Day 1 – Departure from the USA

We depart from Charlotte, NC, for our overnight flight to the Holy Land. Meals will be served on board.

Day 2 – Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport / Tel Aviv or Herzeliya
Upon arrival at 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 Tel Aviv or Herzeliya. Dinner and overnight.

Day 3 – Tel Aviv / Caesarea Maritima / Mt Carmel / Megiddo / Nazareth / Sea of Galilee

Open buffet breakfast and check-out. In the morning 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 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 convert 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 includes a visit to the Roman amphitheater 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 recall the encounter between the God of Israel and Baal. We will then continue to Tel Megiddo “Armageddon” where we will visit the site referred to in Revelation 16:15. 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 – Sea of Galilee / Capernaum / Mount of Beatitudes

After breakfast, we will start the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, followed by a visit to the Ancient Boat Museum that houses a 2,000-year-old fishing boat found buried in mud on the shores of Galilee. The boat provides a good example of what fishing boats looked like during the time of Jesus. Then we will visit Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene, and see the 1st 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, the 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, the scene of Jesus’ great Sermon on the Mount. We will enjoy the view of the enchanting gardens and reflect on Jesus’ sermon. The last visit of the day will be to the Yardenit Baptismal Site on the River Jordan where you will have the opportunity to review baptismal vows. Return to the hotel on the Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight.

Day 5 – Sea of Galilee / Bet Shean / Bet Arabah / Jericho / Jerusalem

Open buffet breakfast and check-out. Immediately after breakfast and check-out, we will depart for Beth Shean where the bodies of King Saul and his children were hung. We will see the archaeological remains of the Roman and Byzantine cities. Then 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 The temptation will also be in sight. We will make a tour of the city of Jericho and visit the Sycamore Tree Site reminds us of the encounter between Jesus and Zacchaeus. Drive to Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight.

Day 6 – Masada / Qumran / Dead Sea / Jerusalem

Open buffet breakfast. 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 AD with the standoff against the Romans. In the fortress, we will see the archaeological remains inscribed on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. From Masada, we will move on to Ein Gedi, an oasis in the desert where the meeting between David and King Saul took place and where David wrote some of the psalms. 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 center of the Essenes. Time permitting we will enjoy some free time at the shores of the Dead Sea. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 7 – Temple Mount / St Anne’s Church & Pools of Bethesda / Bethlehem / Shepherds Field

Open buffet breakfast. We will start the day with a visit to Temple Mount, the location of Solomon Temple, was rebuilt by Ezra and enlarged at the hands of Herod the Great during the lifetime of our lord Jesus. Proceed to visit the Pools of Bethesda where the healing of the paralyzed took place. We will also have the opportunity to praise the Lord with hymns in the nearby perfectly intact Crusader Church of Saint Anne. Drive to Bethlehem beginning our tour in Bethlehem at Manger Square, which stands in front of one of the oldest 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. Beneath the Altar. 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 from 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 Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight.

Day 8 – Wailing Wall / Mt of Olives / Upper Room / Jewish Quarter

Open buffet breakfast. 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 the Palm Sunday path and stop at Dominus Flevit where Jesus wept over the City of Jerusalem. 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. In the afternoon, we will 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. We will end the day at the Southern steps, walk in the footsteps of Jesus and stand at the southern steps where Jesus would have taught and from where Peter gave his sermon after the Pentecost. Return to hotel in Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight.

Day 9 – Garden of Gethsemane / St Peter in Gallicantu / Garden Tomb

Open buffet breakfast. This day will be dedicated to recalling 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 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, and celebrate the Holy Communion service in the Garden, experiencing the climax of pilgrimage at the empty Tomb. Return to hotel in Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight in hotel.

Day 10 – Departure

Breakfast, hotel check-out, and transfer to Ben Gurion airport for a flight home.

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