Day 1: DEPART FROM USA TO ISRAEL
You will depart on your evening flight to Israel. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flight.
DAY 2: WELCOME TO THE HOLY LAND
Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport. Our representative will help you through customs and take you to the bus where you will meet your guide. Your guide will take you to your hotel in Nazareth / Tiberius.
Day 3: CAESAREA- NAZARETH– GALILEE- CANA
After a rich breakfast, you will drive to Caesarea on the Mediterranean Sea, visit the Roman Theater, the new excavations and the Aqueduct. You will then continue on to Mount Carmel where you will visit the Church of Stella Maris. In the afternoon, you will travel to Nazareth where Jesus spent most of his childhood. There you will visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, St. Joseph’s Carpentry Workshop, St. Mary’s Well and the Old Market. From there, you will drive through the Galilean Hills towards Cana of the Galilee (site of the first miracle of Jesus). Dinner and overnight accommodations will be in Nazareth / Tiberias.
Day 4: SEA OF GALILEE- CAPERNAUM- MT. BEATITUDES
After breakfast, you will depart to view the historical places along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The tour starts at Capernaum where you will visit the remnants of Peter’s mother-in-law’s house and the old synagogue where Jesus preached. You will then proceed to the Mount of Beatitudes (The location of Sermon of the Mount) and drive onto Tabgha where the miracle of Multiplication of the Fish and Loaves took place. Nearby is the Church of Peter’s Primacy on the site of the Miraculous Fishing. There you will take a boat trip on the water of the Sea of Galilee as was done in the times of Jesus. Dinner and overnight accommodations will be in Nazareth / Tiberias.
Day 5: MOUNT TABOR – JERICHO
After breakfast, you will drive along the Jordan Valley to Mount Tabor (The site of the Transfiguration) and then to Beit Shaen where you will visit the largest excavation in the Holy Land. Tour the Roman Hot Baths and Theatre. You will continue on to Jericho where you will visit the ruins of the ancient city conquered by Joshua (Josh. 6:1, 2, 20) and the traditional site of the Temptation of Jesus (Matt, 4:1-11). Then you will drive up the Judean Hills and enter the Holy City of Jerusalem where there is a special ceremonial blessing. Dinner and overnight accommodation will be in Jerusalem / Bethlehem.
Day 6: BETHLEHEM- JERUSALEM
You will drive to Bethlehem where you will visit the Church of Nativity (the world’s oldest functioning church) and view Shepherds’ Field where the Good News was first announced by the angels. You will then return to Jerusalem, stopping on your way to visit the biblical village of Ein Karim (birthplace of John the Baptist). In Jerusalem, tour a replica and the Model of the city of Jerusalem of the Second Temple Era. Dinner and overnight accommodations will be in Jerusalem / Bethlehem.
DAY 7: JERUSALEM
After breakfast, you will start the day with an early walk through the Stations of the Cross at Via Dolorosa. Visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and attend mass. You will also have the opportunity to tour the Chapel of the Ascension and the Church of Pater Noster. Drive to the Dung Gate to see the Wailing Wall, visit the Church of Dormition, David’s Tomb and the Cenacle. Dinner and overnight accommodations will be in Jerusalem / Bethlehem.
Day 8: JERUSALEM
You will begin the day by overlooking the City of Jerusalem from the top of the Mount of Olives. When finish, you will walk down the hill to visit Dominus Flevit, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Basilica of Agony. Then you will ascend, as Jesus did, to the traditional site of the Temple Mount to visit the Western Wall and explore the Ophel excavations south of the Mount, including the temple steps which Jesus and the disciples walked. After lunch, you will proceed to the Upper Room on Mount Zion where you will have the opportunity to remember the Last Supper. At the end of the day visit Peter in Gallicantu (believed to be the site of Caiaphas’ house where Jesus was tried and kept overnight) Dinner and overnight accommodations will be in Jerusalem / Bethlehem.
Day 9: BETHLEHEM-AMMAN
After breakfast, we will drive from Bethlehem to the Allenby Bridge. There will be a border check here as we enter Jordan. We will drive to the biblical city of Medaba in central Jordan. it is known for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics. There you will stop for lunch, and then continue our tour westward to Mt. Nebo (2,680 ft. above sea level). It is mentioned in the Bible as the place where Moses was granted a view of the “Promised Land”. It is believed to be the location of the tomb of Moses. The view from the summit will provide you a panorama of the Holy Land and to the north a limited view of the Jordan River Valley. Drive north to the modern capital city of Jordan, Amman. There will be a short tour of Amman which may include the Amman Citadel and Roman Theater. We arrive at your hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day 10: WADI MUSA- PETRA
After an early breakfast, we drive south to Wadi Musa. it is the closest town to Petra and hosts many hotels and restaurants for tourist to enjoy. We travel through the “Siq” an immense crack in the Nubian sandstone, to the city of Petra. Established as early as 312 B.C. as the capital city of the Nabataeans. They carved a city out of the rose red rock thus its name the Rose City. Al Khazneh (The Treasury) is one of the most elaborate temples in Petra and is one of the most elegant remains of antiquity. Beyond the Treasury, you will find yourself surrounded on both sides by Petra’s carved and built structures, including the Monastery which was carved out of a sandstone rock face. We will enjoy lunch, and then return through the Siq to Wadi Musa for our drive back to Amman for an overnight stay.
Day 11: JERASH- AMMAN
After breakfast, we then drive to the city of Jerash, the site of the Greco-Roman city of Gerasa, also referred to as Antioch on the Golden River. It has the most well preserved sites of Roman architecture in the world outside Italy. It was one of the ten great Greco- Roman cities dating from the 1st. century B.C. Known as the “Pompeii of the East” for its extraordinary state of preservation. The ruins indicate human occupation at this location for more than 2,500 years. The most well known monuments include the colonnaded street, the Temple of Zeus,the Forum and Hadrian’s Arch. After lunch, we return to Amman for your overnight stay. You will have free time to shop or take it easy.
DAY 12: RETURN HOME
After breakfast, we will travel to Amman airport for your flight to Ben Gurion Airport and your international connection home to the U.S.A.
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