21-24 March 2025,Palestinian Heritage Trail , Spring- Southern Part

From USD 550

Palestinian Heritage Trail is a long-distance cultural hiking route in Palestine. The trail is about 500 km long and extends from the village of Rummana northwest of Jenin to Beit Mirsim southwest of Hebron back to Artas in Bethlehem, in addition to the newly developed Jerusalem segment that starts in Eizariya through the Old City of Jerusalem towards the villages in the Northwest (Beit Suriq to Beit Duqqo) (See map). The trail passes through more than 60 Palestinian cities, villages and local communities where travelers can experience and enjoy the authentic Palestinian Hospitality.

The Palestinian Heritage Trail is more than just a hiking trail. It is a means of meeting and making connections with local Palestinians and hikers from all over the world. You can explore Bedouin communities and experience the traditional Palestinian dishes, which is one of Palestine’s most fundamental traditions. The Palestine Heritage Trail does not only invite hikers to experience nature but also to change their perspectives by recognizing shared common values and creating friendships along the way.

Slogan: “walk a path of history, Experience Nature and Hospitality”
 

More information: https://phtrail.org/

 

From USD 550

Book Now

Day One:
FROM ARTAS TO TEQUA’

Start  from Solomon’s Pools down to the village of Artas.

We walk south from Artas to the village of Tequa’.

Overnight as guests with families in the village.

TOTAL WALKING TIME: 5 HOURS
TERRAIN: FOOTPATHS AND DIRT ROADS
OVERNIGHT: HOMESTAY IN TEQUA’
 

Day Two:
DOWN THE WADI JIHAR TO THE DESERTS OF RASHAYDEH

We leave the village on foot, descending into the spectacular Wadi Jihar. We emerge from the valley at a place called Rashaydeh, where we spend the night with a Bedouin family.

TOTAL WALKING TIME: 6 HOURS
TERRAIN: ROCKY DESERT TRACKS
OVERNIGHT: HOMESTAY WITH BEDOUIN FAMILY IN RASHAYDEH
 

Day Three: 
DESERT SUNRISE IN RASHAYDEH AND HIKE TO BENI NAIM

Hike up to Beni Naim, reaching the farming country around Beni Naim in the evening, where we are welcomed as guests of a local family.

TOTAL WALKING TIME: 7 HOURS
TERRAIN: ROCKY DESERT TRACKS, SOME ASPHALT, MOSTLY CLIMBING
OVERNIGHT: HOMESTAY WITH FAMILY IN MASAFER BENI NAIM
 

Day Four: 
BENI NAIM AND HEBRON / ALKHALIL

We hike to Beni Naim an ancient ‘high place’ or sanctuar in the southern hills of Palestine.  From here, we walk the final few kilometers to Hebron / Al Khalil,  

Transfer by vehicle to Bethlehem.

TOTAL WALKING TIME: 5 HOURS

TERRAIN: ACROSS ORCHARDS AND FIELDS, SOME ASPHALT INTO HEBRON

 

Day One:

  • visit the convent built to commemorate the ‘closed garden’ mentioned in the Biblical Song of Songs
  • visit an ancient village believed to be the birthplace of the prophet Amos, and explore the ruins of an early Byzantine church built over the prophet’s tomb 
  • visit the Tequa’ Women’s Society to enjoy herbal tea, and learn about the traditional embroidery and hand woven carpets made by their cooperative

Day Two

  • hike through a deep limeston canyon that winds down into the desert towards the Dead Sea, where there has been a human presence in this wilderness for millennia – flints points found in one of caves above the Wadi (valley) date from the Middle Paleolithic period, which reaches back almost 300,000 years. 
  • Overnight in a Bedouin tent.  Listen to the grandfather of the Bedouin family, Ali, who is a wonderful storyteller and who still recalls the old ways and traditions of the Bedouins.

Day Three

  • watch the sun rise over the desert
  • during the walk, pass the ruins of an early Byzantine monastic community founded at the very beginning of the sixth century. More than 120 hermit monks once dwelt here in isolated cells cut from the limestone, including Saint Sabas, the leader of the monastic movement in Palestine.
  • From the monastery, the trail climbs steadily out of the desert, towards the cultivated zone around Beni Naim, with spectacular views back across the Rift Valley. 

Day Four: 

  • walk to the sacred site of Beni Naim, an ancient ‘high place’ or sanctuar in the southern hills of Palestine, said to be the mountain from which Abraham watched the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in the valley below. 
  • visit the burial place of Abraham in the heart of the old town of Hebron/Al Khalil, the focus of our pilgrimage across Palestine and the end of our long journey on foot.
  • meet with representatives of  the Hebron Rehabilitation Committee, who are working to restore the old town as the centre of civic and commercial life in Hebron.

Route

  1. Jerusalem