Yardenit Baptismal Site – Visitors Guide

More than half a million tourists and pilgrims annually visit Yardenit Baptismal Site on the Jordan river shore near Kibbutz Kinneret.

Note: if you are interested in Yardenit as a leisure place (where you can put up a tent and swim in the water) and not the baptismal site, see my post about the nearby attraction Rob Roy.

Qasr el Yahud

To explain what Yardenit is, we should start with Qasr el Yahud. According to tradition, Qasr el Yahud is the traditional place where the baptism of Jesus and other events took place.

Qasr el Yahud is the official name of a baptism site in the Jordan River Valley in the West Bank. The site and facilities, under Israeli occupation, are administered by the Israeli Civil Administration and the Israeli Ministry of Tourism as part of a national park.

It is the western part of the traditional site of the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13-17). In Arabic, Al-Maghtas, a name that was historically used for the pilgrimage site on both sides of the river. It is also traditionally considered the place where the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, and the prophet Elijah ascended to heaven.

Source: Wikipedia

Today Qasr el Yahud is a National Park, and you can visit it.

Here is a quote from the official site:

According to various traditions, the site is also believed to be the place where the Children of Israel crossed the Jordan River and entered the Holy Land after their 40 years of wandering in the desert. It is here that: “as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan shall be cut off, the waters that come down from upstream, and they shall stand as a heap.” (Josh 3:13)

Another event attributed to this site is Elijah’s ascension to heaven in a fiery chariot after he and Elisha crossed the Jordan: “Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.” (2 Kings 2:8)

Yardenit or Qasr el Yahud

If Qasr el Yahud is the traditional place, why do most people visit Yardenit? The reason is the wars. Until 1967 Qasr el Yahud was under Jordanian control. And masses of tourists and pilgrims visited it. In 1968 access to the site was banned because of its location. Qasr el Yahud is located on the border between Israel and Jordan, and you can see the other side. Thus, Yardenit, south of the Sea of Galilee, was subsequently created as an alternative site for baptism. But today, you can visit both of these sites.

After the Six-Day War, Qasr el Yahud fell under Israeli control. Due to military activity and excavations, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism established Yardenit in 1981 as an alternative pilgrimage site. Yardenit became the first regulated baptism site on the Israeli side of the river. Qasr el Yahud reopened in 2011. In 2015, Unesco declared Al Maghtas together with Jabal Mar-Elias (Elijah’s Hill) on the East bank, a world heritage site.

Source: Wikipedia

Bible

In the Qasr el Yahud section, I already brought quotes from Josh 3:13 and 2 Kings 2:8. So, I will include the last one in this section. Matthew 3:13-17 (New Revised Standard Version):

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.
17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Meaning

In Hebrew, in many cases, the suffix “it” means something small. Thus Yardenit means small Jordan river.

The Jordan River is called “Yarden” in Hebrew, and “Yardenit” means “little Jordan River”. The nearby Kibbutz Kinneret, which operates the site, is named after the Sea of Galilee, or “Kinneret” in Hebrew. The origin of the name of the Kinneret is attributed to the shape of the sea, which resembles a violin – “Kinor” in Hebrew.

Source: official site

Note: last part of the quote states that the name Kinneret comes from the word violin. If you read my guide to the Sea of Galilee, you are already familiar with this common misconception.

Map

Yardenit is located on the shore of the Jordan river, not far from the Sea of Galilee and Kibbutz Kinneret.

The Yardenit baptism site is located at the entrance to Kibbutz Kinneret, where the Jordan River flows from the Sea of Galilee. This pristine area is near other holy places like Capernaum, Tabgha, Bethsaida, Kursi, and the Mount of Beatitudes. This location reflects the perfect combination of Christian heritage and stunning landscapes of the Holy Land.

Source: official site

Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit

Interactive map of the area:

Directions

If you drive to Yardenit, you can find free parking near the entrance. For reference, a drive from Nazareth to Yardenit will take about an hour (depending on traffic), and the distance is approximately 42 km.

And if you are using public transport, you can take bus #31 to Bet Yerah High school bus stop and walk from there. Here are the directions in Moovit for Nazareth to Yardenit. Moreover, if your starting point is something else, then change it (in the provided link), and you will get relevant directions.

Opening Hours

Yardenit is open seven days a week all year round, except for the Jewish Holiday of Yom Kippur (The Day of Atonement).

On the eves of Jewish/Israeli holidays, the site is closed at 13:00.

March – November
Saturday – Thursday: 8:00 – 17:00
Friday: 8:00 – 16:00

December – February
Saturday – Thursday: 8:00 – 17:00
Friday: 8:00 – 16:00

Notes:

• Baptism ceremonies can be done up to 1 hour before closing.
• Opening hours were updated in December 2022. In any case, recheck the official hours and the dates of holidays at the official site.

Entrance Fee

Free entrance, but if you plan a baptismal ceremony, there will be an additional fee.

Entry to the site is free, and there is no charge for conducting baptismal ceremonies. To sustain a respectable and spiritual atmosphere, we require visitors to wear special white robes during their baptism. These may be rented or purchased on site. To cover operating costs, Yardenit charges nominal fees for the use of some of its facilities.

Source: official site

To enter and exit the Yardenit Baptismal Site, you must pass through the store. The shop is quite extensive and offers various religious items, cosmetics, jewelry, and other souvenirs from the Holy Land.

And then, you will get to the baptismal area.

While we visited, there were many different groups, and as you can see, there are many sections. Thus, about half a dozen baptismal ceremonies took place simultaneously.

I expected to see people taking photographs using their smartphones. Moreover, some groups brought professional photographers. But I was a little surprised when I saw drones. Whatever does the job (as long as it is legal) is used.

We exited the site through the store and headed to our next attraction. And if you are looking for additional points of interest nearby, check out the guide to the Sea of Galilee.

Have you ever been to the Yardenit Baptismal Site? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

That’s all for today, and I’ll see you in future travels!

Stay Tuned!

Additional Resources

Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:

• Trip Planner with Attractions and Itineraries is the page that will help you create your perfect travel route.
• What is the Best Time to visit Israel? To answer this question, we will consider the weather, prices, holidays, festivals, and more.
• Information and Tips for Tourists to Israel will answer the most common questions tourists have about Israel (including safety, passports, weather, currency, tipping, electricity, and much more).
• Israel National Parks and Nature Reserves include a complete list, top ten, map, tickets (Israel Pass, Matmon, combo), and campsites.
• If you are looking for things to do, here are the pages for Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Sea Of Galilee, Akko (Acre), Eilat, Nazareth, Safed (Tzfat), and Makhtesh Ramon.