Day 1: Friday (April 05, 2024) Departure from the US Depart Denver, CO. for your overnight flight to the Holy Land. Meals will be served on board.

Day 2: Saturday (April 06, 2024) Arrival Ben Gurion Airport – Herzliya
Upon arrival to Ben Gurion Airport. After passport control and once you exit the airport, our representative will meet and escort you to board your modern deluxe bus to your hotel in Tel Aviv. Time permitting, we will make a short visit to the Church of Saint Peter in Jaffa. The Church stands on a hilly spot where Peter had a vision on the rooftop of the house of Simon the Tanner, imparting to him that all the creation of God is clean and that it is worthy to receive salvation through Jesus Christ. Hotel check-in in Herzliya. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Sunday (April 07, 2024) Tel Aviv - Caesarea Maritima - Mt Carmel - Nazareth - Sea of Galilee
After breakfast, we will set out to explore the magnificent city of Caesarea Maritima where we will see the impressive archaeological remains of the Roman and Byzantine Empires that once dominated the city. It was at Caesarea that Peter came to understand that the Good News was not for Jews only, but for the whole world. Here he baptized the Roman Centurion, Cornelius (and his family), the first gentile converts to Christianity according to Acts 10. Paul set sail for Rome from Caesarea, an event that eventually brought Christianity to the western world. We will have a guided tour in Caesarea that includes a visit to the Roman amphitheatre theatre, Herod’s Palace, the hippodrome, the port, and the aqueducts. After our visit to Caesarea Maritima, we will proceed to El-Muhraqa on top of Mount Carmel. El-Muhraqa means the place of burning, possibly related to the burnt sacrifice. We will ascend to the summit of Mount Carmel for a great view over the northern Kingdom of Israel and Phoenicia recalling the encounter between the God of Israel and Baal. We will then drive to the Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, the hometown of Mary where Jesus lived as a child. The Church of the Annunciation stands atop the house of Mary where Angel Gabriel appeared to her and announced she was going to be with a child and call him Immanuel. In Nazareth, we will also visit the Upper Basilica. We will then drive to our hotel on the Sea of Galilee. Hotel check-in on the Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Monday (April 08, 2024) Sea of Galilee - Capernaum - Magdala - Mount of Beatitudes We will start the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, followed by visit to the Ancient Boat Museum that houses a 2000-year-old fishing boat found buried in mud on the shores of Galilee. The boat provides a good example of how fishing boats looked like during the time of Jesus. Then we will visit Magdala, hometown of Mary Magdalene, and see the 1 st century synagogue, which is the oldest synagogue discovered on the shores of Galilee with a stone-carved replica of the Temple and Menorah. A short drive to Capernaum, biblical village and hometown of Jesus. Capernaum is closely associated with Jesus and His ministry as described in the Synoptic Gospels. There we will see the house of the mother-in- law of Peter and an ancient synagogue that dates back to the time of Jesus and where much of His teaching took place. Time for lunch with St. Peter’s Fish. Then we will drive to Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee where Jesus fed the crowd of 5,000. We will then visit the site known as “Peter’s Primacy” where Jesus appeared to His disciples for the third time after His Resurrection. Later we will continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, scene of Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount. We will enjoy the view of the enchanting gardens and reflect on Jesus’ sermon and Worship. Return to the hotel on the Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Tuesday (April 09, 2024) Sea of Galilee -Bet Arabah - Jericho -Jerusalem
After breakfast and check-out, we will travel south to Jericho, stop en route in Bet Arabah and see Qasr el-Yahud, known also as Gilgal, where the ancient Israelites crossed into the Promised Land. It is also the place where Prophet Elijah was taken up to heaven and where our Lord Jesus was baptized. We will visit Tel Jericho, the old town of Joshua, from where we will see the location of the city of Jericho. Jericho is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. The Mount of Temptation will also be in sight. We will make a tour in the city of Jericho and visit the Sycamore Tree Site reminding ourselves of the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus. Drive to Bethlehem to check in to your hotel. Dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Wednesday (April 10, 2024) Masada - Qumran - Dead Sea - Jerusalem
This morning we will depart for Masada where we will visit the fortress built by King Herod the Great and made famous by the Zealots in 73 ADS with the standoff against the Romans. In the fortress, From Masada, we will then drive to Qumran and visit the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were accidentally found and the buildings that formed the public centre of the Essenes. Time permitting, we will enjoy some free time at the shores of the Dead Sea. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem.

Day 7: Thursday (April 11, 2024) Temple Mount -Mt Zion - Jewish Quarter - Bethlehem - Shepherds Field
We will start the day with a visit to the Temple Mount, the location of Solomon Temple, rebuilt by Ezra and enlarged at the hands of Herod the Great during the lifetime of our lord Jesus. We will go up Mount Zion and visit the Cenacle that commemorates the Upper Room in which Jesus shared the Last Supper with His disciples and see King David’s Tomb. We will then go into the Old City of Jerusalem, pass through the Armenian Quarter into the Jewish Quarter, where we will see the Roman Cardo, King Hezekiah broad wall, Hurva Synagogue and the Golden Menorah. Drive to Bethlehem begin our tour in Bethlehem at Manger Square, which stands in front of one of the oldest of Christian churches, the
Church of the Nativity. We will enter the Church and go down to the Grotto of the Nativity, which marks the spot where Jesus was born. In the late afternoon, we will depart for the cave at the Shepherds’ Field where the angels appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. The cave has soot marks of the fires that the shepherds lit to keep warm while watching over their flocks. The field is also the setting of the Book of Ruth. Return to hotel in Bethlehem for Dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Friday (April 12, 2024) Wailing Wall - Mt of Olives - St. Anne’s & Pools of Bethesda
We will start the day with a visit to the Wailing Wall, also called the Western Wall, a section of the western retaining wall of the Temple Mount and the holiest site of Judaism. Later, we will drive to Mount of Olives visiting Pater Noster where Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer and which is commonly believed to be the spot from where Jesus ascended to heaven. We will enjoy the panoramic view of the golden city of Jerusalem, walk along Palm Sunday path and stop at Dominus Flevit where Jesus wept over the City of Jerusalem. Proceed to visit the Pools of Bethesda where the healing of the paralyzed took place. Return to hotel in Bethlehem. Dinner and overnight.

Day 9: Saturday (April 13, 2024) Garden of Gethsemane - St Peter in Gallicantu
This day will be dedicated to recall the Passion of Christ. We will start at the Garden of Gethsemane where amid the ancient olive trees we will see the Rock of Agony on which Jesus prayed and the nearby Gethsemane cave where Jesus often spent the nights and where He was arrested at the hands of the High Priest guards. Then we will visit the House of Caiaphas and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, where we will see parts of the streets where our Lord was hauled by His captors. We will have a chance to visit and pray at the dungeon where Jesus was locked up overnight. In the afternoon, we will visit to the Garden Tomb, a peaceful spot where we can solemnly remember Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection. We will see the Calvary and the empty Tomb, Return to hotel in Bethlehem Dinner and overnight in our hotel.

Day 10: Sunday (April 14, 2024) Departure Or Take Jordan Excursion
Breakfast, hotel check-out, and transfer to Ben Gurion airport for flight home.

OPTIONAL POST-TOUR EXCURSION TO JORDAN

Day 10: (April 14, 2024): Jordan – Mt. Nebo – Petra

Drive to the Jordanian border. Once in Jordan, we visit Mt. Nebo, where the prophet Mousa (Moses) gazed over the Promised Land before he died. We continue towards Petra, stopping to experience a traditional Bedouin dinner, and overnight in Petra.

Day 11: (April 15, 2024): Full-day Petra – Amman

After breakfast, we visit Petra, the 2,000-year-old Nabatean city featured in the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. We walk through the narrow passageway up to the Treasury, which is a massive Royal Tomb carved out of the solid rock. If time permits, we visit the Traditional Tomb of Aaron (Moses’ brother). In the afternoon, we continue on to our hotel in Amman for dinner and overnight.

Day 12: (April 16, 2024): Amman – Jerash

After breakfast, we explore Jerash, north of the capital city of Amman. Inhabited since the Bronze Age, it is known for the ruins of the walled Greco-Roman settlement of Gerasa, which is one of the cities of Decapolis. These ruins include the 2nd-century Hadrian’s Arch, the Corinthian Columns of the Temple of Artemis, and the huge Forum’s Oval Colonnade. We return to Amman to meet with local ELCJHL leaders, and then travel back to our hotel for dinner and overnight in Amman.

Day 13: (April 17, 2024): Arrive USA

After breakfast, we transfer to the airport for our flight back to the USA.

NOTE: The schedule is subject to change, due to various factors, and at your Tour Leaders and Guide’s discretion.