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

Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, reception and assistance, we will drive to our hotel for check in, followed by a welcome dinner.

-Overnight in Jerusalem

We head to the Old City wall ramparts, beginning at the Jaffa Gate and including the newly opened section from Damascus Gate to the Lion Gate. Built in the 16^th century, the original stone track on the walls skirts past the Christian and Muslim Quarters, with a spectacular bird’s eye view of the city. Re-entering the city through the Lion’s Gate, we follow the Way of the Cross (Luke 23:26-49), pausing for an in depth tour of the site of the Ecce Homo Arch and the Lithostrotos (John 19:1-5). We will visit the Western Wall and tour the ancient tunnel system underneath the Old City. From there we will ascend to the Temple Mount (Genesis 22:2), once upon a time the site of Solomon’s Temple and today the site of the Dome of the Rock. Experience an afternoon food tasting tour in the Machney Yehuda Food and Spice Market.

-Overnight in Jerusalem

We begin this day at Bethany (John 11:1-44), site of the miracle at the tomb of Lazarus, before proceeding east towards Jericho (Joshua 5:13), the oldest continuously inhabited town on earth. Ascend by cable car to the Mount of Temptation (Matthew 4:8), where Jesus fasted after being baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. We will visit Elisha’s Fountain (2 King 2:19-22), and pause at the Inn of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-35). From here we will board jeeps in order to experience the desert terrain. The day ends with a visit to the Herodium, one of King Herod’s magnificent mountain top palaces, and recently confirmed also as the place of his burial.

-Overnight in Jerusalem

Over thousands of years, pilgrims have made their way to Jerusalem on foot, and the most traveled route took them from the Mediterranean Sea towards the northern side of the city. We will follow in the footsteps of the Roman soldiers, Crusaders, Mamlukes and Ottomans, all of whom sheltered at Nebi Samwill (The Tomb of the Prophet Samuel). Continue along this ancient route to Neot Kdumim, a Biblical Landscape Reserve dedicated to preserving ancient methods of agriculture. Depending on the season, our activities will include picking and preserving olives, pressing grapes for wine and sheep herding. This is also the place to plant a tree, thus ensuring a permanent presence in the Holy Land. Our final destination today is Emmaus Nicopolis (Luke 24:13-35), the place where Jesus reappeared to his disciples shortly after he rose again.

-Overnight in Jerusalem

Forty minutes north of Jerusalem lies the site of Shiloh (1 Samuel 4:4), where the tabernacle was built under Moses’ direction to house the Ark of the Covenant, which remained there for over 350 years. Our site visit also includes several Byzantine Churches built by early Christians. We will continue to the nearby winery, for a tasting of the excellent local production, part of the trend in Israel to revive the flourishing wine industry from Biblical times. Return to Jerusalem to visit Yad Vashem, the national memorial and museum of the Holocaust.

-Overnight in Jerusalem

Today we drive north towards Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 28:4), and the adjoining Ein Harod spring (Judges 7:1-7). The latter was the site of Gideon’s victory over the Midianites, and the former the site of Saul’s defeat at the hands of the Philistines. Continue to Mount Tabor (Matthew 17:1-2), and the Church of the Transfiguration (Luke 9:29) at the top of the mountain. Weather permitting; we will take a nature walk on the trail which leads around the mountain. We then travel to Sepphoris, the remains of the town which was the capital of the Galilee in the time of Jesus and traditionally regarded as the home town of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Excavations at Sepphoris have uncovered streets, bathhouses, two churches, a synagogue, a Roman theater, aqueducts, and a water reservoir. Continue to Tiberias for the evening.

-Overnight in Tiberias

The Golan Heights tower over the Sea of Galilee and the Galilee Panhandle, providing a buffer zone between Israel and Syria. The fierce tank battles of the Yom Kippur War are memorialized at the “Valley of Tears” site we will visit this morning. Close by is Mount Ben Tal, site of an old IDF bunker telling the story of the war, and above ground there is a panoramic view over Syria and the surrounding hills of the heights. Enjoy lunch at a Druze village before continuing to Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 4:13). We return to Tiberias via the Hula Valley where (depending on the season and time of year) millions of birds rest and feed as they migrate from Europe to Africa and back.

-Overnight in Tiberias

On the last day of the tour, we visit a kibbutz to meet with residents and to learn about the communal values and how the challenges of the 21^st century are affecting this lifestyle. We’ll continue to one of the Christian villages in the area for a meeting and lunchtime cooking session with typical Galilean delicacies, and then spend the afternoon in Akko (Acre), a historic walled city on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Explore the underground Crusader city and the vibrant market before heading off to the airport for our flight home!