Bethlehem and Jericho Tour

The Bethlehem and Jericho tour takes us past the Good Samaritan inn and also the cliff-hanging complex of St. George’s Monastery. We proceed further down till we get to the sign indicating the “sea level” and then down to the city of Jericho. While in Jericho, we get to see the famous Sycamore tree which Zacchaeus the little tax collector climbed to see Jesus when he walked through the streets of Jericho. We can also spot the Mount Temptation where the devil tried to get Jesus to deny God after his 40 days fast.

The tour then continues to Bethlehem which is Christ’s birth city. We visit the Manger Square and later the Basilica of Nativity (Church of Nativity) which houses the cave of Nativity where the birth of Jesus took place. We proceed to the Church of St. Catherine which is adjacent to the Church of Nativity. We get to see the caves beneath the church which is the study where St. Jerome spent 30 years translating the Bible to Latin from Greek and Hebrew.

Also in Bethlehem, the tour continues to the Grotto of our Lady also known as the Milk Grotto. This chapel houses the spot where Jesus’ mother fed and nursed him when he was just a baby. Next, we make our way back to Jerusalem passing through the Church of the Angels in Shepherds Field which is where the first proclamation of the birth of Jesus was spoken to the shepherds according to the Catholic doctrine. This last stop brings our exciting tour of Jerusalem and Bethlehem to its end.