Day 1
Departure to your flight to Tel Aviv
Day 2
Arrival to Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Meeting and assistance. Transfer to a Kibbutz guest house by the Lake of Tiberias. Depending on arrival time, visit to sites en route to the north such as Jaffa and/or Caesarea.
Overnight: Kibbutz guest house, Tiberias
Day 3
We start our day with a visit to the museum in Nof Ginosar where the “Jesus Boat” is displayed. This amazing ancient fishing boat, from the 1st century, was discovered sunk in the mud in the Lake of Galilee. Then we will walk the path of Jesus in the land of Galilee. We will visit the sites where his ministry began; where he preached, performed miracles and gathered the multitude to follow him: Capernaum, the headquarters of his ministry, Mount Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5: 1-12) and Tabgha, where the multiplication of the loaves and fish took place (Matthew 14: 19-21). After lunch, we will visit Mt. Arbel. The beautiful view of the Sea Of Galilee will strike us as we stand on the top. Our day will end with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and spend some time in a prayer service on the same waters Jesus walked (Mark 6: 48-50).
Dinner and opening ceremony at a beautiful restaurant by the Lake of Galilee.
Overnight: Kibbutz guest house, Tiberias
Day 4
Ascend the Golan Heights for a breathtaking view of the Lower Galilee. We will start with the view point towards the Israeli-Lebanese border, from the town of Metula. Through the remains of the Syrian bunkers on the Golan Heights, controlling the Kibbutzim in the valley, we will drive up north, learning about the 6 day war in 1967 and the Yom Kippur war in 1973 and understand Israel’s unique situation in the Golan. Pass and visit Banias Nature Reserve and waterfalls, known as Caesarea Philippi, where Peter confessed Jesus’ messiahship (Matthew 16: 13-17). After lunch, we will end the day with a Jeep Ride in the Golan Heights, this time visiting sites we were not able to visit with a regular vehicle and getting a full depth of the Golan.
Overnight: Kibbutz guest house, Tiberias
Day 5
Today we will start with a visit to the village of Cana where Jesus performed his first public miracle of changing water into wine (John 2: 1-10). Visit Nazareth, the “City of the Annunciation”, where the angel Gabriel revealed to Mary the imminent birth of Jesus and John the Baptist (Luke 1, 26-38). After lunch, visit to Beth Shean, one of the oldest cities in the Holy Land and a major crossroads in the Beth Shean valley, which reached its peak in Roman and Byzantine periods. Our day will end in the baptismal site Yardenit, where even today, Christians are being baptized (Luke 3:21-22).
Overnight: Kibbutz guest house, Tiberias
Day 6
Check out of our Kibbutz Guest House and drive to Jerusalem through the coast. On to the top of Mt. Carmel, where where the great prophet Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal and proved to the people that the God of Israel is the true God (1 Kings 18: 17-40). On to Megiddo, the city of King Solomon and King Ahab, where 20 different layers of civilization were excavated also known as the valley where the kings of the earth will gather for the final battle between good and evil (Revelation 16: 12-16). Caesarea, the port city built by King Herods the great 2000 years ago and the place where Simon Peter shared the gospel with Cornelius, the Roman centurion who became the first gentile convert (Acts 10: 44-48), will be our next site. We then continue to Jerusalem. Depending on arrival, we might stop for a panoramic viewof Jerusalem from Mt. Scopus and a traditional entrance for the Holy city.
Overnight: Hotel in Jerusalem
Day 7
Full day tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. Starting with a panoramic view from Mt. of Olives, we will then continue to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus “often met with his disciples” (John 18, 2) and where he spent his last hours in solitude before being captured by the Romans (Luke 22, 47-53). Next is the Upper Room, Cenaculum, the place of the Last Supper (Luke 22, 14-22) and the place where the gift of the Holy Spirit came upon believers who were gathered there on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Enter the city walls through the Zion gate to visit the Jewish Quarters and The Roman Cardo, the main street in the Byzantine period of Jerusalem. Visit the Temple Institute where Jewish scholars study the Jewish Temple and its Vessels and see the exhibition of Temple Tools. After lunch, If possible, we will end the day with a visit to Bethlehem.
Overnight: Hotel in Jerusalem
Day 8
Full day tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. Drive to Mt. Zion to visit the house of Caiaphas the high priest during the 2nd temple period. This church called the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu is where Peter denied Jesus three times before the crowing of the cock (Mark 14, 53-62). Here we will see the underground rooms which may have been used as guard houses and a prison. We will also see the ancient steps, which were cut into the hill and led to the City of David, the Kidron Valley and Gethsemane. This is likely the path Jesus took in his way from the Upper Room to Gethsemane. we will tour the Western Wall Tunnels, walking under the Western Wall plaza to the base of this remarkable wall and along it, all the way up north. Later, we will walk the Via Dolorosa, passing the 14 stations of the cross and ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,. End of our day will be in the Garden Tomb, Golgotha or Calvary. Here, Jesus was crucified, died on the cross, was buried and raised from the dead (Matthew 27, 33-61) and here we will have a service.
Overnight: Hotel in Jerusalem
Day 9
Full day tour of the New City of Jerusalem. Pass the Knesset, Israeli Parliament with the famous Menorah, view the Supreme Court and drive to Yad Vashem, the holocaust memorial. On to the Israel Museum, the place where the Dead Sea scrolls are on display, to visit also the model of 2nd temple Jerusalem. Visit. Continue through the sites that tell the story of divided Jerusalem: the turgeman stronghold and ammunition hill and end the day with in the open market of Jerusalem, Machane Yehuda
In the evening, optional tour to Mini Israel for these who are interested
Overnight: Hotel in Jerusalem
Day 10
Descend the eastern slopes of the Judean Hills to the lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea. Visit Qumeran, the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were written by the Yahad Sect 2200 years ago and where they were discovered in 1947. On to the Ein Gedi waterfalls where King David escaped from his enemies for a short hike in the desert. Drive to Massada, the royal fortress built by King Herod and used by the Jewish Zealots as the last stronghold during the great revolt against Rome between 66-73 AD. Finish the day in the Dead Sea, where you can enjoy ‘floating’ on the water.
Dinner and a closing ceremony in a Bedouin tent somewhere in the desert.
Overnight: Hotel in the Dead Sea
Day 11
Free morning at leisure. Departure to the airport for some participants. Others, choosing to stay longer may take the optional trip to Jordan to visit Petra. These participants will drive to Eilat and spend the night in Eilat.
Overnight: Hotel inEilat
Day 12
Optional day trip to Petra, Jordan to visit the famous Red Rock City.
Overnight: Hotel inEilat
Day 13
Departure to Airport for flight home.