEGATE is planned: with a team of Palestinian and German staff, LIFEGATE offers support measures and educational programmes to children and young people with physical and/or mental disabilities. After a lunch break, visit to the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Return journey to Jerusalem in the afternoon. Last dinner together and third night at Ecce Homo Convent Pilgrim House.
> Hiking time: approx. 2-3 hrs.
> Total journey time: approx. 2 hrs.

In the morning there is time to stroll through Jerusalem one last time. Let the impressions of your pilgrimage through the Holy Land sink in. Depending on departure time, transfer to the airport and return flight to Germany.

Possible travel extension:
Optionally, there is the possibility of an individual bathing extension according to your wishes.