Hiker’s Log

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I am planning a trip for next summer and am very thankful for this site. I\'ll be checking it almost daily and would appreciate any suggestions for a youth backpacking trip through Israel.

I chose to run 30 miles of the Jesus Trail in one day. I started in Nazareth and made it down the Arbel cliffs in about 7 hours with a few stops to take in the views and a stop off at Golani Junction for lunch. The folks at the Fauzi Azar Inn were most helpful in accomplishing my journey. Maoz, the owner, was most hospitable and I would strongly recommend contacting him for help with navigating the trail. I was provided with a GPS unit that was essential to navigate the trail without getting lost. Nate and Matt, who also work at the Inn, met me in the morning of my journey to help see me off and met me at Golani Junction for lunch. After descending the Arbel cliffs, I was surprised to see all of them there to celebrate my accomplishment and get me back to my car in Nazareth.

The experience of going through many of the points of interest was quite surreal as my mind often drifted to the religious history I learned from The Bible. The top of The Horns of Hattin and Arbel Cliffs offered spectacular views of The Sea of Galilee and surrounding valleys and would definitely include these if I visit Israel again.

I found the Fauzi Azar one of the best places I’ve ever visited while travelling; it’s a beautifull restored house and the people working there are very friendly and helpfull. It was a good place to get ready to walk the Jesustrail.
David, the masterbrain behind this trail, was friendly enough to help me with planning and giving practical information before I finally set off. At first I was a bit worried not to have a GPS, but actually a detailed map is perfectly fine.

Basically I walked from Nazareth to Golani Junction, passing Tzipori and Kfar Cana, in the first day. Then I took a bus to spent the night in Tiberia, returning the next morning, to mount Hittin and Arbel, where I met a friendly Israeli, walking the Israel National Trail. He came all the way from Eilat! That was a nice walk with beautifull views on lake Kinneret.
After spending the night in the fields, with a thunderstorm and rain in the middle of the night!!, I decided to join this fellow, sidetrack the Jesustrail and walk up wadi Amud to Tsfat. That prooved to be a great walk: only nature, wildlife and silence. But you need a lot of water to take with you, my 4 liters weren’t enough. But luckily on my way up to Tsfat I met a friend from Tel Aviv!!(small country), and he gave me another bottle. After spending the night in Tsfat, I took the bus to Mount Beatitudes, and from there walked to the churches of Tabga and then along the lake to Tiberia. I spent the night there, on erev shabbat, so it was really dificult to get supplies. Next day I walked up to Yardenit, still shabbat, and still very difficult to find water and some food. But finally I succeeded and set of heading for Mount Tabor. That was a beautiful track too, again only fields, no villages for a day. Slept somewhere on a mountaintop, big coweyes gazing at me in the middle of the night. Next day was a long, long walk to Nazareth, climbing Mount Tabor, and then finally another two mountains up to Nazareth. I was very happy to find the Fauzi Azar still there, a shower, and a group of psalm singing christians.

The good thing about this trail is that it combines visiting some important religious sites with natural beauty. It gave me some time to reflect on things that happened there long ago, and their meaning now, for me.
So thank you very much David, Maoz, Gabi, Ann, Hannah and the others!

Richard Stegenga

How interesting, peaceful and beautiful. Would love to actually go there someday and walk it. Thank you for the tour.

In February 2008 we walked 2 sections of the Jesus Trail.
We met David, the devisor of the track at Fauzi Azarr Inn, which, by the way is a delightful place to stay. Everyone is friendly and David, in particular was happy to lend us his GPS even though he had only just met us and we had never used one before.

We are keen hikers and on a trip around the world where we like to hike from one place to another and, if possible dance Tango when we get there. We hadn't been able to hike much in Israel and were thrilled to get this opportunity, but we have managed to Tango in Tel Aviv and Haifa!

The route was easy to follow using the GPS. We started at Fauzi Azar Inn where the GPS wouldn't work until we climbed out of the steep enclosed section. David showed us how to find our way out of town and then we were off.

After leaving the inhabitated section we found ourselves in a cow paddock down a gully then up again and eventually at the ruins of Zipori. This was a highlight of Israel, the excavations of the old hillside town are amazing, the uncovered mosaic tiles with their millions of intricate pieces in many colours tell a picture of life in the first century. The views were great from the top, looking down on fertile ground all around.

Then we set off on the next section of the walk to Kafra Kana, a very pleasant walk (even through a herd of milking goats) except for one section at the back of a rubbish dump. This too is an old city like Nazareth. We arrived quite hungry as there were no supplies along the way and managed to find a great Arab Hummus House where we had copious amounts of hummus, fuul, felafel, salad etc. and when asked if we were pleased with our meal, we answered it was great, that we were quite full, to which we were given an enormous dollop of fuul!

We returned to Nazareth by bus and asked David to give us more information on another section for tomorrow!

Great stuff Dave!

In early November, I hiked a portion of the trail between Tiberias and Nazareth. The scenery was breathtaking even though it was the dry season. The steep climb out of Tiberias was rewarded by a sweeping view of the Sea of Galilee and the hills of Jordan behind it.

After a long day of hiking, I enjoyed cooking lunch at a gas station close to the base of Mt. Tabor. The man working there was friendly and helpful, and even brought us spoons when he saw we had forgotten to bring some. His children ran curiously over to observe us cooking noodles and reading our map.

Camping on Mount Hermon was a highlight, and walking to the Franciscan church on the summit in the early morning mist was peaceful and mysterious (until the van loads of tourists arrived later...)

I loved the variety of people we met on the trail; Jewish families on an outing, Arab families in their villages, kibbutzniks working the fields, tourists from around the world looking for the best views. Everyone welcomed us and was friendly, sometimes offering us small gifts-- cold water, a plate of pistachios, a cup of energizing Arabic coffee.

I can\'t wait to hike the whole trail when the landscape is a little greener. Seeing so many important religious sites is a bonus, but the real joy is experiencing the land and the people who live there.

Last week I spent two days hiking on the Jesus Trail from the Golani Junction point to Tabgha. After spending a night at the Fauzi Azar (amazing place), Dave and I snagged some foodstuff and hopped a bus to Golani Junction. I believe one of the highlights of the trail is that it is easy to section hike if you don't have the time or interest in the whole thing because of its close proximity to bus stops. This does not diminish the hiking experience however, because the trail creator (Dave) has done a wonderful job keeping the track secluded from the nearby highways and such.

Once on the trail, we followed the road only a short distance before veering off east. It was a beautiful day and easy hiking hampered only by mud from a fresh rain. After a long gradual uphill a spectacular view can be had; we could even see Mt Hermon in the far north covered in snow. Passing a nearby Kibbutz, we made our way to the Horns of Hattin which has fascinating history and offers an epic view through the Cliffs of Arbel down to the Sea of Galilee. We had lunch on the Horns, and then descended the steep northeastern slope passing by the Tomb of Nebi Schwaeib (the burial site for the Druze prophet Jethro). After a short road section we filled water bottles at Moshav Arbel and made our way past the ruins of a 4th century BC synagogue. The synagogue apparently was part of a village named 'Arbel' and is very likely a place where Jesus taught during his ministry while in the Galilee. It is not a well-known site but that added to the special feel I got while looking over the area. After the synagogue we made our way over to the cliff edge and rested while taking in the breathtaking view. It is a thing that can only be experienced I think, words and pictures simply will not do. As the sun was quickly dropping, Dave and I descended the steep cliff edge, and found a SWEET cave in the cliff face where we bivouacked for the night.
The next day we explored the Cliffs a bit then trekked by Magdala and through a couple orchards near the ruins of Gennesaret. Because I had made a poor decision in footwear, I ended up with two large blisters on the soles of both feet. The rapidly approaching Shabbat that would shut down the public transportation for the next 24 hours in addition to my aching feet helped me to decide to sit out the last hour of the trail. I jumped on a bus to Tiberias at one of the road crossings and made it to Jerusalem before Shabbat.

Hiking the Jesus Trail was an amazing experience, dampened only by a poor choice of footwear on my part. I hope to return some day to hike the first section from Nazareth through Zippori and Cana to Golani Junction...and to get in the last leg that I missed from Tabgha to Capernaum. The route provides a pilgrimage style experience that can easily be enjoyed by non-religious types as well. 5 stars!!

After hiking a part of the Jesus Trail, write in and tell us about your experience.