Following the path of Jesus in northern Israel

Many of the Christian tour groups already do exactly those things. They particularly like the Via Dolorosa , Bethelem, the Garden of Gethsamane, visit the Wailing wall, and want to be Baptised in the Jordan River. Can you accomodate all those requests as well?

I expect the "average hiker" to be a bit more realistic than you are. If your idea of hiking includes spending the nights in a hotel room, dining in restaurants and stopping at convenience stores every few hours to stock up on trail max, then I'd recommend a path in Central Park, or perhaps Jerusalem's Old City Walls, because you'll be disappointed in anything else. Where do I even begin? The whole point of taking multi-day hikes is to get away from these things and be in nature. If I wanted to pass through a village every few hours, I'd take the highway. The only "perfectly marked" trail in the world is an asphalt road. In 25 years of guiding I haven't been on a single trail that no hasn't complained about the condition of. If you want a perfectly marked trail, once again, take a highway. And seriously, "rest, find accomodation, stock up with food, water "? Is this a day hike on the grounds of a retirement community? You want to rest, you find a nice plump rock and sit on it. You want to sleep, you pitch a tent. If you can't fit three days worth of food and water into a large backpack and carry it then you're either expecting to dine on chicken alfredo and red wine or aren't in a physical condition to be doing multi-day hikes. Do you want me to teach you how to urinate in bushes next? And "expensive"? Since when is a tent and three days worth of non - perishables and bottled water more expensive than 3 nights in hotels and 3 restaurants per day for 3 days? And to be honest, if you can't find your way using a map, a guide book, and some visible landmarks then as I responsible guide I'd seriously advise you against going on any hike without me or one of my colleagues. And if you can't handle a few hours without seeing civilization I wouldn't recommend hiking at all.

You are completely misleading. On the Israel National Trail and on the Jesus Trail there are many small villages where you can find accommodation for the budget hiker. On the INT there are more than 200 trail angels where you can spend a night for free. You are simply not informed. The gospel trail is a bad joke. It does not pass by any village and the the whole idea is warraped with internal politics. Trail blazers: Both the INT and the Jesus Trail are well arked. I am wondering where did you hear about the badly marked trail? I am sure you did not hike any of the trails. Also the average hiker will always spend many nights in tents.

i spoke to people who tried (less than a handful), none of them finished any of the two trails... and this for the reasons most people claimed: badly marked (INT), got lost, boring environment (both trails)... one hiker who returned from the jesus trail, all for the above reasons, was one who hikes in every free minute in scandinavia... i particularly looked up the accommodation and the websites of the trails - in addition to forum postings... the websites of the trails were really bad, and the prices much too high... i remember that angels, but they were not, by far not, all along the trail, it wasnt more than a handful either... i think with the "average hiker" we are really talking about totally different audience... for me the average hiker, the people i met from and in other countries, are not looking for a survival training, but for a hike... something physically challenging, but not peeing for days in the bushes, nor camp (alone) in an totally unsecured areas... this isnt necessarily age-dependand... the "features" of your trails (not every day fresh water, carrying a LOT of luggage - tent, water, food, sleeping bag etc etc), no toilet, no washing for days) are just NOT what an average hiker is looking for... those two trails, by now, are all highly unpopular... and people who tried, dont say much good about it... maybe things changed on the INT, because what you j. saar, the author of the guidebook i assume, say is really NEW to me... there were no 200 angels anywhere listed 1.5 years ago... i tried also a page of the INT guidebook - imo - much too chatty and heavy: afterwards i was most unsure, if i would find that watersource described in the book... imo, if you want people on your trails (which you definitely DONT have), then you have to take other efforts... imo, really only a very few hiker will start on a trail where you have to carry more than 12 kg, which you have easily on the INT with tent 3 kg, sleeping bag 1 kg, backpack 2 kg etc etc... and in addition you have to carry 6 liters of water 6kg plus clothes plus food, maybe 300 gr cookies per day, another 1 kg ? no... very most hikers dont like that... . as said, most hikers dont seek a survival trek, but a nice hike... neither of your trails is (or was last year)...

You should have a look at the Jesus Trail guidebook. There are accommodations every 15km with dorm options for around 100 shekels. Accommodations are expensive everywhere in Israel, and the accommodations on the Jesus Trail are no more expensive than anywhere else (~$100+ for a double room). There is no such thing as a "perfectly marked trail" because rocks get moved, rain obscures vision, things get vandalized. The Jesus Trail is very well-marked and there are accurate maps in the guidebook and in the SPNI topo maps. You don't need any taxis on the Jesus Trail!

You basically just described backpacking. Backpacking is a form of travel, not hiking. They're two entirely different things. Neither the Jesus trail nor the Gospel trail are being promoted as backpacking routes, they're being promoted as 3-5 day hikes for Christians interested in 3-5 day hikes. And once again, where do I begin? Sleeping in a tent and carrying food on your back isn't a "survival course", and if you think it is I doubt you've ever been on either a survival course or a real hike. The "watersource described in your book"? If you had done your research, you would have known that besides a few rivers nearly every source of water in Israel is seasonal and unreliable even in winter. A guidebook is just that - a guide book. As Jack Sparrow put it, "they're more guidelines than actual rules". Anyone who goes hiking and relies on their guidebook as an infallible set of precise, step-by-step instructions shouldn't be out there. And 12 kilograms is too much? Was that a serious post? An average pack for multi-day hikes weighs 20-35 kg. In hiking terminology anyone who attempts a multi-day hike with a pack weight under 12 kg is called an "ultralighter", and I guarantee you ultralighting anywhere in Israel is near impossible due to the scarcity of reliable water sources. Change of clothes? Honestly, is your idea of a hike a walk in Paris on the Seine? You take the clothes on your back, you change when you get back to the hotel room. "totally unsecured area"? Wow, you took the central park thing seriously, didn't you? Your chances of having something stolen from a hotel room are a million times greater than from a remote patch of wilderness. In 25 years I've had things stolen from hotel rooms three times, from clearings where I pitched my tent exactly 0. "not every day fresh water". Once again, if you're looking to encounter a nice lake every morning go hike in Finland. There's a reason Finland is known for its lakes and Israel isn't. Also, if you plan on living off of cookies for 3-5 days, you should probably call your doctor before leaving so she knows to see you the moment you get back. And I'd love to meet this hiker you talk about. Perhaps his "hikes" are pleasant strolls through downtown Stockholm? I've been to Scandinavia multiple times and the average multi-day trail there is 5-7 days long and of you showed up at a ranger's office near the trailhead with a 12 kg pack and a 7 day's worth of cookies he'd have you arrested for your own personal safety. And no, these trails aren't "survival courses". If you want a "survival course", I'll happily take you up to the Jesus trail and give you one. You'll learn a lot - how to build a shelter out of twigs and leaves, how to kill a wild boar with basic traps, then field dress and cook it (don't worry, hunting is illegal so we just use a defrosted supermarket turkey, closest thing we can bring), how to survive a freezing, raining January night while sleeping in our previously-built twig and leaf shelter. THAT is a survival course. Not being asked to carry a tent and some freeze-dried foods. If you're looking for something like you described, there are plenty of pleasant day hikes on the Sea of Galilee, and I'll happily recommend a few. This is not one of them and was never promoted as being one of them. No offense intended, but honestly for your own safety don't do the Gospel trail.

I'm not quite sure what your expectations are... I walked the entire INT around 9 years ago, when it was even less popular than today. No institution of trail angel, and less accommodation options. First of all, we only lost the trail (temporarily) a handful of times over the entire 850km, and we weren't particularly experienced hikers. I found the signage absolutely excellent. Maps are indispensable however, and you're deluding yourself if you think this kind of hike can be done comfortably without one. The trail passes very CLOSE to (but not through) dozens of villages. Provisions can be bought and refilled almost every day with a few km detour at the very most, or you can plan to stay in the villages in the relatively cheap accommodation or even just with your tent on the common lawn, and then take advantage of the grocery stores before continuing on the path. Maybe this doesn't appeal to the people with zero experience who would need everything served on a plate, but as far as serious long distance hikes ago, the INT is probably one of the easiest to grapple.