Bike Palestine
Unbelievable landscape. Fabulous people.
Bike Palestine is a joint venture between the Siraj Center, a non-profit organisation in Beit Sahour near Bethlehem, and George Snow, a filmmaker living in Italy. George came up with the idea while teaching 3D animation at Birzeit University, where his daily ride through olive-covered hills convinced him other cyclists would enjoy the same experience. The Siraj Center, a leading Palestinian organiser of hiking and biking holidays, handles the logistics and administration, and they have been running the tour together for around 17 years.
They run one fully supported eight-day tour, cycling from Jenin in the north through Nablus, Taybeh, Jericho and Bethlehem to Hebron, then finishing in Jerusalem. Highlights include the long descent from Taybeh to Jericho, a Dead Sea swim, a Turkish bath in Nablus and a desert walk across the Jerusalem Wilderness to the Mar Saba monastery. Each day combines riding with guided tours of historic town centres and talks from local historians.
The package covers bikes, helmets, high-visibility jackets, three meals a day, quality hotels and a support vehicle riders can join at any point, so super-fitness is not required. E-bikes are available for an extra $100 and students receive a $200 discount. They welcome riders of all faiths and political views, from teenagers to people in their seventies, with a strong focus on meeting Palestinian communities and understanding the region first-hand.
Bike Palestine Jenin to Jerusalem
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Tour Operator: Bike Palestine
Palestine
8 days (Bike: 6 days)
210 km (~35km per day)
Leisure
Quiet roads, Some hills
Guided
Supported
Prices from
Guided
US$ 1400
Overview
Tour Operator Bike Palestine
An adventure cycle tour through Palestine, with great hotels and first-class support
Bike Palestine is an eight-day guided adventure crossing the West Bank from Jenin in the north to Hebron in the south, before finishing in Jerusalem. Run as a joint venture between filmmaker George Snow and the Siraj Centre in Bethlehem, the tour blends daily rides of 20 to 50 km with guided city tours, talks from local historians and plenty of time with Palestinian families and communities.
Riders pedal through olive groves, vineyards and hilltop villages, relax in a Turkish bath in Nablus, enjoy a cold beer at the Taybeh brewery and take on a thrilling desert descent to Jericho before floating in the Dead Sea. A walk across the Jerusalem Wilderness to the Mar Saba monastery and a final day in Jerusalem’s Old City round out the journey.
Bikes, hotels, three Middle Eastern meals a day and a support vehicle are all provided, so a reasonable level of fitness is all that’s needed.
Highlights
- The exhilarating, mostly downhill desert ride from Taybeh to Jericho
- Desert walk across the Jerusalem Wilderness to the Mar Saba monastery
- Turkish bath in Nablus’s old city and a swim in the Dead Sea
- Ancient Sebastia, Hisham’s Palace and lunch on the Mount of Temptation via cable car
- Guided tours of Hebron, Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity and Jerusalem’s Holy Sepulchre
- Warm Palestinian hospitality and outstanding local cuisine
Surface and terrain
Mostly sealed country roads through olive groves, vineyards and villages, with a little off-road on Day 3. Steep climbs on Days 2 and 3 (the minibus is available), a long desert descent to Jericho, then easier rides to Hebron and Jerusalem. Some city traffic near Nablus.
Weather
May is hot and sunny with little or no rain. Expect warm days in the hills and much hotter conditions in the Jordan Valley around Jericho and the Dead Sea. Sun protection and head covering are essential.
Suitable for
Reasonably fit riders of any age (past riders range from 17 to 70) with an interest in culture, history and the region as much as the cycling. Super-fitness is not required, as the support vehicle is always on hand for tough climbs.