Day 01 – Welcome to the Holy Land Today arrive Ben Gurion Airport and meet your guide who will welcome us to the Land of the Bible and escort us throughout our stay in Israel. After a short drive arrive Old Jaffa, and one of the oldest inhabited port cities in the world and the traditional home of Simon the Tanner, and from where Jonah sailed. Continue to your hotel for dinner and overnight. Day 02 – On to Galilee Today depart Tel Aviv and drive by the Sharon Plains en route to Caesarea, site of major events in the lives of Peter and Paul, and the site of the conversion of the first gentile. Next is Megiddo, where archaeological digs reveal 20 layers of civilization, including fortifications of King Solomon and the water tunnel of King Ahab. From Megiddo enjoy a magnificent view of the fertile Jezreel Valley, prophesied site of Armageddon, at the crossroads of the ancient Via Maris. We drive up Mt. Carmel to Mukraka for a magnificent view of the region. Continue to Sepphoris, the former Roman capital of the Galilee and seat of the Sanhedrin in the second century A.D., where among numerous impressive mosaics you can see the Mona Lisa of the Galilee. Our next stop is Nazareth, site of Mary’s Well, and Cana, site of His first miracle, before arriving at the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight. Day 03 – In His Footsteps Today walk on the Footsteps of Jesus! Start the day in Capernaum, with the ancient synagogue where probably Jesus preached, and continue to the site of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes (Tabgha). In the Mount of Beatitudes is where He delivered the Sermon on the Mount, and here time for meditation is available with the Sea of Galilee in the background. In the afternoon we will journey north to Caesarea Phillipi, (Banias) where Jesus decided to return to Jerusalem. Return via the Golan Heights to the area around the Sea of Galilee where we will visit the Jordan River and Yardenit, the baptismal site, for baptismal service (optional). End the day with a memorable boat ride in a replica of the fishing boats used in times of Jesus. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. Return via the Golan Heights to the area around the Sea of Galilee where we will visit the Jordan River and Yardenit, the baptismal site, for baptismal service (optional). End the day with a memorable boat ride in a replica of the fishing boats used in times of Jesus. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight. Day 04 – Up To Jerusalem Drive along the Jordan Valley to Beit She’an to see the expansive excavations taking place at this ancient Roman city, one of the ancient Deccapolis. Continue by the Jordan Valley and pass Jericho, the Mt. Temptation and Mt. Nebo, from where Moses looked upon the Holy Land. Enter Jerusalem like millions of Pilgrims since ancient times, a first panoramic view and blessing from Hass Promenade and continue to your hotel for dinner and overnight. Day 05 –Jerusalem, Eternal City Start the day with a breathtaking view of the Old City from the top of the Mt. of Olives, and walk downhill to the Garden of Gethsemane, with its ancient olive trees. Nearby is the Church of All Nations, believed to be built on the rock where Jesus prayed the eve of his arrest. Cross the Kidron Valley and enter the Old City through Lions’ Gate to the Moslem Quarter, visit the beautiful Church of St. Anne and the Pool of Bethesda, Pilate’s Judgment Hall, and the Ecce Homo Arch. Walk along the Via Dolorosa, into the Christian Quarter, and see the Stations of the Cross. Drive to Mt. Zion to see the House of Caiaphas and the Upper Room of the Last Supper. In the afternoon visit Bethlehem, see Manger Square, the Church of the Nativity, and the Shepherds’ Fields. Return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight. Day 06 – The Dead Sea Today drive by the Judean Wilderness en route to the lowest place on Earth, the Dead Sea. Start with Masada, the impressive fortress built by King Herod’s the Great. Visit the remnants of Herod’s Palace and where from 70 to 73 A.D. the Zealots made their last stand against the Roman Legions. After free time for a “float” in the salted waters of the Dead Sea, return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight. Day 07 – The Old City We will begin the day walking by the reconstructed Jewish Quarter the restored Roman Cardo, the original Roman street, and see the amazing Israelite wall. Arrive to the Western Wall, holiest place of the Jewish People, and see the excavations in the Southern Wall. The tour also includes the new Visitors Center and the virtual reconstruction of the Second Temple. On Mondays and Tuesdays you may see a Jewish Bar Mitzvahs at the Western Wall, one of the most important celebrations in the Jewish life. Then on to the Temple Mount and the Dome of the Rock, where Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac, and now the site of a mosque. This afternoon visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and continue on to the miniature model of Jerusalem as it was in the 2nd Temple period. End the afternoon at Golgotha (Gordon’s Calvary) and the Garden’s Empty Tomb. Special time is planned for worship, communion, meditation and inspiration. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. Day 08 – Departure Today say farewell to the Holiland and transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for your departure flight.
