Best Of The West Bank Tour From Jerusalem

This was a really nice tour with Lahdo. Particular highlights for me were going to the Jordan River baptismal site (there was a group there with music playing while we were there and it was a really nice atmosphere) and being able to go to the grotto of the Church of the Nativity on Christmas Eve. Interesting to see Jericho and Ramallah for the first time for me too. Full marks to Lahdo for being positive and friendly throughout, and for keeping the tour ticking along to schedule. Lunch was good too - I was anticipating we'd be in a restaurant but got a nice home-cooked meal in a place with a good view. I would add that I was relieved that this wasn't an overtly political tour, as I'm not particularly attracted to that side of things compared to historical stuff, and no agenda was pushed or anything. I wasn't personally that interested in seeing the graffiti on the wall in Bethlehem, but of course I recognise it's a part of the current situation to know about, and was just a short walk at the end of the tour.

An exceptionally interesting and intense introduction to Ramallah, Jericho and Bethlehem. Our guide Kamal was superb.

Very interesting day with tour guide Ashraf and driver (Najeev)? Of course the commentary was slanted but take the time to do some research and reach your own conclusions. First stop to Ramallah where we had some background/history in the town centre before going on to one of the resting places of Yasser Arafat. On to Jericho where we were told that this city was not part of the biblical narrative and sat through a video to hear how this conclusion was reached following excavations. We had time afterwards to look at the excavated area. Final destination was Bethlehem where we would first have lunch. Due to the checkpoint being closed for a long time, we arrived there about an hour and a half later than scheduled. No-one really knew why the checkpoint was closed but both the guide and driver decided that it was because "they" (the soldiers) like to "have fun". Credit due, Ashraf said we would not miss anything out and he even arranged for transport to meet us at a certain point on the way back so that those who needed to get back to Tel Aviv could do so. We had a late but lovely and welcome lunch before going to the Church of the Nativity before being taken to see part of the security wall covered in art work.

This tour was made ‘great’ by Kamal, our guide. He is a very Intelligent, insightful man who shows great knowledge and passion for the country, it’s history and its people. I recommend taking this tour.

No trip to Jerusalem would be complete without venturing to the West Bank. This tour is a fantastic appetizer to all that Palestine has to offer. Our guide, Kamal, was knowledgeable and open about the complicated history of this region. He made a great itinerary into a terrific experience. Bethlehem was the highlight of this tour - both the Walled Off Hotel and the Church of the Nativity were meaningful sights (for very different reason), and Kamal gave great context for both. I would highly recommend this tour

This was a great trip. Kemel was our guide and I think he only works on Wednesday’s. We wanted to learn more about life in the west back. The politics behind it. The history. The people. This tour gave us an introduction to this. With some religion thrown in. Our stop in Jericho was to look at the excavation. And hear some old history. That was it for Jericho. Ramallah was only time at his friend ice cream shop. This was not needed. It would have been nicer to learn more about Ramallah and Palestine than eat ice cream. Or better yet. Buy ice cream and chat at same time. Bethlehem was at the end to his house. For lunch and visit of church. Whilst this was interesting to visit Nativity church. Bethlehem is in complete opposite direction of Ramallah. The route was poorly planned. Which meant in the middle of the day was just driving through checkpoints etc. was good. Gave it 3.5 from 5. For us to learn more about the history and politics. The Hebron dial narrative tour would have been better.

Rocky start at the beginning leaving a little bit late, but our guide Kamal made up for it. He was incredibly knowledgeable and had a great way of telling the story of what is going on politically, historically, and religiously. We even had lunch in his home and were treated to wonderful stories from his mother who was visiting. I think we definitely got lucky with our guide, but it was also an incredible experience overall and would recommend. A few tips - don't forget your passport (just in case, we didn't actually need it but you never know), and wear pants/skirts below the knees (men & women) as well as cover your shoulders!

This was one of the 3 tours we took with Abraham, I was impressed with all three, I was a little nervous going into the West Bank but we had no trouble at any of the checkpoints that we went through. Our guide, Tamer, gave us a whole new perspective on life in Palestine. At first what struck me was how ordinary it was, people walking around, buying food, shopping. Tamer seemed to know everyone, he showed us some of the typical foods-bread, shawarma, and bought us some delicious croissants to try, We visited where Yasser Arafat was buried, then stopped at Jericho which itself was not that interesting but what was interesting was the Israeli military protecting a group of Jews from Israel. There might have been a grenade blown up nearby. But no one flinches. Just life in Palestine. He shows us some video of a gunfight. Says everyone is shooting in the air. In Bethlehem we stop at the Church of the Nativity. There's a huge line for the grotto, the local guide says go to the exit, maybe a few of you can sneak past the guards. I don't know what happens if I'm caught but I walk on by and go down into the grotto, careful not to get in the way of people who hav waited for hours. I'm the only one that makes it down. Lunch, included in the tour, is served in a lovely spot, a chicken and rice dish. Our final stop is the separation wall. We see the Banksy art and art from local artists. A young boy tries to hand me a card, I saw I have no money but he persists. More uncomfortable than the grenade going off. Fascinating.

Fantastic tour and hugely enjoyable and informative. Our guide, Kamal, was brilliant. We learnt so much is such a short time and got to visit places effortlessly - and this would not have been easy as an independent traveller. Highly recommended

Our tour guide Tamer was fantastic. He has a great sense of humor and gave us a very personal experience, getting to try our hand at making laffa in a Ramallah shop, and giving us the inside scoop on living in the West Bank along the way. We unfortunately weren’t able to go into Jericho due to Israeli military setting up a checkpoint that was taking hours to get through. It felt like we had plenty of time at each stop and enjoyed a really nice lunch in a Bethlehem restaurants as well. It’s really quite something to see life first hand, or as close as you can get as a tourist, in the West Bank compared to what we see in the media. Would definitely recommend!

Excellent tour. Very well organised and felt secure. Great guide whose name I am afrad I did not get (tour 1 April 2022) made sure everything went smoothly, knowedgeable about the sites we saw and explained the Palestinian perspective persuasively. Excellent lunch and not too long in the inevitable souvenir shop. Packed a lot into the day but it did not feel rushed: Ramallah, Jericho, River Jordan, Bethlehem, The Wall. The drive alone was fascinating. Highly recommended to anyone visiting Jerusalem or Tel Aviv,

I was looking forward to this trip and unfortunately, it was cancelled at the last minute. My timeline in Israel was tight and I had no room to rescheduled the missed experiences that were included in the West Bank tour. My once in a lifetime trip was seriously diminished as a result. Abraham Tours refused to refund the amount that I paid for this trip blaming it on fluxating exchange rates. Keep in mind, they advertise costs in USD. Bottom line, I paid a specific amount in USD and then received less than that amount as a refund. They refused to make up the difference. That is a shame that customer satisfaction is not a top priority for them and that they would rather squabble over what turned out to be not a lot of money. It more the principal of the matter than the actual costs. Buyer beware!

Interesting different perspective to life in this area. Our guide Don Haleseh was informative on the issues but equally light hearted and entertaining. The weather didn’t help our visit to Ramallah, but we were fortunate the rain had stopped for the historical Jericho / the baptism site and visiting Bethlehem. The food was good and plentful (even for Vegans) and there was plenty of time to buy some gifts in Bethlehem. Run across the road to Stars and Bucks coffee for a mug! Despite recent troubles we didn’t feel unsafe. The traffic was appalling due to heightened security at check points but this didnt ruin the day.

The tour guide -- Kamal -- is one of the best tour guides out there. He gave the group a very unique viewpoint of what the conflict is really about and provided it in a very objective manner. I've been constantly thinking about some of the things he shared with us and it led me to read more about the geopolitical situation in the area. The lunch was great too -- it was in his family home, the food was great as was the conversation with the other guests. I was leaning towards giving four stars because the guide changed after lunch, and the remaining spots -- border wall and sights in Bethlehem -- were covered in a really rushed manner. The new guide didn't do a great job at delivering a solid narrative and he was rushing us from one spot to another (especially the border wall graffiti area). However, given that Kamal was a 6 or 7 star guide, the overall rating would be five stars.

Guy who runs this tour is a legend. Shows you all kinds of places you would likely not be able to otherwise get to. Also gives you an awesome lunch at his house. Definitely recommend.

Hurried but good coverage of Ramallah, Jericho and Bethlehem, including Banksy graffiti. Guide was OK. I hope Jericho gets funding for better upkeep.

Interresting tour which gives a good perspective on the Israel-Palestinian conflict as well as some great historical stops. Very good lunch. The guide Don was great and so were also the local guides in Jerico and Bethlehem.

The tour was smooth and enjoyable despite the cold rain at the beginning of the day. Our guide was knowledgeable and told us a lot about the Palestinian experience as well as the history and significance of the sites, both secular and religious. Lunch was delicious!

My friend and I booked this tour through the company’s website. On there, they offered pick up from Jaffa gate on request. I made my request on the booking, they accepted the booking 2 days out but never replied so I emailed separately. Again, no reply so I also sent another query through the website. I then began to call from my hotel - no answer up until the morning of the tour. At the very last minute my hotel advised me to not expect a pick up from Jaffa. My friend and I had to catch a last minute taxi - which we got ripped off for out of desperation, then we had to run several blocks to meet our group in time. It was not a pleasant start to the day. Following this, we felt our tour guide, although knowledgeable did not provide much background or history regarding the things we were seeing. The sites and history is amazing, however some more context would’ve been appreciated. At one point Israeli army ran through our group, armed with guns. They looked to be running a drill. Many of our group were alarmed and uncomfortable. Our tour guide made no effort to explain or reassure them of what was happening and instead began to film on his phone while laughing at them. This made those in our group even more uncomfortable as we were told not to film army… anyway, on the positive side, it was good to see parts of Palestine, the wall and the food included was amazing.

After spending a week in Israel we were wondering what it was like to visit the West Bank. With a nice small group of 16 people we spent a full day with our Palestinian guide Lahdo. It was a very special and interesting experience! Lahdo was very enthusiastic and told a lot about the ancient and recent history/perspectives of the Holy Land and the West Bank. He also was open to our feedback and ideas. Some highlights of the trip were eating an ice cream in the centre of Ramallah, eating a delicious Palestinian lunch in Bayt jala and walking along the graffiti on the wall.The messages on the wall speak for themselves... Shukran, Lahdo

The places we visited were spectacular but the driver and tour guide were mediocre at best. The driver never introduced himself and talked on his cell phone the first 23 minutes. When we picked up the tour guide, he introduced himself saying what his name was not; never got the point. For the majority of the ride, the driver and tour guide chatted between themselves. Thank God for the guides at the particular locations. When our guide did speak, it was mostly political. We spent the last hour at an place where you either paid extra to visit or sit outside and wait for 50 minutes. I would actually rate this tour as the absolute worst I have ever experienced. So much so that I canceled my next scheduled booking with Trip Advisor. Our driver left the guide at our last location (my guess is so he can go collect his commissions for the walled hotel paid tour that we had to wait 50 minutes for those who went to finish) and has been on his cellphone ever since while driving!!!! I am still shaking my head at the fact that our guide was opening smoking the hookah machine as we were eating lunch. So our driver is still on the phone and pulled over and beckoned the guy sitting behind me to get off. As he was getting off, he looked confused and instead of the driver telling him that since he started in Tel Aviv, he needed to get on the van behind us. You would have thought ge could interrupt his call for 30 seconds to explain. I only knew because the passenger told us he started in Tel Aviv. The rest of us came out of Jerusalem.

Forgot my passport and Ashraf went out of his way to help me go back to my hotel room and retrieve it before rejoining the tour. Super knowledgeable, funny and positive energy. Seems like a guy you know from childhood.

A memorable experience being able to go to the West Bank and see life there, and of course visiting Bethlehem is a must do as well. Amazing Tour Guides (Don and others), a great way to learn about the conflict from a Palestinian himself, a great Arabic meal, etc.

I did this tour twice within 8 weeks. The first tour I did end of June was absolutely great. We were a group of six plus guide plus driver in a small bus and we had lots of time to visit all the sites. The second tour I did in August was totally different. We were a group of 35 plus guide plus driver, driving in a huge bus, the tour was 2 hours shorter than the previous tour so that we had much less time. Overall, the tour was very touristic and not what I expected when booking with Abraham tours. So, as you cannot know what kind of tour you will get - good luck! Three points because the guide was very good.

Terrific guide,good all round tour,highly recommend,lunch was quality as well.Peach from the market and cakes superb

Our guide was very funny and made all the visits very pleasant. This trip really took us to the important places people should get to know on the West Bank. It is a must if you want to visit this part of the country. All went excellent, we had no problems at all.

This was a great tour that takes in Ramallah, Jerico, Bethlehem and the baptism site at the river Jordan. The tour of Ramallah walks you round the city centre and gives you an opportunity to speak with the guide about life in the west bank and some of the challenges that exist for day to day life there. It is really interesting and gives some great insight to a locals views in contrast to what you might have seen in the news. The visit to Jerico was less interesting, and the trip to Bethlehem had a great lunch in a family home which was really tasty and great to experience some local food. The church of the nativity is the main site for Bethlehem and provides some good insight to the church with a chance to view the birth and manger sites. After this a visit to the separation wall is interesting to see the artists works including some Banksy pictures. Would definitely recommend this tour.

The bus driver was punctual, courteous and professional. Our guide Ashraf was absolutely great!!! The restaurant where we stopped for lunch was wonderful, loved the food. I highly recommend this tour.

It was so interesting to hear about the realities of life in the West Bank and seeing the Wall was powerful. Such experiences underscore that there are two sides to every story.

Was early so the guide started off chill and took us to get some coffee and pastries. Then he took us to the various sites where we were presented to by experts who were very enthusiastic. Rounding off at the Walled Off hotel. Would highly recommend. Tour guide was excellent.

A very edicational trip filled with a good and varied selection of stops in Palastine - the tour guide was good and informativ but maybe a little bit one sided in his explination regarding the conflict.

The tour started with us seeing barely anything in Ramallah. The guide walked us along a road for a while and then showed us one site at which he explained almost nothing. When we then went to Jericho, we were put in a room to watch an extremely old DVD explanation of the site, with a DVD that kept freezing up and not playing. After that he told us to wander around and be back at the bus in 30 minutes. He did not walk us around the site with us or tell us anything. All he said was "enjoy the heat" with sarcasm. There was another tour group with a guide telling interesting stories about the history of the place so I hovered around them to learn. I tried asking our guide questions but he either said he'd answer later when on the bus or just gave me vague, non-helpful answers. On the bus he pulled up his phone and basically read some news to us off of it. Every site we went to, other tour guides were giving colorful explanations and we were getting nothing. I've been on many tours around the world and unfortunately this was one of the worst. Not at all worth the steep price we paid.

I can just say, wow! My husband and I took this tour to be able to visit biblical sites and at the same time hear the other side of the conflict from the Palestine side. This tour is very eye opening. Our tour guide, Ashraf, was great! Very knowledgeable not just about the history, but also about the political turmoil in this country, which personally as a student of Political Science is very important for me to learn the politics and situations in the region. Lunch was so great in a lovely restaurant in Bethlehem . Take this your, you won’t regret it!

I had an excellent West bank tour on 11th April. Our two guides were very knowledgeable and friendly. I highly recommend this tour!

This is such a brilliant tour. Our tour guide was so knowledgable. The chosen sites to visit are worthwhile and I think it would be very difficult to visit everything on this tour without a tour guide. The great surprise was the lunch which was delicious and there was so much food. They catered really well for vegetarians too which was a nice surprise.

We completed the "Best of the West Bank" Tour. We travelled to highly sensitive areas and were immersed into a small fraction of the everyday lives of Palestinians. Our guide was excellent at communicating not only the historical significance of the various places we visited, but also the current state of affairs. We 100% recommend this tour to anybody visiting the area - you cannot leave Israel and Palestine without learning and absorbing the ongoing conflicts of today.

I was a little nervous after reading mixed reviews, but it was 100% awesome. I am in my mid-30s and was on a trip with my father who is almost 70 and we couldn’t of had a better time!

Great experience, very worthwhile to see the Palestinian side of the line. The food at lunch was good, the tour guide funny and insightful, and the separation wall very moving. Ramallah was a good example of a Palestinian city. Jericho was a quick stop to see some ruins and snap a photo. The church at Bethlehem will be important for religious tourists. I now know that fresh knaffeh is delicious. We also saw five famous Banksy artworks in situ, on and around the separation wall, which I thought was very cool.

I’d recommend this tour for anyone who is trying to make sense of the complexities of the current Jewish Palestinian situation. We went into areas where Jews are not allowed and Palestinians have to pass checkpoints. It’s led by two great guides, committed to peace, whose perspectives can’t always be reconciled.

Highly recommend this tour for anyone interested in the Palestine issue. Our guide (John) was engaging and knowledgeable; he gave us a great perspective. We hit all the tourist spots (Jordan River, Bethlehem) as well as the non-tourist spots (Ramallah, Arafat's tomb, the wall in Bethlehem) and thoroughly enjoyed them all. A long day but well worth it.

The tour felt rushed and there was not an even spread of time at each location. The first stop Ramallah was just a 5 minute walk through the town - although there were a couple of stories the guide told us that were interesting. Jericho was disappointing - we watched a 5 minute documentary on the archaeological history and then visited one site (an old silo). We were probably there less than 30 mins. The most time was spent at the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem and then a significant amount of time was spent at a souvenir shop. By the time we got to the Separation Wall we only had about 10 minutes there, despite spending more than triple that amount of time at the shop. This was extremely disappointing as the visit felt rushed - running around trying to see as much as possible and no time to really take in the cultural, social and political significance of the site. The limited time here was also surprising considering we missed out on visiting the Baptism site due to it being a religious holiday. Also surprising as we arrived back in Jerusalem an hour and 20 minutes before the approximate arrival time - meaning we could have definitely spent more time at the last location. The stops of Ramallah and Jericho were definitely not worth the extra money for what it costs between this tour and the half day Bethlehem tour. There was no Knaffe dessert served despite it being included in the itinerary. In saying that, lunch was very good - salads, hummus, pita and bbq lamb/chicken and chips. Overall, disappointing and rushed especially considering how early the tour ended and how much time was spent shopping. If you're more interested in Bethlehem, definitely save your money and do the half day tour or if you can, explore on your own.

We really loved this tour! It's a great experience and a very good opportunity to understand the history of the territory. Our tour leader made the day unforgettable, offering us great food and lots of information. Local guides took us to historical sites. This was one of my favorite experience.

The overall itinerary is too rushed. A lot of time on the bus. Our tour guide spend most of the time chatting with the driver instead of talking relevant subjects. I'm sorry but I won't be able to recommend this tour.

Great guide and great tour! Would really recommend it! Enjoyed that the lunch were included aldo in very expensive Israel.

We were skeptical about covering these sites in a one day tour, but were very happy with the experience. We appreciated how deeply informative our guide was, in terms of history, religion, and politics of the region. While the tour was definitely a "greatest hits" type - not covering everything, but touching on many important sites and concepts - it certainly gave us a chance to get a feel for the sites we visited, and gave us a list of places we want to go back to. Also, the crossing the checkpoints was seamless, and while we realize that this doesn't represent the experience of the residents of the West Bank, it certainly made it nicer for us.

This tour was way below our expectations. The negatives. They take you to Jericho but they don't take you to Hisham's palace or the Cable Car. You waste your time watching a ten minute video in a small dark room about the history of the city. Then you walk around a not so interesting archaeological site. In Ramallah, instead of taking you to the old city, they take you to an ice cream shop! Yes... an ice cream shop. It may make sense in summer, but definitely not in January... Once in Bethlehem, they take you to the Nativity Church but just for a few minutes. You never make it to the cave where Jesus was born. Then they take you to a souvenir shop instead of letting you walk around Manger Square. What to say about our guide... he would constantly confuse dates and facts. He said that Arafat was born in Jerusalem (he was born in Egypt) and that the Catholic Pope had been in Bethlehem in 2009. He was appointed Pope in 2013. The positives: i) the few minutes that you walk around Ramallah; and ii) visiting the wall and walled off hotel in Bethlehem. The rest is a scam. Look for other options.

Stop watching CNN, FOX (as a matter of fact, any US mainstream media), and simply take your time to explore the world. This tour was not only interesting, but also intriguing in every aspect. I had met so many regular people (workers and business alike) as well as sharing intercultural experiences. Walking by the Wall while reading what artists have painted on it throughout was a bitter-sweet experience. The guide was spectacular; a pacifist and expert in conflict resolutions.

The concept of the tour is great as exploring West Bank is an interesting part of understanding Israel and we covered a lot. Having lunch in a Palestinian home was a very nice touch and unique experience and was helpful to hear a local perspective. I wish there was more of that local perspective given the magnitude of conflict in the region. Ramallah was interesting and I wish we had a little more time there and could speak to people there. I underestimated the Banksy stop as that was also interesting. The part of the tour that needed the most improvement was the Bethlehem portion. The guide led us through a couple sites but very little (if any) explanation. My main takeaway was 'this is where Jesus was born'.

I have rated a three star to this tour only because it offered my family the ability to check out the Palestinian side of Israel. The tour guide (main one) who accompanied us on the bus did not share much details about the places we were visiting. He would randomly point out stuff during the drive as that is the Israeli military etc which we did not understand as we did not have any background. He also did not wait for the tour group when he led us to various locations. If somebody stopped to buy something, one of the tour members had to let him know that some one is left behind. He spent most of his time chatting with the driver.