Board for your flight from the USA to Israel. This will be an overnight flight, arriving the next day to Tel Aviv.

After landing at Ben Gurion Airport, reception and assistance, we drive to our hotel for check in. Welcome dinner and orientation session.

-Overnight in Tel Aviv

Our first day starts with an early morning bike ride along the Tel Aviv seafront promenade, ending at the historic port town of Old Jaffa. Return to the hotel for breakfast and check out, before driving north to Caesarea Maritima (Acts 8:40), Herod’s magnificent coastal city, with fine Roman and Crusader buildings. Further north is Mount Carmel (1 King 18:42), where tradition holds that the Prophet Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal. As the day cools down, enjoy a hike in the area and the splendid views over the northern parts of the country.

-Overnight in Nazareth

We begin the day with a visit to the Nazareth Village, recreating daily life in the time of Jesus. We drive through the town of Cana, and from there follow the ancient Roman Road through the Beit Keshet Forest on foot, towards the Sea of Galilee. Our walk takes us to Capernaum (Matthew 4:13), on the shores of the sea. It was here that Jesus began his ministry in the town synagogue and became renowned for his power to heal the sick and infirm. Next is the Beit Igal Alon Museum housing the 2000-year-old fishing boat found in the Sea of Galilee in a drought year when the water level of the lake sank to unprecedented depths. Enjoy prayer and worship while sailing on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:25) in a wooden boat. Continue by bus to our kibbutz guest house in the Galilee panhandle.

-Overnight in a Kibbutz Guest House

This morning we visit the Golan Heights (Deuteronomy 4:43), towering over the Sea of Galilee and the Galilee Panhandle, providing a buffer zone between Israel and Syria. On the border with Syria is Mount Ben Tal, site of an old IDF bunker telling the story of the Six Day War, and above ground there is a panoramic view over Syria and the surrounding hills of the heights. We will board tom cars for an adventurous ride through the foothills of the Golan Heights, past battle sites from the 1967 and 1973 wars. Pause for lunch at a Druze village before continuing to Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13). Return to Tiberias via the Hula Valley where millions of birds rest and feed as they migrate from Europe to Africa and back. In winter our tour includes a ride in a camouflaged wagon into the area where 40,000 cranes congregate. Time and weather permitting, we conclude the day with kayaking on the tributaries of the Jordan River.

-Overnight in a Kibbutz Guest House

We begin our morning at the Yardenit Baptismal site, where the Sea of Galilee empties into the Jordan River. Robes and changing facilities are provided for those wishing to be baptized. Afterwards we begin our trek south along the Jordan River towards the Dead Sea, for a stop at Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Next we visit the mountaintop fortress of Masada, built in the year 30 B.C. by King Herod. At the beginning of the great revolt against Rome in the year 68 A.D., the site was conquered by a group of Jewish zealots, and Masada became their last stronghold. We ascend on foot via the “Snake Path”, and descend via the Roman Ramp, built by the besieging Roman army 2000 years ago. Our final destination for this day is the Kfar Hanokdim desert oasis and Bedouin encampment, where we will enjoy a typical dinner, traditional hospitality and a late night bonfire and star gazing session.

-Overnight in the Kfar Hanokdim Cabins

We begin the morning with a camel ride into the desert, returning to the cabins to shower and change before driving to Jerusalem through the northern Negev desert and the Elah Valley (1 Samuel 21:9), where David slew Goliath. We board jeeps for a visit to Khirbet Kayafa, the recently excavated site of the town of Sha’arayim in the time of King David. Later today we join some of Israel’s finest IDF veterans for an insider perspective on how Israel became a world leader in security and counter-terrorism, and see what it’s like to go undercover behind enemy lines, undergo an Israeli Special Forces boot camp including weapons training and Krav Maga.

-Overnight in Jerusalem

This morning begins on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24:3), for a panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem, prior to descending towards the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:40) for prayer and meditation in the ancient olive groves. We walk along the Way of the Cross, visiting the Church of St. Anne and the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:2) and continuing through the winding alleyways of the Old City towards the Zion Gate. We will also visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site of the crucifixion. On Mount Zion (Revelations 14:1), we visit the Upper Room (site of the Last Supper), the tomb of King David and the church of St. Peter in Gallicantu. In the evening we’ll take a Segway tour along the Haas Promenade, overlooking the entire city. Tonight we have an option to enjoy the spectacular Sound and Light Show at the Tower of David Museum.

-Overnight in Jerusalem

Today we travel back to the beginnings of Ancient Jerusalem at the City of David site where ongoing excavations are revealing thousands of years of history, including Hezekiah’s tunnel. Continue to the Southern Steps, where pilgrims ascended to the Temple in the time of Jesus. After free time in the Old City markets, depart for Neot Kedumim, a Biblical Landscape Reserve dedicated to preserving ancient methods of agriculture. Depending on the season, activities include picking and preserving olives, pressing grapes for wine and sheep herding. Here we can also plant a tree, thus ensuring a permanent presence in the Holy Land.

-Overnight in Jerusalem

On this, the final day of the tour, we visit the Temple Mount (Genesis 22:2), where Jewish tradition holds that it is the site where God gathered the dust to create Adam and where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son Isaac to prove his faith. Deep underneath the Temple Mount are a series of halls and channels known collectively as the Western Wall Tunnels, and our tour highlights the ingenuity and architectural genius of Jerusalem’s ancient builders. Join the teams taking part in this exciting and important archeological sifting project. Before departing Jerusalem, we partake in communion and worship at the Garden Tomb (John 19:38-42) located in the heart of historic Jerusalem, just outside the Old City walls. On site there is an ancient Jewish tomb which many believe is the site of Jesus’ burial and resurrection. Our farewell dinner is on the way to the airport for our flight home!