St. George’s Monastery dates from the 5th or 6th centuries AD. It was built near the cave of Horeb where the prophet Elijah is said to have hidden to escape the wrath of Jezebel, queen of Samaria (1 Kings 18-19). The floor Of St. George’s Church is decorated with Byzantine mosaics. Look for the likeness of a two-headed eagle, the Byzantine symbol of power. The neighboring St. John’s Church houses a spooky collection of skulls and bones of monks who were slaughtered when the Persians swept through the valley in 614 AD. The Greek Orthodox monks who maintain the monastery can refill your canteen for the rest of the journey into Jericho. (Open Mon.-Sat. 8am-lpm and 3-5pm; winter 8am-lpm and 34pm. Leave a donation. Modest dress required.)

On the way to Jericho from St. George’s, stop at the ruins of Tel Abu Alayia on your right. The palaces with their decorated walls, the bath houses, and the water pools at the site were used by the Hasmoneans and later by King Herod. (Free.)

For those interested in exploring other sections along the wadi and around Jericho, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI) office in Jerusalem sells an excellent Hebrew topographical map of the Judean Desert. The staff can also provide information about different routes, though they will probably try to dissuade you from setting off on your own. They offer group one-day tours led by English-speaking guides who are well informed about the wadi’s natural and artificial phenomena. Because of the number (up to 20 people) and diversity of participants, however, the pace may be slower than you’d like (tours leaving from Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, US$44 per person).