12-Day Holy Lands

DAY 01: NORTH AMERICA/EUROPE.  Tour members will meet at the airport two hours prior to departure for Europe.  Dinner and breakfast will be served in flight.

DAY 02: EUROPE/TEL AVIV.  Upon our arrival in Tel Aviv via Europe, we will be met and transferred to our beautiful hotel in a suburb of Tel Aviv - situated on the shored of the Mediterranean Sea.

DAY 03:  THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA/ ANCIENT JOPPA / CAESAREA / MOUNT CARMEL / HAIFA / PLAIN OF ARMAGEDDON /TIBERIAS.  After a good nights rest and a hearty breakfast we will begin the thrilling journey of following in the footsteps of Jesus.  Ancient Joppa on the Sea is where Jonah set sail, and where Peter raised Dorcas from the dead.  Joppa was the home of Simon the Tanner.  At Caesarea by the sea we'll visit the Crusader's Castle, the Roman Amphitheater and water duct, and the port from which the Apostle Paul sailed to Rome.  We will continue northward along the Mediterranean coast to Mount Carmel where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal by the Brook Kishon.  After Haifa we'll visit Megiddo and the Plain of Armageddon, Jezreel and Esdraelon.  Eastward we will arrive in Tiberias for dinner and overnight at our hotel and get our first glimpse of the beautiful Sea of Galilee.

DAY 04:  TIBERIAS / THE SEA OF GALILEE / CAPERNAUM / CAESAREA PHILIPPI / MOUNT HERMON / THE JORDAN RIVER.  After breakfast we will take a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee pausing on the sea for a time of meditation.  We will dock at Capernaum to view the remains of an early church, the ruins of Peter's house and an ancient synagogue.  Proceed to the Mount of Beatitudes and Tabgha and recall Jesus' Sermon on the Mount and the miracle of the loaves and fishes.  Continue through Golan Heights to Caesarea Philippi and Mount Hermon to view the probable sites of Peter's confession and Jesus' transfiguration.  We conclude this exciting day with a baptismal service at the Jordan River.  Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 05:  TIBERIAS / CANA / NAZARETH / BEIT SHE'AN / SAMARIA / JERICHO / JERUSALEM.  After breakfast we begin the Lord's Day journey by traveling westward from Tiberias to Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed the first recorded miracle.  We later follow the steps of Jesus throughout His boyhood town of Nazareth.  On our way from Nazareth to the Holy City of Jerusalem, view Beit She'an, the site of new archaeological excavations, passing through Samaria to ancient Jericho.  On to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 06:  JERUSALEM / MOUNT OF OLIVES / GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE / MOUNT ZION / KING DAVID'S TOMB / THE ROOM OF THE LAST SUPPER / PETER IN GALLICANTO / THE HOUSE OF CAIAPHAS / THE MODEL CITY / THE DEAD SEA SCROLLS MUSEUM / BETHLEHEM / THE SHEPHERD'S FIELD AND PLAINS OF BOAZ.   Today we begin the thrilling journey of following the footsteps of Jesus throughout the Holy City.  In each instance and at every site the presence of the Lord will be overwhelming.

DAY 07:  JERUSALEM / BETHANY / THE JERICHO ROAD / THE GOOD SAMARITAN INN / THE DEAD SEA / EIN GEDI / MASADA / QUMRAN / VILLAGE OF ESSENES.  After breakfast we visit Bethany, the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, enroute to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, via the Jericho Road.  Visit the Good Samaritan Inn along the Jericho Road, then continue to the Dead Sea, 2,700 feet below sea level, driving along the coast to Ein Gedi where David hid in the caves from Saul.  Proceeding southward long the Dead Sea, view the mountain fortress of Masada.  Ascending by cable car, visit the magnificent ruins where the Jewish zealots made the last stand of the Judean revolt against Rome.  Later we visit Qumran to see the caves where the Isaiah scrolls were discovered and view the remains of an Essene Village.  On return to Jerusalem, we'll note the Jericho archeological discoveries, command a view of the Mount of Temptation and observe the magnificent setting of the St. George Monastery.

DAY 08:  THE OLD CITY / THE WESTERN WALL / THE TEMPLE MOUNT / THE POOL OF BETHESDA / THE FORTRESS ANTONIO / THE VIA DOLOROSA / CALVARY / THE GARDEN TOMB / WEST JERUSALEM.  Today we embark on an exciting walking tour through the Old City of Jerusalem entering through the Dung Gate to view the Southern Wall excavations.  We'll observe the Western Wall and ascend the Temple Mount to enter the Dome of the Rock Mosque of Omar, where Abraham prepared to sacrifice Isaac, and then to command an interior view of the sealed Beautiful Golden Gate.  Continue on to the five porch Pool of Bethesda enroute to Pilate's Judgment Hall and the Via Dolorosa, the Way of Suffering.  The walking tour will climax with a visit to Golgotha Calvary and the Resurrection Garden Tomb.  We'll have the privilege of observing the Lord's Supper at the resurrection site.  Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 09:  JERUSALEM / ST. CATHERINE'S.  This morning we depart Jerusalem on our way to St. Catherine's.  Early dinner and overnight to prepare ourselves for the early morning activities planned for tomorrow.

DAY 10:  ST. CATHERINE'S / CAIRO.  Very early morning.  At 2:00 am, assisted by a Bedouin guide, ascend a flight of 3,000 steps to the top of Mt. Horeb.  A picnic breakfast is provided.  Descending at 8:30 am we will visit the monastery grounds and buildings.  The chapel, library and ossuary (bones of the saints of many centuries) will provide a lifetime experience.  At 10:30 am, we leave on our way to Cairo for dinner and overnight.

DAY 11: CAIRO / GIZA.  Morning visit to the Egyptian Museum to view many specimens of finest antiquities, including precious collections from the Tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amon.  Then drive through the city past Cairo University to Giza.  Visit Cheops Pyramid and the Sphinx.  Camels or horses will be available to ride to the Pyramid Plateau.  Afternoon sightseeing drive along the Nile Corniche, past East El Ainin Hospital to "Old Cairo" to visit the Coptic Churches of Abu Sarga associated with the Flight of the Christ Child to Egypt and visit Ben Ezra Synagogue, AMR Mosque and the site of the Nile where Moses was found in the bulrushes.  Drive via Republic Square, past Abdin Palace to Sultan Ahassan Mosque, the Citadel, Mohammed Aly Mosque for a panoramic view of Cairo, through the City of the Dead, El Azhas University to the native bazaars of Khan El Kahalili where time is allowed for browsing and shopping.  You may wish to take in the dramatic Sound and Light show at the Pyramids.

DAY 12: CAIRO / NORTH AMERICA.  After breakfast we depart our hotel for the Cairo airport to catch our flight to North America. The end of a most enjoyable journey.