Overview

Join Pastors Brian Newman, Dave Meserve, and Gordon Carpenter in a study tour focused on the role of the desert in the life of the follower of Jesus. We will spend time in the Judean Desert where Jesus’ temptation occurred and will travel to the Negev where the Israelites wandered for 40 years. The second half of the trip will be across the Jordan River in the country of Jordan. There we will visit Mount Nebo, where Moses saw the promised land. Finally, we visit one of the eight Wonders of the World - Petra and Wadi Rum.

PRICING:

  • $3,490 per person based on double occupancy.  Book now as space is limited.
  • Land Only $2,290
  • Single room supplement - $695
  • PAYMENT PLAN: $300 per person with registration to secure space.
  • $1,000 of the total amount is due on or before August 1, 2023
  • Balance due on or before November 1, 2023
  • Download the Registration Form

 FLIGHT SCHEDULE:

Flight information will be available 3 months before the return date. Please continue to check the itinerary on the website for updated flight information.

* Flight times, flight numbers, equipment, gates, and seats are subject to change. For the most current information check the airline website.

January 19 - 28, 2024 Available on request Jordan
Inclusions/Exclusions

What is included in the tour

  • Airfare to and from Tel Aviv from Washington Dulles airport
  • 8 nights in hotel (double occupancy). 4-star hotels
  • All meals for the entire trip
  • Entrance fees to sites
  • Transportation by coach bus as well as the transport to and from Tel-Aviv airport (transportation to the airport in the United States is not included).

What is NOT included in the tour

  • Gratuities, For guide and driver
  • Personal Expenses
  • TRAVEL INSURANCE: Travel Insurance is required and not included in the purchase price. For your convenience, we offer travel insurance through *Travelex Insurance Services. For questions, quotes, or to purchase travel insurance, visit Travelex Insurance or call (800) 228-9792 and use the code 26-0057 for Elias Tours.
Highlights
What makes this tour special

This tour is about Desert Spirituality. It is a deep dive into the scriptures where the people of God, as well as Jesus, were shaped by the beauty and harshness, and complexity of the desert.

We will begin our time in the JUDEAN DESERT, THE JORDAN RIVER, and Jericho, visiting sites from the Old and New Testaments. Our starting point is the desert where Jesus spent 40 days before beginning his ministry.

Then we will head to the NEGEV - the place of the Israelites’ wandering for 40 years. We will explore locations that are not on the usual holy land tour and see the vastness of the land.

For the second half of the trip, we will be in JORDAN.  We will visit JARASH north of the capital Amman. Inhabited since the Bronze Age, it is known for the ruins of the walled Greco-Roman settlement of Gerasa just outside the modern city.  Then will visit MOUNT NEBO, where Moses viewed the Promised Land. 

Lastly, we will head to PETRA - the Red Rock City. Petra is the eighth wonder of the world, a complete city carved in sandstone, rediscovered in 1812. An unforgettable experience on horseback or chariots through a narrow canyon will take you to the Nabatean city of Petra to visit the Treasury and the theater. 

Itinerary

Friday– January 19: Departure

Saturday– January 20: Arrival Tel Aviv – transfer to Jericho
• Arrival through Ben Gurion Airport
• Orientation
• Dinner and overnight in Jericho

Sunday– January 21: Baptismal site - Mt of Temptation - Tel Jericho -Qumran - Jericho
• Depart for Baptismal site
• On to Jericho to see the Mount of Temptation
• Qumran 
• Dinner and overnight in Jericho

Monday – January 22: check out if hotel - Good Samaritan Inn - Wadi Qelt- Jericho – Dead Sea

• Check out of the hotel
• Visit Good Samaritan Inn National Park 
• Wadi Qelt and visit St George Monastery
• Walk Wadi Qelt do Jericho
• Visit Herods Winter Palace
• Transfer to the Dead Sea stopping for a panoramic view
• Dinner and overnight at the Dead Sea
Tuesday– January 23: Beersheba - Avdat - Arad - Dead Sea
• Depart to visit Tal Beersheba (entrance included)
• Ein Avdat (Wadi zin) 
• Tel Arad 
• Dinner and overnight at the Dead Sea
Wednesday – January 24: Masada - Ein Gedi - Dead Sea
• Drive to Masada Site
• Ein Gedi 
• Dinner and overnight at the Dead Sea

Thursday– January 25: Dead Sea - Timna - Arava crossing into Jordan - overnight Wadi Rum
• Check-out from the hotel

• Crossing border into Jordan
• Dinner and overnight at Wadi Rum
Friday – January 26: Wadi Rum - Petra visit
• Wadi Rum
• Visit at Petra the Red Rock City 
• Dinner and overnight Petra
Saturday – January 27: Petra - Mt Nebo - Madaba – Amman
• Morning visit at Petra
• Depart for Mt Nebo where Moses viewed the Promised Land.
• Madaba
• Dinner and overnight in Amman

Sunday – January 28: Amman - Jerash - Macheront - Amman
• We will visit JARASH north of the capital Amman
• The Fortress of Machaerus
• Dinner and Departure

Tour Location