11-Day Holy Land & Petra

DAY 01: USA / EUROPE.  Tour members will gather at the ticket counter at the airport two hours prior to their departure to Europe.  Dinner and breakfast will be served in-flight.

DAY 02: EUROPE / TEL AVIV. Upon our arrival at the Tel Aviv airport we will be met and transferred to our hotel in a suburb of Tel Aviv - situated on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea.  Dinner will be served at our hotel.  Weather permitting, we suggest a walk after dinner on the beach.

DAY 03: TEL AVIV / GALILEE.  After breakfast we drive through the citrus groves and farms of the rich land of Sharon, northward to Caesarea, the Roman city of Herod where sights include Crusader fortifications and the Roman aqueducts and amphitheater.  Driving through the Jezreel Valley to the fields of Armageddon (Revelation 16:16) and Megiddo.  Continuing northward along the Mediterranean Sea to Haifa and Mt. Carmel - the biblical site of Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal (I Kings:18). Traveling westward across Galilee we will view Mt. Tabor (Psalm 89:12), Deboriya - the hometown of the prophetess Deborah - at the foothill of Mt. Tabor (Judges 4 and 5). Overnight at our hotel on the shores of the beautiful Sea of Galilee.

DAY 04: TIBERIAS / CAPERNAUM / CAESAREA PHILIPPI / MT. HERMON. This day will be an exciting day in the Galilee area after a delicious breakfast.  We will depart from the Roman hot springs resort city of Tiberias via a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum (John 6:24) to visit the ancient ruins of the first century synagogue where Jesus preached (Matt. 4:13-17). Then on to the Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the "Sermon on the Mount" (Matt. 5-7) and to Tabgha - the chapel dedicated to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes - (Mark 6:34-44).  We will then proceed to upper Galilee and the site of Peter's confession (Matt. 16:16) at Caesarea Phillipi and to Mt. Hermon (Psalm 89:12) the probable site of the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8) and the present day Golan Heights where Israel, Lebanon and Syria come together.  We will follow the fresh mountain waters of Mt. Hermon to the Sea of Galilee and to the outlet passage at the southern tip of the Sea.  We will stop at the beautiful Pilgrims Park at the Jordan River.  Return to our hotel for overnight.

DAY 05: NAZARETH / JERICHO / QUMRAN / DEAD SEA. Early morning departure to Cana and then on to Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus, where we will visit the Church of the Annunciation (Luke 1:5-42) and Mary's Fountain (Luke 4:16-22).  We continue past Bethshean and then south through the Jordan Valley to ancient Jericho where the walls came tumbling down (I Kings 17:1-6 and II Kings 2:19-22) and a commanding view of the Mt. of Temptation (Matt. 4:1-11) and Elisha's Fountain.  Continue to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered for a visit.  See the remains of the Community Center of the Essenes and the Caves of the Scrolls.  Travel to the Dead Sea where we will spend the night.

DAY 06:  DEAD SEA / PETRA.  Today we depart the Dead Sea for a visit to Petra.  This ancient Edomite and Nabatean capital is an amazing city of prophecy.  See this spectacular "City of the Dead" with its famed gorge, ancient street, temples, dwelling places and tombs carved from the solid rock.  Arrive at El Ji Post and continue the one-mile journey on horseback, or walk, passing through the famous SIQ (natural gorge) and arrive at the "Treasury".  Visit the ancient theater.  In the Nabatean Judgment Hall, Place Tombs, famous Urn Temple and the Roman amphitheater.  Those willing to climb may view the monastery, Jebel Harun (Mountain of Aaron), supposed to be the burial place of Aaron.  Horseback journey back to El Ji Post. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Petra.

DAY 07: PETRA / MASADA / BETHANY / JERUSALEM. This morning we depart Petra via the Judean Desert to Masada, a truly remarkable piece of history.  Ascend to Masada by cable car to visit the magnificent ruins of the fortress where from 70-73 A.D. the Jewish defenders made the last stand of the Judean Revolt against Rome and where the remains of storehouses, cisterns and a sixth century Byzantine church are still on view.  Return to Jerusalem visiting on the way the Inn of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), and Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus (John 11:1-46). On to our Jerusalem hotel for overnight.

DAY 08:  JERUSALEM / NEW CITY / BETHLEHEM. This morning we visit the New City of Jerusalem, Mount Zion, the Upper Room, the tomb of King David and Dormition Abbey. We enter the Jewish Quarter of the Old City to visit the Wohl Archaeological Museum, displaying the newly restored Herodian Quarter. Remains of this area of Jerusalem date back to the time of the Herodian Dynasty (37 BC to 70 AD). Proceed to the Shrine of the Book where we see the Dead Sea Scrolls on display then view the Knesset (Israeli parliament) building. Continue to visit Yad Vashem, a memorial of the Holocaust then visit the Model City. This afternoon we continue to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, the Manger, Crusader's Cloister and the Grotto of St. Jerome. We then visit the cave in Shepherds' Field and view the Fields of Boaz. En route to Jerusalem we see the Tomb of Rachel and other antiquities before returning to the hotel for dinner.

DAY 09:  JERUSALEM / HAROD’S TOMB / SOUTHERN WALL.  This morning we will board our bus for our tour to the famous Harod’s Tomb. We will continue to the Temple Institute where we will see the making of the instruments for the new temple. We will see how they are following the Bible for exact instructions. We will see a film explaining where the Rabbi believes the Ark of the Covenant is found. This afternoon we will head to the Southern Wall and visit the Mikev pools and the steps that Christ would have used to enter the Temple area and would have taught from. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 10: JERUSALEM / MT. OF OLIVES / OLD CITY. Today we drive to the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of Jerusalem, visit the Church of Pater Noster and the Chapel of Ascension, then proceed to the Garden of Gethsemane. Crossing the Kidron Valley, we pass the tombs of Absalom, Zechariah and St. James, then visit the Pool of Siloam and the Church of St. Peter of Gallicantu (Caiaphas' House).  We enter the Old City this afternoon through the Zion Gate and see the Cardo and the remains of Nehemiah's Wall on the way to the Western (Wailing) Wall. We visit the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, the Church of St. Anne, the Pool of Bethesda, Pilate's Judgment Hall, the Chapel of Flagellation, Lithostrotos, and the Arch of Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man"). We follow the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and end our day in the Garden Tomb before returning to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 11:  JERUSALEM / TEL AVIV / NORTH AMERICA. Early morning departure from Jerusalem to the Tel Aviv Airport for our return to North America.  The end of a most enjoyable tour.