Orthodox Pilgrimage on Foot through the Holy Land

Tours to Israel » Туры » Orthodox Pilgrimage on Foot through the Holy Land

Tour author — guide Tatyana Levi

We are beginning a pilgrimage program unlike any previously offered to Russian Orthodox pilgrims.

These days will be filled with a special spirituality and a profound sense of unity with the Holy Land. We invite you to walk with your own feet along the paths once trodden by the Lord Himself, the Mother of God, and the Apostles. Before you will unfold the full majesty of the Judean Desert — the “Desert of the Holy City,” as it was called in ancient times — and you will be able to feel a connection with the lives of the Byzantine monks and understand the detachment from the world that led hermits into the wilderness.

We will follow the same routes traveled by pilgrims since Byzantine times. While the 20th century brought comfort into our lives, it also deprived us of the opportunity to experience the Holy Land as it existed at the dawn of creation. Without completely rejecting the achievements of civilization (such as hotels and transportation), we will nevertheless complete most of our journey on foot.

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Jerusalem - 5 night/s

Tiberias - 2 night/s

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Transfer from/to the airport

Meals: Breakfast & Dinner

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Lunches

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Paid admissions

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Notes

Changes to the itinerary and excursion schedule may occur on national and religious Jewish and Christian holidays, as well as due to circumstances beyond the company’s control (such as weather conditions, etc.).

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Day 1 ✧ Arrival

Daytime arrival.

We will begin our pilgrimage with a thanksgiving prayer service at the Church of Saint George the Victorious in Lydda.

Following in the footsteps of the Apostle Peter, who traveled from Lydda to Joppa, we will continue to this city of the Old and New Testaments and visit the Russian Orthodox Monastery of Saint Peter the Apostle and Righteous Tabitha, as well as the tomb of Saint Tabitha.

Optional: swimming in the Mediterranean Sea.

Transfer to Jerusalem.

Overnight stay in Jerusalem or Bethlehem.

Day 2 ✧ Walking Pilgrimage through Jerusalem

Walking Pilgrimage through Jerusalem — 17 km

On this day, we will come to know Jerusalem not simply as a collection of churches and holy places visited by bus, but as a living and unified city chosen by the Almighty.

We begin with a visit to the Monastery of Saint Onuphrius in Hakeldama (“Field of Blood” or “Potter’s Field”), built on the land purchased with the silver Judas Iscariot received for betraying Christ. Here we will also recall the life of Saint Onuphrius the Great, who lived and prayed in this place.

Following the Valley of Gehenna, we will reach the City of King David, whose archaeological excavations reveal Jerusalem at the dawn of its history. From there, we ascend to Jerusalem along the ancient Pilgrims’ Road, now located underground, passing near the Pool of Siloam, where Jesus healed the man born blind.

We will then spend several hours on the Mount of Olives: venerating the Tomb of the Mother of God, visiting the Russian Orthodox Gethsemane convent and the Monastery of Saint Mary Magdalene, where the relics of the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and Nun Barbara are lovingly preserved.

We will see the traditional tombs of the prophets Zechariah, Malachi, and Haggai. We will venerate the Chapel of the Ascension (“The Footprint”), the site of the Ascension of the Lord, as well as the place where the head of John the Baptist was found, located within the Russian Ascension Convent.

Visit to the Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Galilean Men (“Little Galilee”), where in Gospel times pilgrims from Galilee stayed during their journeys to Jerusalem, and where the Archangel Gabriel is believed to have announced to the Mother of God the approaching Dormition.

We will then enter the Old City and walk the Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) of the Savior, beginning at the Praetorium of Pilate and ending at Golgotha within the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Overnight stay in Jerusalem or Bethlehem.

Day 3 ✧ Wadi Prat

Wadi Prat — 9 km

We will begin this day with a hike through the Pharan Gorge to the Lavra of Saint Chariton, the oldest active monastery in the Holy Land.

Afterward, we will travel to the Wadi Qelt gorge and visit the Monastery of Saint George of Choziba. From there, we continue on foot through Wadi Qelt toward Jericho, the city of both the Old and New Testaments. Along the way, we will see hermits’ caves and the Skete of Saint Anne.

Like true pilgrims of old, we will wait out the midday heat in the shade of the rocks, sharing coffee, dates, and flatbread while recalling the stories of pilgrims from centuries past.

In Jericho, we will ascend the Mount of Temptation to the Monastery of Qarantal, where the Lord, after forty days of fasting, was tempted by the devil.

We will conclude the day in Bethabara with immersion in the holy waters of the Jordan River.

Overnight stay in Jerusalem or Bethlehem.

Day 4 ✧ Judean Desert

Judean Desert — 13 km

Today we continue our pilgrimage through the monasteries of the Judean Desert. Our path leads us to the Lavra of Saint Sabbas the Sanctified.

Along the way, we will ascend Mount Muntar — the ancient “Mount of the Scapegoat,” from which, on the Day of Atonement, the priests of the Temple cast down the scapegoat bearing the sins of the people. Later, Saint Sabbas established one of his monastic communities there.

Crossing the Kidron Valley, we arrive at the most significant Orthodox monastery in the Holy Land, whose brotherhood still lives according to the ancient monastic rule. Men will enter the monastery to venerate the incorrupt relics of Saint Sabbas, while women will respectfully wait outside the monastery gates, following long-standing tradition.

We then travel to Bethlehem and visit two churches: the Church of the Nativity and the Church of Saint Nicholas, built above the cave where Saint Nicholas is believed to have lived during his stay in the Holy Land.

After some rest at the hotel, we will attend the Divine Liturgy at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Day 5 ✧ Wadi Tekoa

Wadi Tekoa — 10 km

Today we will walk through the Wadi Tekoa gorge, passing the remains of the Souka Lavra on our way to the Cave of Saint Chariton, where the saint withdrew after founding the Pharan Lavra and where he lived until the end of his earthly life.

In the second half of the day, we travel to the city of the Patriarchs — Hebron, where we will visit the Russian Orthodox monastery established near the Oak of Mamre, the place where the three angels — the Old Testament Trinity — appeared to Abraham.

We will conclude the day at the Cave of the Patriarchs, the burial place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Overnight stay in Jerusalem.

Day 6 ✧ Journey to Galilee

Today we travel to Galilee.

We begin with a walking ascent to the Orthodox monastery on Mount Tabor, founded on the site of the Transfiguration of the Lord before His disciples.

We will then visit the Cave of the Sons of Zebedee and the Church of Saint George the Victorious, concluding the day with a traditional visit to the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth.

Overnight stay in Tiberias.

Day 7 ✧ Around the Sea of Galilee

Today our journey leads us through the surroundings of the Sea of Galilee, within the heart of the so-called “Gospel Triangle”:

Mount of Beatitudes — the traditional site of the Sermon on the Mount.
Tabgha — the place of the Miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes.
The Greek Orthodox Church of the Twelve Apostles in Capernaum.

Swimming in the Sea of Galilee and lunch featuring the traditional “St. Peter’s fish.”

Optional: boat ride on the Sea of Galilee.

After lunch, we travel to the excavations of Hippos (Susita), a city that in Roman times was one of the cities of the Decapolis and later became a stronghold of Christianity in Galilee during the Byzantine era. Hippos stands in the region referred to in the Gospels as the “Land of the Gadarenes,” where the Lord cast demons out of a possessed man and allowed them to enter a herd of swine. Today, the remains of this once magnificent Roman-Byzantine city can still be seen.

We conclude the day with swimming in the Springs of Mary Magdalene at the Russian compound near ancient Magdala, where, according to tradition, the Lord cast demons out of Mary Magdalene.

Overnight stay in Tiberias.

Day 8 ✧ Departure

Today we bid farewell to the Holy Land.

Transfer to the airport.