Tiberias to Yardenit
Motorcyclist Map
Route Suggested By: Helio Diamant - https://diamant.org.il/blog
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Description: We are beginning day two of our tour at the Lower Galilee. Today we are going South of Tiberias, visiting some interesting sites, and ending our day back at the center of the country. Our first stop will be at the Yardenit site, but instead of taking the straight-ahead shore road, we will climb a little up to go there through the mountains around the Kinneret Lake and visit the Switzerland Forest. The road that goes inside the Switzerland Forest is a remarkably interesting and beautiful road, and if you decide to leave your accommodation without having breakfast, you can stop for a breakfast picnic there. But things become really beautiful when you begin riding down from Switzerland Forest in the direction of the lake. The views from that road are simply stunning, and the road itself is a paradise for motorcyclists. After riding this beautiful forest and the road back to the Kinneret Lake, we will arrive at the Yardenit site. For many years it was believed in Israel that this site was the site of the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan river. So, it was an extremely popular tourism point for Christian visitors. But the location of the site did not go well with the history of the baptism and where the relevant people were at the moment of the baptism. Later on, it was discovered that the accepted real site was further South in a place called Qasr el-Yahud (at the Israeli side of the Jordan River) or Al Maghtas (at the Jordanian side), almost at the Dead Sea. Again, also regarding this site, there is no real proof that Jesus was baptized there, but rather a long tradition coming from the Byzantine days. We will talk about Qasr el-Yahud when we are talking about the Dead Sea in one of the future articles. At the moment, let's focus on Yardenit. Despite the discovery of the alternate site, Yardenit continues to be until today a popular site for the Christian visitors, due to two main points: 1. Visitors are doing their baptisms (or bathing) at the same Jordan river waters that were used by Jesus, just doing it some dozens of Kilometers northern than were it was most probably done. 2. The place is much more accessible and much more secure than Qasr el-Yahud. You will find there all the necessary infrastructure for a nice visit, a souvenir shop, and an interesting site with walls in all languages to read.
Admin Country: Israel