HERITAGE OF THE HOLYLAND AND JORDAN (MULTI-COUNTRY)

Upon arriving at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, meet your tour representative, who will be waiting for you after passport control holding a sign with your name on it. Our representative will guide you to pick up your luggage and then escort you through customs to meet your driver, who will transfer you to your hotel in Tel Aviv. Spend the rest of the day at leisure, relax in the hotel and freshen up after your flight or head out into the vibrant city of Tel Aviv to wander on its historic streets, colorful back alleys, and most famous landmarks.  Overnight in Tel Aviv

DAY 2 : TEL AVIV – SEA OF GALILEE – TIBERIAS (140 KM – 2 HRS)

After breakfast, you will be picked up at around 8 am to enjoy a short visit to the city of Jaffa, Tel Aviv’s charming neighbor, where we take a short walking tour through the picturesque alleys of this old, fortified town. Pass by the house of Simon the Tanner and marvel at the views from the hilltop. Then drive north along the coast to the archaeological ruins of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great in honor of Augustus Caesar. Continue to Megiddo, where the Book of Revelations mentions a great battle at the place called ‘Armageddon’. It was an ancient city inhabited continuously for more than five millennia (6,000-500 BC). After exploring the ancient ruins, drive towards the Sea of Galilee, stopping at Cana to visit the Wedding Church where Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine. Arrive at Tiberias, a glimmering white city that sits on the shores of Galilee and check in to your hotel at about 6 pm.  Overnight in Tiberias

DAY 3 : TIBERIAS – SEA OF GALILEE – TIBERIAS (50KM – 1.5HR)

Wake up to breakfast at the hotel and then start the day at about 8 am in the historical city of Tiberias, where Jesus lived, sojourned, and preached on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Your next stop is Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry. Continue on to Tabgha, the site of Christ’s miracle of feeding the 5,000, and the Church of the Multiplication, where the mosaic floor depicts a basket with loaves and two fish. Drive on to the Mount of Beatitudes, which overlooks the sea where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. It is believed that Jesus picked his 12 apostles here. Ascend to the Golan Heights to view the panoramic view from the peaks of Mount Hermon: the rugged plateau of the Golan Heights and beneath it the green pastoral Hula Valley. Visit Banias (Caesarea Philippi), one of the sources of the river Jordan, where Jesus took his disciples, revealing His purpose and His Church before his last trip to Jerusalem and where Simon identified Jesus as the Messiah. Drive to the southern part of the Sea of Galilee to visit the Yardenit Baptismal Site. Return to Tiberias at around 6 pm for another lovely night in town. Overnight in Tiberias

DAY 4: TIBERIAS – NAZARETH – JORDAN VALLEY – BEIT SHEAN – JERUSALEM (170 KM – 2.5 HRS)

Wake up to breakfast at the hotel. You can choose to go on an optional sailing excursion before leaving Tiberias. The boat trip will take approximately 1 hour. Sail on a boat on the Sea of Galilee to experience the tranquility and scenery that hasn’t changed much in 2000 years (subject to weather conditions and fees). 

Then, travel to Nazareth, the city where Jesus spent his childhood, and visit the Church of Annunciation, built on the site where archaeologists believe the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary. You will also see Mary’s Well and Joseph’s Church. Visit the ancient synagogue at Beit Alpha, located at the foot of the northern slopes of the Gilboa Mountains which has one of most preserved and beautiful mosaics in Israel. Drive through the Jordan Valley, passing by Jericho, before ascending through the Judean Mountains to Jerusalem. Visit the excavations of this beautifully preserved Roman City, which was destroyed in an earthquake. Continue to Jerusalem and check in at your hotel at around 6 pm.  Overnight in Jerusalem

DAY 5: JERUSALEM – MASADA – DEAD SEA – JERUSALEM (200 KM – 3 HRS)

After breakfast in the hotel, you will be picked up at about 8 am. Drive through the remarkable scenery of the Dead Sea to Masada which is situated on an isolated cliff in the Judean Desert. The site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. Ascend by cable car to the fortress, which was the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans. Visit the excavations, King Herod’s palace, the synagogue, the bathhouse, and much more. Enjoy the breathtaking view of the Roman camps and the Dead Sea below. Visit the site of the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Nearly 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the earth’s surface. Bring your swimsuit as if the weather permits it’s possible to “float” on the salty, mineral-rich water. Return to Jerusalem at around 6 pm for overnight.  Overnight in Jerusalem

DAY 6 : JERUSALEM: EIN KAREM AND BETHLEHEM

Start the day with breakfast at the hotel, after which you will meet your guide at about 8 am and visit the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book, which contains the famous Dead Sea scrolls. Then a visit to the beautifully renovated model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem, dating back to the time of the Second Temple. Enjoy Ein Karem, a picturesque village on the southwestern outskirts of Jerusalem. This small village has great significance in Christian traditions since this is where according to tradition John the Baptist was born. Then visit Yad Vashem, the official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953, located at the foot of Mt. Hertzl. Then travel to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, commemorated at the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square. Return to your Jerusalem hotel at around 6 pm.   Overnight in Jerusalem

DAY 7 : JERUSALEM: OLD CITY AND MOUNT ZION

Today after breakfast at the hotel you will be picked up at around 8 am. We will enter the Old City of Jerusalem where you will see the Western Wall and the actual site of the Second Temple, the Temple Mount. Walk along the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa, to Calvary and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, housing both the traditional site of Crucifixion and the Tomb of the Resurrection. To the southwest, just outside the Old City, is Mount Zion, with the traditional tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. Visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus spent his last night and was betrayed by Judas. Enjoy the spectacular panoramic view of Jerusalem – the holy city for each of the world’s three great religions – Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, from atop the Mount of Olives. Get back to the hotel in the evening at around 6 pm.  Overnight in Jerusalem

DAY 8: JERUSALEM – SHAIKK HUSSEIN BRIDGE – JERASH – AMMAN (250 KM – 4 HRS)

Wake up to the morning breakfast at the hotel, check out and be ready at 8 am to drive to the Sheikh Hussein border crossing for procedures to enter Jordan. Proceed to Jerash – the city of the Decapolis, located about 45km north of Amman in the fertile heights of the Gilad. Visit the ancient Roman city with colonnaded streets, the baths, and the hill of the top Temple. Drive to Amman for a panoramic city tour of the Jordanian capital. Arrive at your hotel in Amman at about 6 pm for check-in.  Overnight in Amman

DAY 9: AMMAN – MOUNT NEBO – PETRA (260 KM – 4 HRS)

After breakfast, leave Amman at 8 am and drive to Mount Nebo, from where Moses viewed the Promised Land. From there you will see the Jordan Valley, Jericho, and the Dead Sea. Continue along the Desert Highway to Wadi Musa, the modern village of Petra. Enter the site of Petra and walk, or ride on horseback to the “Siq” (Canyon). Walk through the “Siq” to red rock city, the ancient capital of the Nabateans from the 3rd Century BC to the 2nd Century AD. Visit the most interesting carved monuments such as the Treasury (El Khazneh – a tomb of a Nabatean king) then the field of tombs, obelisks, and the altar. From this point, you can view the whole of rock city. After the visit, return to Wadi Musa at about 6 pm.  Overnight in Petra

DAY 10: PETRA – WADI RUM JEEPS – MADABA – AMMAN (260 KM – 4 HRS)

After breakfast at around 8 am drive south to the towering mountains and rock formations of Wadi Rum, which mesmerized Lawrence of Arabia. Drive through the stunning desert landscapes on a jeep safari, visiting the Lawrence Spring and Khazali Canyon. Drive north to Madaba to visit the remains of the Byzantine church with its ancient mosaic floor map, the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the mosaic map of the Holy Land and Jerusalem. After the visit, drive to Amman and arrive at 6 pm for check-in.  Overnight in Amman

DAY 11: AMMAN – DEPARTURE TEL AVIV (250 KM – 4 HRS)

After breakfast, prepare for your departure and transfer to Ben Gurion Airport in time for your onward or return flight (we recommend that you book your return flight in the afternoon no earlier than 2 pm).

TOUR GUIDE: 

• Operated with a local English-speaking licensed guide on a shared basis

ACCOMMODATION: 

• 10 nights’ accommodation

MEALS: 

• 10 Breakfasts

TRANSPORT:

• Air-conditioned shared transportation throughout the tour
• Jeep safari tour in the desert on day 10

ENTRANCE FEES AND ACTIVITIES:

• All entrance fees and activities mentioned in the itinerary: guided tour in port city Jaffa, ruins of Caesarea and Megiddo (Day 2); sightseeing of the Galilee region (Day 3); guided tour in Nazareth including Bait Alpha synagogue (Day 4); Masada tour (Day 5); sightseeing of Old and New Jerusalem (Day 6-7); city tour of Gilad and Amman (Day 8); sightseeing of Petra (Day 9); Wadi Rum jeep safari (Day 10)

OTHER:

• Meet and Greet at Ben Gurion International Airport on day 1

Exclusions

• Expenditures of a personal nature, drinks and meals or items not stated explicitly in the program
• Lunches and dinners throughout the tour 
• Gratuities for driver and guide
• Any alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, mineral water, etc.
• Travel Insurance or any loss or extra cost arising due to unforeseen circumstances such as flight delays, accidents, etc.
• Entry Visa to Jordan (if required for restricted nationalities)
• Border Taxes & Border Shuttle transfers – Israel & Jordan (to be paid on the day of the tour)
• Optional tours and activities

Please note

• The optional excursion on Day 4 is subject to weather conditions
• We recommend that you book your return flight in the afternoon no earlier than 2 pm
• Hotel early check-in, late check-out, connecting or adjoining rooms, smoking rooms & non-smoking rooms are subject to availability and are not guaranteed
• The Validity of the passport should be 06 months from the date of departure
• Please note that local conditions prevalent at the time of travel may result in modifications to the tour contents without prior notice
• Please note that the Single rooms are available on request. 

What do I need to bring?

Comfortable and light clothing is best suited to travel in the warm months and warm clothing in the colder months in Israel. Visitors should not wear sleeveless shirts, shorts, short skirts, or skimpy clothing when visiting temples, religious or official buildings. Shoes should be removed before entering a temple or private house. Sun protection, sunglasses, a hat, and mosquito repellent can be very useful during your stay.