This time, unlike the lower Quelt winter route, we will hike from its sources (Ein Farrah) to the middle of the canyon, the monastery of Saint George with the visit of the Lavra, see its sole occupant, monk Chariton, a swim in the sources of the gorge that do not dry out even in the summer, and in the water will go down to the monastery of Saint George. It’s a great route for lovers of desert landscapes, water, and, of course, the history of the Judean desert. During this tour you will understand what attracted the early Christians in the Judean desert, learn how hermits live in the 21st century and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Prat gorge stretches from Jerusalem to Jericho itself, and has been known since Biblical times. One of its main attractions is Lavra of Chariton, founded by the first hermits of the Judean desert in the heyday of the Byzantine Empire, and which currently inhabits … the only one monk Chariton. Chariton is an ambiguous and extravagant character, one of the most interesting hermits in the Judean desert nowadays. Having visited him, we will literally find ourselves in another reality – the triumph of faith over modern logic and desert scenery over urban landscapes.

After visiting the monastery and discovering the history of asceticism of the Judean Desert and the details of everyday life of the monks, we will continue our path along the sources of the gorge – Ein Farrah and Ein Mabuah (some of the most beautiful in the Judean desert), and go down to the monastery of St. George Hozevit – a calling card of Wadi Quelt.

Sources of Ein Farrah and Ein Mabuah are ideal for swimming, and the water flowing out of them down the Wadi Quelt is very refreshing in the heat.

Towards the end of our hike, we come to the monastery of St. George Hozevit. About this place you can talk endlessly, and look at it even longer. Here we will learn the history of the founding of the monastery, what was happening in the valley fifteen hundred years ago, and who cooks diet soup for the monks today.