Israel & Jordan

Day 1: April 3: Fly to Tel Aviv
Today we will fly (from our homes) to Tel Aviv.

Day 2: April 4: Tel Aviv – Galilee
After clearing customs, we will transfer to our hotel in Galilee. 

Day 3: April 5: Galilee
Our journey today takes us north of the Sea of Galilee. We begin by visiting Capernaum where so many wonderful events and teachings of the Savior took place. We then stop at the Mount of Beatitudes where we will ponder the great truths delivered by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Driving to the far north of Israel we will pass the Canaanite city of Hazor on our way to Tel Dan. Here Jeroboam erected a golden calf for the Israelites to worship, marking the beginning of the events that would end with the “lost ten tribes.” The restored walls and gates give us an excellent idea of the fortifications Joshua had to face as he conquered the land. We will visit Banias, known as Caesarea Philippi in the days of Jesus, where he asked his disciples, “Whom do ye say that I am?” At the end of the day, we will return to our hotel in Galilee. Our day would not be complete without a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we will discuss Jesus walking on the water and stilling the storm.

Day 4: April 6: Nazareth – Galilee
This morning we will travel to the top of Mt Carmel where Elijah had his historic confrontation with the priests of Baal with its dramatic conclusion. We travel on to Nazareth, home of the Savior for thirty years of his life. Our day ends with a sweeping view of the Jezreel Valley from Nazareth dominated by Mt. Tabor where we will discuss the transfiguration of the Savior. Deborah and Barak gathered their forces at Mt Tabor and defeated Sisera’s iron chariots. We will also visit the Arbel Cliff for a fantastic overview of the Sea of Galilee.

Day 5: April 7: Caesarea – Bethlehem – Jerusalem
This morning we will head to the Mediterranean Sea where our focus shifts to the Apostles Peter and Paul as we discover Caesarea. Here the Roman centurion, Cornelius, became the first gentile convert to Christianity and Paul related his account of his vision on the road to Damascus to King Agrippa. We will visit the picturesque old Roman aqueduct and let you wade in the Mediterranean Sea. We conclude our visit to Caesarea at the Roman theatre, and Hippodrome where chariot races were held. We will then visit Bethlehem remembering the wondrous account of the Savior’s birth, as recorded in Matthew and Luke and retold each Christmas, as we walk through the Church of the Nativity and sing Christmas Carols. There will be time to shop in the best Olive Wood store in Israel, Nissan Brother in Bethlehem.

 Day 6: April 8: Jerusalem
Today our attention is drawn to the Old City of Jerusalem. We will explore the ruins located south of the Temple Mount where we can walk the sidewalks and stairs of Jesus’ time. We will climb the Temple Mount where both Solomon’s and Herod’s temples once stood and where the magnificent Dome of the Rock and Al Aksa Mosques now stand. We will stop at the Western Wall, the most sacred site for the Jewish faith. You can write a prayer on a piece of paper and place it into the cracks of the wall as millions have done before you. We will then travel to the new city of Jerusalem and visit the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are located, and the Model City, a reproduction of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. The day will end at our hotel in Jerusalem.

Day 7: April 9:  Beit Lehi
We will walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel, built over 2500 years ago to secure the water supply to Jerusalem during the Assyrian siege. You will need a flashlight for the tunnel. The tunnel ends at the Pool of Siloam, where the man born blind washed as instructed by Jesus and came away seeing. We will then head to Beit Lehi to experience an archaeological dig firsthand. Our visit to Beit Lehi includes beautiful early Christian mosaics, oil presses, a mikvah (a ritual bath) and the recently discovered columbary where doves were raised by the thousands for sacrifice at the Temple. There is also a New Testament period stable which will give us one of the best examples of what the birth of the Savior was possibly like. On our way back to Jerusalem we will stop at the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath on our way back to Jerusalem.

Day 8: April 10: Jerusalem
Today we reach the spiritual pinnacle of our pilgrimage as we retrace the footsteps of our Savior during the last hours of his life and feel the deep appreciation these places create for the sacrifice of the Son of God. We begin on Mt. Zion at the traditional site of the Upper Room, where the Last Supper was shared with devoted apostles. We will then visit St. Peter in Gallicantu, the possible site of the cock’s crowing and the Palace of Caiaphas, where Jesus was tried. From there, we descend into the Kidron Valley to visit Gethsemane, the Garden of the Savior’s deepest prayers. In the afternoon we will enter the Old City and see the places where the Savior spent the last hours of  His life. We will visit The Church of St Anne where the Pools of Bethesda were located. Here Jesus commanded the impotent man to take up his bed and walk. We continue on to the Convent of the Sisters of Zion, the location of the Antonia Fortress where Pilate tried the Savior. Our highlight day concludes at Golgotha and the Garden Tomb, where we will have time to ponder the Resurrection and final triumph of Christ. 

Day 9: April 11: Dead Sea – Jordan
This morning we will cross the border into Jordan. After crossing the border, we will swim in the Dead Sea. We will also visit Mt Nebo. Then we will transfer to our hotel in Amman.

Day 10: April 12: Petra
This morning we will travel to Petra, the newly voted “Wonder of the World”!  We will walk down the narrow canyon to the breathtaking view of the Treasury, Petra’s most famous landmark. You will have time to visit this fascinating city carved from the cliffs of the canyon and experience some of the best ruins found anywhere in the world. We will then head back to Amman to overnight.

Day 11: April 13: Amman – Tel Aviv
This morning we will cross back into Israel. After crossing the border, we will visit Masada, the fortress built by Herod the Great, as a royal refuge which sits  atop a cliff that rises dramatically from the desert floor. We will visit the fortress via cable car. During the Jewish revolt in 73 C.E., Masada’s defenders committed suicide rather than be taken prisoner by the Romans. Later, we will transfer to the Tel Aviv Airport for our late evening flight back to the US. 

Day 12: April 14: Fly Home
We will arrive back to the USA and then continue back to our homes.