Depart New York via jet service to Tel Aviv. Meals will be served on board.
DAY 02:
INTO THE LAND OF THE BIBLE
Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, you will be met by our representative and assisted through customs formalities. Board your private motorcoach and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Tel Aviv Area.
DAY 03:
ALL THE PAST YEARS WITH HISTORY
Fortress at Megiddo
Stroll through the restored Artist’s Quarter in Old Jaffa and visit Simon the Tanners House before proceeding to Caesarea to visit the ruins of the Crusader's City. Visit the Roman Theater, continue to Haifa and see Elijah's Cave and enjoy the view of the city from Mt. Carmel. Continue to Megiddo, Armageddon, a very important strategic point on the Via Maris connecting Egypt and Damascus. Proceed to Nazareth to visit Mary's Well and the Church of the Annunciation, built in 1960-68 enclosing the crypt, which is one of the largest Christian sanctuaries in the Middle East. Drive to Cana to visit the site where the firstmiracle took place. Proceed to your hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight.
DAY 04:
GALILEE AND UPPER GALILEE
The Jordan River
This morning board a boat on the calm surface of the Sea of Galilee and cruise to Capernaum. Upon landing, visit the ruins of the city where Jesus started His Ministry and the site of the Synagogue where He was teaching. Proceed to Tabgha, the site of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fish. See the 4th century mosaics. Drive to the top of the Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the Sea and surrounding area. Drive to the Golan Heights in Upper Galilee. Visit the Sources of the Jordan. View Tel Dan. Cross the River Jordan via Jacob's Daughters' Bridge. Return to the exit of the Jordan River from the Sea of Galilee for Baptism service. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.
DAY 05:
ALONG THE JORDANVALLEY
Leave Tiberias and drive into the Wilderness of Judea. Visit Jericho, and Tel El Sultan, ruins of one of the oldest cities in the world. From Jericho, you can see the Mount of Temptation where Satan tempted Jesus when He fasted for 40 days. Visit Elijah's Fountain and continue to Qumran, the site where the Scrolls of the Dead Sea were found by a shepherd boy Continue for a visit to the Dead Sea; time will be provided for a swim at the Dead Sea.. Drive to Jerusalem, stopping at the Inn of the Good Samaritan and Bethany. Overnight in Jerusalem.
DAY 06:
MOUNTAINS OF JERUSALEM AND BETHLEHEM
Entrance of Humility,
Church of the Nativity
Drive to the Mount of Olives with its outstanding view of the city. Visit the Chapel of Ascension, Church of Pater Noster, Garden of Gethsemane, Church of All Nations. View the Kidron Valley. Drive to Bethlehem for a visit to the Church of Nativity, visit the Shepherd's Fields and the Fields of Boaz and Ruth. An afternoon drive takes you to visit Mount Zion, the site where Jesus accomplished His Ministry. Visit the room of the Last Supper. Visit the Tomb of King David and the House of Caiaphas; proceed to the Knesset, or the House of Parliament. Visit the Shrine of the Book enclosing the Scrolls of the Dead Sea; visit the National Museum. Return to your hotel.
DAY 07:
JERUSALEM, THE HOLYCITY
Damascus Gate, Jerusalem
Visit the Garden Tomb and Gordon's Calvary, the site where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected. A service can be arranged at the Garden Tomb. Proceed towards the city walls built by Sulieman the Magnificent enclosing the most Holy sites. Walk into the city through Damascus Gate and through the picturesque colorful bazaars to the superb Temple Area, where Solomon's Temple was built on Mount Moriah. Visitthe Dome of the Rock enclosing the Rock of Sacrifice; the Mosque of Al Aksa, further south, the Pinnacle of the Temple and the Western Wall or the Wailing Wall. In the afternoon, start at Saint Stephen's Gate and into the Old City to visit the Church of Saint Anne, the Pool of Bethesda, the Lithostrotos, Pilate's Judgment Hall and walk on the Via Dolorosa leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Walk through the bazaars to the Citadel and take the bus from Jaffa Gate back to the hotel.
DAY 08:
JERUSALEM / MASADA / DEAD SEA / EILAT
Masada Fortress
Depart Jerusalem this morning and drive on a beautiful new road that takes you along the shores of the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi where a precipitous cliff, filledwith caves, rises some 2,000 feet. Time is provided to visit the Waterfalls of Ein GeditoContinue toMasada. Ascend by cable car to visit the remarkable ruins of the Fortress, built by Herod the Great, and where from 70 to 73 A.D., Jewish Zealots made their last stand in the Judean Revolt against the Roman Legions. See the remains of Herod's Palace; the Apartments, Baths, Storehouses and water cisterns - all used by the Jewish Defenders who took refuge here. Drive along the shores of the Dead Sea and along the Arava to Eilat, Israel's resort on the Red Sea. Time will be allowed for brief sightseeing in and around Eilat. Overnight in Eilat.
DAY 09:
EILAT / ST. CATHERINES/ CAIRO
St. Catherine's Monastary
Today we travel from Eilat to the world famous St. Catherine's Monastery at the foot of the steep granite walls of Gebel Musa (Mount of Moses or Mount Sinai). This is the site where Moses had his famous conversation with God and received the Ten Commandments. The monastery complex abounds in delightful sights and is the Sinai's prime tourist attraction. Proceed through the Sinai and Via the Suez Canal to Cairo for dinner and overnight.
DAY 10:
MEMPHIS / SAKKARA / GIZA
The Pyramids of Giza
Morning tour to Memphis and Sakkara. Located twenty miles southwest of Cairo, Memphis was one of the most important cities through the history of ancient Egypt and was once the capital of Egypt. Sakkara’s Step Pyramids are the oldest in existence and are the world's firststone tombs. This afternoon proceed to the Giza Plateau to see one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Cheops, Chephren, and Mycemius Pyramids and the Sphinx. Return to your hotel.
DAY 11:
EGYPTIANMUSEUM / OLD CAIRO
The Mask of King Tut
This morning, visit the Egyptian Museum which houses the world's largest and finest collection of antiquities from the times of the Pharaohs, including precious specimens from the tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amon. Enjoy a sightseeing drive along the Nile Corniche, past Kasr El Aini Hospital to Old Cairo. Then visit the Coptic Churches of Abu Sarga associated with the Flight of the Christ Child to Egypt; Ben Ezra Synagogue; AMR Mosque and the site at the Nile where Moses was found in the bulrushes. Drive via Republic Square, past Abdin Palace to Sultan Hasan Mosque, the Citadel, Mohammed Ali Mosque for a panorama of Cairo; through the City of the Dead; El Azhar University to the native bazaars of Khan el Khalili where time is allowed for browsing and shopping. Return to your hotel.
DAY 12:
CAIRO / USA
Transfer to the airport for your return flight to USA. Arrival in the afternoon local time.
