Biblical Encounter
Your journey to the Holyland is a life changing experience – only in Israel wherever you go, you follow the footsteps of the Lord and you can actually listen to the stones that witnessed God’s Word thousands of years ago and can tell you the stories.
- Caesarea, one of Israel’s most important cities during the period of Herod the Great who built a magnificent city with a large harbor, a hippodrome, an amphitheatre, temples, etc.
- A guided tour of the Kibbutz with explanations about the concept of the Kibbutz and the changes it has gone through in recent years.
- A boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus calmed the storm and walked on its waters.
- The small fishing village of Capernaum where Jesus lived with St Peter and his family, performing his miracles, healings and teaching.
- The Tel Dan Nature Reserve located on the largest tributary of the Jordan River, near the Biblical settlement of Dan.
- Enjoy the beautiful natural scenery of the Golan Heights, to gain an insight into the strategic complexity of the Golan.
- Jerusalem – for Christians it is withinn these walls that Jesus was crucified on Calvary and then rose from his tomb. For Jews, its importance lies within its ancient Temple first built by Solomon and later re-built by Herod the Great. For Muslims, the Dome of the Rock is the place where Mohammed, the prophet made the night journey to heaven.
- Massada – a fortress built by Herod the Great on an isolated plateau rising some 1,440 feet above the Dead Sea, the site of the Jewish Zealots’ last stand against the Roman soldiers.
- Swim and float in the Dead Sea, the lowest section on the earth’s crust which is 1,200 feet below sea level at its northern point, 60 miles long and 13 miles wide. It lies between present-day Jordan and the Judean mountainside of Israel. Towards the southern end of the sea pillars of salt begin to emerge from the waters. Not far away from this region lies Sodom and Gomorrah.
Day 1
Tel Aviv (B/D)
Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. Shalom and welcome to Israel! Met and assisted by our representative and your Tour Director.
Proceed on a short tour of Tel Aviv including Dizengoff Center, Rabbin Square and walk along the sea shore followed by dinner and orientation.
Overnight at Dan Panorama Hotel, Tel Aviv
Day 2
Caesarea/Carmel/Nazareth/Tiberias (B/D)
Check-out of your hotel after breakfast and drive north along the coastal highway to Caesarea overlooking the Mediterranean sea from the Port.
A guided tour to Caesarea will cover the Herodian Theater and the new excavations along the Mediterranean shore and the 900 year old crusader city built on the same site.
Proceed to the “Horns of Carmel” (Muhraka) and continue along Haifa Bay to Acre to visit the Knights’ Halls, the Crusaders’ underground city then to Nazareth to visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and the Blessed Cave where Angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. View Mary and Joseph’s house. Proceed to Tiberias and check in to Kibbutz Ein Gev and enjoy a guided tour of the Kibbutz. Dinner and overnight at Kibbutz Ein Gev, Galilee
Day 3
Sea of Galilee/Mt Beatitudes/Tabgha/Mensa Christi/Capernaum (B/D)
Breakfast at the hotel.
Depart for a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on the water. Visit the ancient boat from Jesus’ time at Kibbutz Ginosar. Drive to the Mount of Beatitudes and visit the heptagonal church.
Proceed to Tabgha and visit the Church of Fish and Loaves and the Church of Mensa Christi. Drive along the North shores of the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum.
Return to the hotel.
Dinner at the famous Decks Restaurant in Tiberias surrounded by the Sea of Galilee waters, ennjoying an outstanding BBQ dinner. After dinner board a boat for a disco party.
Overnight at Kibbutz Ein Gev, Galilee
Day 4
Safed/Metula/Tel Dan/Golan Heights/Katzrin (B/L/D)
Check-out of your hotel after breakfast to explore the city of Safed, a center of Jewish Kaballah for hundreds of years. Drive to Metulla, Israel’s most northern town bordering with Lebanon and learn about the issues relating to the security of communities in Northern Israel. Walk through the Tel Dan Nature Reserve near the Biblical settlement of Dan. Take a jeep tour climbing to the Golan Heights. Vsit a Druze family’s house for lunch and learn about their traditions and religion. Visit a winery on the Golan Heights. Enjoy rafting on the Jordan River (during March-September only).
Drive along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, pass by Beit Shean, drive via the Jordan Valley near Jericho, the world’s oldest city and continue to Jerusalem.
Dinner and overnight at Grand Court Hotel, Jerusalem
Day 5
Old City of Jerusalem (B/D)
Drive to the Old City of Jerusalem and enter by foot through the Dung Gate to ascend the Temple Mount and see the Dome of the Rock and the El Aqza Mosque. Continue to the Western Wall. Visit the Davidson Center, followed by a guided visit to the Southern Wall Excavations. Visit the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, with guided visits to some of the sites excavated over the past 30 years, including The Cardo, a Byzantine street that is now the oldest shopping arcade in the world. Visit the Tower of David and its exhibition on the history of the city over the ages.
Dinner and overnight at Grand Court Hotel, Jerusalem
Day 6
Jerusalem (B/D)
After breakfast, depart on a guided visit through the newly renovated Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust, including the new Historical Museum, and the
Children’s Memorial, with a memorial service.
Proceed to the Israel Museum for a visit to the model of Jerusalem during the 2nd temple. Drive by the Knesset (Israel’s Parliament) and the Supreme Court.
Dinner and overnight at Grand Court Hotel, Jerusalem
Day 7
Massada/Dead Sea/Ein Gedi (B/D)
Breakfast at hotel. Start the descent to the Dead Sea Basin. Ascend the cable car to Massada, Herod’s mountain palace and site of the Jewish Zealots’ last stand against the Roman Legionnaires.
Swim and float in the Dead Sea waters.
A short hike to David’s Waterfall, the freshwater spring at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. Return to Jerusalem for a short rest.
Farewell dinner at the Montefiore Restaurant in Yemin Moshe, overlooking the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem and serving superb French dishes.
Overnight at Grand Court Hotel, Jerusalem
Day 8
Depart Israel or stay for Eilat extension (B)
Breakfast at hotel. Depart the hotel in two buses, one to the airport and one to Eilat.
- Meet and greet on arrival at Airport.
- Accommodation and meals as indicated in the itinerary (B – Breakfast, L – Lunch, D – Dinner).
- Entrance fees where applicable.
- Tours as indicated in the itinerary.
- Professional English-speaking guide/driver guide.
- Transfers
- Travel Protection is offered on all packages at an additional cost.
