Overnight flight from the US to Tel Aviv, Israel.

Arrive in Tel Aviv. Our group will be met at the airport and assisted with arrival procedures. Dinner and overnight beside the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.

No planned touring for this day. Sleep in, relax at the hotel, enjoy the beaches of Tel Aviv, or take a short walk to explore the town of Jaffa (Joppa).  Dinner and overnight in Tel Aviv. 

Breakfast, Dinner (Lunch is on your own for this day)

Today we depart for Galilee.  We enjoy our first stop at the extensive ruins of Caesarea Maritima, an ancient port city, built by King Herod and later becoming the seat of government of the Roman governors, and where Peter proclaimed the Good News to the Roman centurion (Acts 9 & 25). We continue to Megiddo (the valley of Armageddon) & Mt. Carmel, where Elijah prayed, and God defeated 450 prophets of Baal with fire from heaven (1 Kings 18). Dinner and overnight in Tiberias on the shore of the Sea of Galilee.

After breakfast, we visit the Mt. of Beatitudes where we enjoy time for prayer and meditation as we reflect on Jesus’ teachings from the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1-15). We continue along the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum (Mark 1: 31-38), the base of Jesus’ early ministry, the home of Peter, and the site of many healings. We then enjoy a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee aboard a replica “Jesus Boat”, a fishing boat of the kind used by the disciples of Jesus. We end our touring day at the Jordan River for those desiring baptism. (Approximate $10 fee includes robe and towel.  A robe must be worn over swim wear /clothing for baptism).  Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Checking out of the hotel, we begin our day with a short hike up Mt. Arbel to enjoy a panoramic view of the Sea of Galilee area.   As we travel to Jerusalem, we enjoy a visit to Beit She’an, one of the best-preserved Decapolis Roman cities. In Beit She’an, the bodies of King Saul and his sons were hung from the city walls (1 Samuel 31:10-12) after the Philistines defeated them. We then ascend to the majestic city of Jerusalem for dinner and overnight at the Grand Court Hotel.

We depart early this morning to visit the Temple Mount-the site of the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham and the site of the 1

 and 2

 Temples built honoring God and housing the Holy of Holies.  Today on this site now stands the Golden Dome of the Rock (the third holiest shrine in all Islam) and the El-Aksa Mosque.  Following this visit, we go to the beautiful Mt. of Olives to behold the breathtaking panorama of the Holy City. Our pilgrimage will proceed down the Palm Sunday Road to the Garden of Gethsemane with its ancient olive grove, and the Church of All Nations, where tradition holds that Jesus prayed on the night of His betrayal (Matt. 26:36, John 18:1). We will have a time of teaching and prayer at a special site in the garden.   Entering the Old City of Jerusalem, we walk to the most holy site of the Jewish people, the Western (Wailing) Wall of Herod's temple. We them make our way along the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) the road which Jesus walked after being sentenced by Pontius Pilate– including visits to the Pools of Bethesda, where Jesus healed a paralytic (John 5:1-15), the Pavement (where Jesus stood while being tried by Pilate), Ecce Homo Arch (Behold the Man), and the ancient Cardo- reaching the Church of the Holy Sepulcher- the traditional site of the crucifixion of Jesus. We also visit the House of Caiaphas (also known as the Palace of Caiaphas), the place where the High Priest of Israel resided, and where Jesus was tried informally by the Sanhedrin.  Peter also denied Jesus “before the rooster crowed” in one of the courts. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Leaving Jerusalem this morning, we meander through the Judean desert and along the western shore of the Dead Sea.  Our first visit is to Masada, the fortress built by King Herod and site of the last Jewish resistance against the Romans in 73 AD. Ascending Masada by cable car, we will be able to survey the ruins of the fortifications, waterworks, synagogue, temples and palaces.  We will then take a short dive to the lovely Ein Gedi, an oasis in the desert and the area that David hid from King Saul (1 Sam 24: 1-7).  The group will spend some time exploring the falls and caves before heading to Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were written over 2000 years ago and discovered in 1947.  We conclude the day with a relaxing float in the healing waters of the Dead Sea, the lowest spot-on earth. **Please be sure to bring water shoes, as the bottom surface can be rough, swimsuit, and towel from hotel.  Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.


Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Following breakfast, we depart for Bethlehem- birthplace of the Lord Jesus Christ.   After our time in Bethlehem, we will enjoy a visit to the Valley of Elah, best known as the place where the Israelites were encamped when David fought Goliath. We end our day with a visit to the Garden Tomb for a time of worship, reflection, and communion.  Return to the hotel for our farewell dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Following breakfast, we depart for the Tel Aviv Airport for return flight to the USA.

Breakfast