Day 1 — Feb 22^nd, Thu — DEPART FROM THE U.S.

Depart from the US to Tel Aviv.  Dinner and breakfast will be served during the flight.

Day 2 — Feb 23^rd, Fri — ARRIVE TO ISRAEL

Our representatives will meet you and walk you through customs.  We’ll board our bus, then tour the charming alleys of the city of Jaffa and visit the square where the Church of Saint Peter resides. We will enjoy watching the sun set on the old city of Jaffa.

Dinner & overnight stay at our hotel in Haifa

Day 3 — Feb 24^th, Sat — CAESAREA, MT. CARMEL, MEGIDDO (ARMAGEDDON), NAZARETH  VILLAGE, TIBERIAS

After breakfast we’ll visit the following sites:

Caesarea to visit the Crusader Fortress built upon the ancient city of Caesarea, named after Augustus Caesar, who imposed the tax that brought Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem.  Here we will visit an ancient Roman Amphitheatre, where the group can experience the acoustics of a structure built in the days of Christ.

Mount Carmel where Elijah issued his challenge to the False Prophets.

Megiddo, Site of Armageddon.  We will see where generations of civilizations were destroyed and rebuilt over and over again. Somewhere between 28 and 32 times, cities would be renamed and rebuilt after being conquered. This city was a strategic location for going into battle.  King Solomon established it as a ‘chariot city’ and housed hundreds of horses. It’s also home to a 120-foot water shaft (which many of us toured) which connects the city to a spring outside the city gates.

Our next stop is Nazareth, the home of Jesus and where he spent his childhood. We will visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, which stands over the cave where the Angel Gabriel appeared before Mary to announce her conception of Jesus.

Onto Nazareth Village where we will have the opportunity to go back in time to the everyday life of the first century, the time of Jesus.

Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel in Tiberias

Day 4 — Feb 25^th, Sun — SEA OF GALILEE, CAESAREA PHILIPPI, BAPTISMAL SITE JORDAN RIVER

We’ll start our day in the upper Galilee, visiting Caesarea Philippi where Peter confessed Christ: “You are the Christ, the son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:15-16).

Complete with shops, marketplace, residential areas, and wharf, this is a city where Jesus himself visited and taught. Visit Capernaum, the town of Jesus. Visit the Church of Multiplication in Tabgha (where the Lord performed the miracle of the Loaves and Fishes). And visit the Mount of Beatitudes (where Jesus taught “The Sermon on the Mount”). We will continue to our baptism in the Jordan River, truly an unforgettable experience.

Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel in Tiberias

Day 5 — Feb 26^th, Mon — SAIL ON BOAT, MAGDALA, GIDEON’S SPRING, BETH SHE’AN, JERUSALEM   

Today we will sail on the Sea of Galilee, and visit the museum of the ancient boat at Kibbutz Ginosar.

We will visit Magdala, with its first century synagogue, a complete first century city and remains of a once prosperous fish processing industry. Afterwards, we will bid farewell to the Galilee. Proceed to visit Gideon’s Spring – Ein Jezreel, where the Judge Gideon selected 300 warriors to go into the battle with him against the Midianites (Judge 7).

We will continue onto the Jordan Valley, and visit  Beth She-an, upon whose walls the Philistines nailed the head of King Saul after his defeat on Mount Gilboa. As we visit the city’s remains, we’ll not only learn about the dramatic end of the last war between King Saul and the Philistines, but also how the residents of Jabesh bravely removed the corpses of the King and his son from the wall of the city in order to burn them (1 Samuel 31).

 Pass by Jericho, the first city conquered by the Israelites in the Promised Land.

We proceed to Jerusalem to check into our hotel.

Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel in Jerusalem

Day 6 — Feb 27^th, Tue — JERUSALEM & BETHLEHEM

Our morning starts on the Mount of Olives with its breathtaking panoramic view of Jerusalem.  The day continues with visits to the sites that will helps us of understand the Lord’s prophecy about Jerusalem: The Chapel of Ascension, then onto the Chapel of Dominius Flevit, where Christ Prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 18:41), the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-53) and the Church of the Agony (Church of All Nations), the site where it is said that Judas betrayed Jesus. We will proceed to visit the sites on Mt. Zion: the Gallicantu Church, which was built over the ruins of the Palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest before whom Jesus was brought for trial (Mark 14: 53-65). We’ll visit the Tomb of King David and enter into the Upper Room – the site that commemorates Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. Afterwards, we will proceed to Bethlehem to see Shepherds’ Fields, and we will end our day by visiting the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, the birth place of Christ.

Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel in Jerusalem

Day 7 — Feb 28^th, Wed — JERUSALEM – Layers of History, Temple Mount, Sound and Light Show

We will wake up early, have breakfast, we will start our day with an exciting tour to the site where much of the Bible was written, the City of David.  Here archeologists found King Hezekiah’s 2,700-year-old water tunnel, one of the wonders of early engineering, and the seal impression of Gemariah, son of Shaphan, possibly the scribe of King Zedekiah (Jeremiah 36:10). Continue to the Pool of Siloam where Christ healed the blind man by sending him to wash his eyes (John 9).  In the Jewish Quarter, we’ll explore the Roman Cardo, the Madaba Map, the Western Wall.  Proceed to the Davidson Center (with its amazing virtual model of the Second Temple).  We will visit the Temple Mount, and we’ll hear about the traders driven out of the Temple by Jesus (Luke 19:45-48).  Continue to Bethesda where Christ healed the paralyzed man (John 5).  Our journey through the Via Dolorosa (The Way of the Cross) stations will end by visiting the Church of Holy Sepulchre.

At night, we will enjoy the spectacular Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David in Jerusalem.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Jerusalem

Day 8 — Feb 29^th, Thu — LAZARUS TOMB, DEAD SEA, MASADA

We’ll descend the Judean Hills on our way to the Dead Sea.  Our first stop today will be one of the St. George Monastery crosses, which offers an amazing view of the monastery.  This stop is important for understanding the water system used in the Judean Desert and monasteries.  We’ll continue to Qumran to hear the amazing story of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery. We will try to answer questions such as: Who wrote the scrolls?  Who were the Essenes?  How did they live and why there?  Then to Masada to learn about the dramatic story of almost one thousand men, women and children who chose suicide rather than becoming Roman slaves. We’ll visit the archeological finds and enjoy the palaces, bathhouses, walls and the remarkable view of the Dead Sea. We’ll proceed to swim and float in the Dead Sea, and to enjoy the sun and the famous mud.

Dinner and overnight stay at the hotel in Jerusalem

Day 9 — Mar 1^st, Fri — GARDEN TOMB, VALLEY OF ELAH, ISRAEL MUSEUM, FAREWELL DINNER

After breakfast, we will visit the Garden Tomb, for communion and reflection.

Then onto the Israel Museum to visit the miniature model of the city of Jerusalem as it appeared in the time of the Second Temple before the great rebellion and its subsequent destruction.  Afterwards, we will get to see the Shrine of the Book, which houses the ancient Dead Sea Scrolls.

We’ll drive by the Valley of Elah, where David fought Goliath. We’ll stop to read the story, and enjoy the beauty of the valley.

We will get to enjoy some shopping at the colorful markets of Jerusalem.

As we close our memorable tour to the Holy Land, we proceed to a local restaurant to enjoy our Farewell Dinner.

Afterwards, proceed to our hotel.

Overnight stay at our hotel in Jerusalem

Day 10 — Mar 2^nd, Sat — FLIGHT BACK HOME

After an early breakfast, proceed to the airport for our flight back home to the USA.

Day 10 — Mar 2^nd, Sat — CROSSING BORDER TO JORDAN, PETRA

Following breakfast and check out, we will drive to the border crossing with Jordan. Upon arrival at Allenby Bridge Border, our English-speaking representative on the Jordanian side will escort us to our driver. We will drive towards the South to visit Petra, the home of a World Wonder. After checking into our hotel, start our tour of Petra, the greatest attraction in Jordan. Petra was first established around the 6th century B.C. by the Nabateans, a nomadic tribe who settled in the area and laid the foundations of a commercial empire that extended up to Syria.  Later at night head back to your hotel for dinner and overnight. Breakfast, lunch, dinner included.

Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel in Petra

Day 11 — Mar 3^rd, Sun — MOUNT NEBO, MADABA, DEAD SEA

After breakfast drive to Mt.​ ​Nebo​, where Moses viewed the Promised​ ​Land​. We will enjoy a breathtaking view of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. Then to Madaba​, the Byzantine center of the master mosaics, where you will see the oldest surviving mosaic map of the Holy Land. Proceed to the Dead Sea, to a luxury hotel, where we can swim and float.

Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel at the Dead Sea

Day 12 — Mar 4^th, Mon — JORDAN, CROSS BORDER TO ISRAEL, TEL AVIV

After a nice breakfast at the camp, early check-out, and get ready for departure. Drive to Allenby Bridge to cross back into Israel. Our Israeli representative will meet you on that side of the border, and escort you by private transportation to Tel Aviv.  Free time in Tel Aviv, where you can relax on the beach and enjoy your time in the market.

Dinner and overnight stay at our hotel in Tel Aviv

Day 13 — Mar 5^th, Tue — RETURN FLIGHT BACK TO THE USA

After breakfast, we transfer to the airport for our return flight back home to the USA.