Fascinating Israel With Jordan Extension

2012 Season
Departs From: Tel Aviv

From 2,553EUR

Length:  13 days from Tel Aviv to Dead Sea, or 14 days incl. travel

Overview

Arrive in Tel Aviv and enjoy a welcome dinner at your hotel as well as an excursion to the Valley of Elah, the Monastery of the Trappist Monks in Latrun, and the ancient port of Jaffa. Start your travel through the Holy Land, and enjoy visits to all its famous sites like Caesarea, Haifa, Acre, Nazareth, Cana, Bet She’an, and the Dead Sea. Highlights are a stay at a kibbutz, where you will hear about life in a kibbutz during a lecture; a cruise on the Sea of Galilee; the visit to the Church of the Annunciation; and more. Four nights in Jerusalem include visits to Yad Vashem, the Israel Museum, the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, a guided walking tour along via Dolorosa, the Wailing Wall, King David’s Tomb, and much more. Also ride a cable car and visit the cliff-top fortress of Masada. Then travel to Jordan and stay two nights in Petra, with visits to the Siq, famous for the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and the Treasury. Stay an additional two nights at the Dead Sea, with visits to Wadi Mujib, Madaba, Mount Nebo, Jerash, and Um Quais. An unforgettable vacation!

Duration:  13 Days

Schedule:

Start Date	End Date
18 June, 2012	30 June, 2012
16 July, 2012	28 July, 2012
10 September, 2012	22 September, 2012
17 September, 2012	29 September, 2012
01 October, 2012	13 October, 2012
08 October, 2012	20 October, 2012
15 October, 2012	27 October, 2012
22 October, 2012	03 November, 2012
12 November, 2012	24 November, 2012

City Highlights

Tel Aviv
Welcome dinner

Latrun Area
Visit the site of David’s victory over Goliath in the Valley of Elah, the Monastery of the Trappist Monks in Latrun

Jaffa
Walking tour of the ancient port

Caesarea
Visit the Roman Amphitheater and the Crusader fortress

Haifa
Visit the Baha’i Shrine

Acre
Visit the underground Crusader city

Nazareth
Visit the Church of the Annunciation

Cana
Visit the site of the first miracle

Kibbutz
See an ancient fisherman’s boat; lecture on Kibbutz life; visit Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, a baptismal site on the River Jordan

Sea of Galilee
Panoramic view; enjoy a cruise

Bet She’an
Admire its Roman and Byzantine relics

Jerusalem
Visit Yad Vashem and the Israel Museum; the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem; the Garden Tomb; a panoramic view from the Mount of Olives; visit the Garden of Gethsemane; guided walking tour, follow the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Wailing Wall, and walk through the Jewish Quarter to Mount Zion, visit the Upper Room, the tomb of King David, and the house of Caiaphas; farewell dinner

Masada
Ride a cable car and visit the cliff-top fortress

Dead Sea
Visit one of the resorts

Jerusalem–Petra
By motorcoach

Bethany Beyond The Jordan
Visit the site of John the Baptist’s settlement

Lot’s Cave
Stop at the cave

Petra
Guided sightseeing, including the Siq and the Treasury; sip tea in a Bedouin tent

Kerak
Visit the Crusader castle

Wadi Mujib
Visit the Jordanian Grand Canyon

Madaba
Visit St. George’s Church and the Archaeological Museum

Mount Nebo
Visit the mountain where Moses saw the Promised Land

Jerash
Orientation

Um Quais
Stop at the site of the Gadarene swine miracle

Note:

Please check visa requirements with your local consulate(s); responsibility for obtaining visas rests with the traveler.

Day 1   Arrive in Tel Aviv, Israel. Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport and transfer to your hotel. Balance of the day is at leisure. Enjoy this evening’s welcome dinner with your traveling companions and Tour Director. (D)

Day 2   Tel Aviv. Excursion to Valley of Elah–Latrun–Jaffa. Drive into the ancient land of the Philistines and in the Valley of Elah. Stop at the site of David’s victory over the Philistine champion, Goliath, and hear about this biblical event. Later, refresh your memory with the tale of Samson and Delilah as you proceed through the land of the Dan tribe to the wide Valley of Ayalon. At strategic Latrun you visit the MONASTERY OF THE TRAPPIST MONKS. Continue along the Mediterranean shore and stop in Jaffa for a walk through the beautifully restored ancient port, where medieval pilgrims started their strenuous 2-day trek to Jerusalem. Return to Tel Aviv. (B)

Day 3   Tel Aviv–Caesarea–Haifa. Start your tour of the Holy Land with Caesarea, the perfect place to learn about the Roman and Crusader presence in the country. Visit the ROMAN AMPHITHEATER and the impressive CRUSADER FORTRESS, and admire Herod’s stadium and harbor. Travel to Haifa, a city with a long history dating back to biblical times, and enjoy a visit to the golden-domed BAHA’I SHRINE, the world center of Baha’i faith. (B,D)

Day 4   Haifa–Acre–Nazareth–Cana–Kibbutz. Visit Acre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, at the northern end of the lovely Bay of Haifa. Acre became the capital of the Crusader kingdom after its conquest by Richard the Lionheart. Marvel at the forbidding Ottoman fortress and tour the excavated part of the immense underground CRUSADER CITY with its secret passageways and the vaulted crypt of the Knights of St. John. On to Nazareth in Galilee to visit the contemporary CHURCH OF THE ANNUNCIATION. Next, travel on to Cana, site of the first miracle where Jesus changed water to wine at a wedding. Due to this, many couples renew their wedding vows at this sacred place. After a panoramic view over Lake Tiberias, see an ancient fisherman’s boat said to be from the time of Christ. Time to relax before dinner. This evening, you are invited for a LECTURE ON KIBBUTZ LIFE. (B,D)

Day 5   Kibbutz–Mount of Beatitudes–Capernaum–Sea of Galilee–Bet She’an–Jerusalem. Heading towards the Sea of Galilee, visit the MOUNT OF BEATITUDES, where Jesus delivered his Sermon on the Mount. On to CAPERNAUM, where Jesus recruited his first followers among the fishermen. Afterwards, enjoy a 45-minute CRUISE on the Sea of Galilee. Via the ruins of Kursi, which memorialize two of Jesus’ miracles, arrive at the Jordan River and visit a BAPTISMAL SITE. Then, visit the ancient city of Bet She’an with its fine ROMAN and BYZANTINE RELICS. The city is located at the foot of Mount Gilboa, where King Saul and his son died by their own hands in battle with the Philistines. On the way to Jerusalem, stop for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Holy City, considered one of the oldest places in the world, with a history dating back as far as 4000 BC. (B,D)

Day 6   Jerusalem. Excursion to Masada & the Dead Sea. Drive through the Judean wilderness to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the surface of the Earth. Enjoy the scenery as you follow the road between the salty water and majestic desert mountains. Catch glimpses of the caves of Qumran, where the precious Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Ascend by cable car to the spectacular cliff-top FORTRESS of Masada, and hear how 960 Jewish zealots preferred death at their own hands to the indignity of surrender to overwhelming Roman forces. Around lunchtime, reach one of the comfortable Dead Sea resorts. You will have plenty of time here to experience the feeling of buoyancy in the heavy water. Then, back to Jerusalem. (B,D)

Day 7   Jerusalem. Excursion to the Old City. After a panoramic view from the MOUNT OF OLIVES over the old and modern parts of the city, start your guided walking tour. Via the Chapel of Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over Jerusalem, arrive at the GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE. Here, see the Rock of Agony, where Jesus prayed his last prayer before his arrest. Nearby are the Caves of the Assumption of Mary and of the Betrayal. Follow the Stations of the Cross along the VIA DOLOROSA to Golgotha, and visit the CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. Erected over the site of the crucifixion, this church is shared by six Christian communities. Walk past the Temple Mount from where you can see the Dome of the Rock, a splendid mosque on the holy mount. On to the WAILING WALL, the most holy shrine in the Jewish religion. Then, stroll through the restored Jewish quarter to MOUNT ZION, and we visit the UPPER ROOM, the TOMB OF KING DAVID, and the HOUSE OF CAIAPHAS, where Jesus was kept the night after he was arrested. (B)

Day 8   Jerusalem. Excursion to Yad Vashem and the Israel Museum–Bethlehem. Visit the YAD VASHEM MEMORIAL created to commemorate the six million martyrs of the Holocaust. Afterwards, continue to the ISRAEL MUSEUM with the Shrine of the Book, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. Proceed to Bethlehem and see Shepherd’s Field, where the angels announced the birth of Jesus. Next, visit the CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY, which stands on the site where Jesus was born. On the way back to Jerusalem, visit the GARDEN TOMB, where you will enjoy the scenery of the beautiful holy garden. This evening, enjoy a farewell dinner with your traveling companions of an unforgettable journey through the Holy Land. (B,D)

Day 9   Jerusalem, Israel–Petra, Jordan. Enter Jordan and visit Bethany Beyond the Jordan, where Christians believe that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. This afternoon, head south to Petra with a stop at Lot’s Cave along the way. Drive along the Dead Sea and arrive in the “rose-red city” of Petra. Relax at your hotel this evening or explore the ancient capital of Jordan. (B,D)

Day 10   Petra. Full day of guided sightseeing in Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World®. Lost to the world for centuries, it is located in the biblical land of Moa. Enjoy an unforgettable experience as you walk down the SIQ, the narrow gorge made famous in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Stand in awe in front of the iconic and famed TREASURY. In addition to seeing numerous spectacular temples and tombs created out of the rose-colored sandstone, sip tea in a BEDOUIN TENT. (B,D)

Day 11   Petra–Kerak–Wadi Mujib–Madaba–Mount Nebo–Dead Sea. This morning features a visit to Kerak to visit the CRUSADER CASTLE and Wadi Mujib, the “Jordanian Grand Canyon.” Continue to Madaba to visit ST. GEORGE’S CHURCH, which houses a precious 6th-century mosaic map of the Holy Land. Also explore the MADABA ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM. One of today’s major highlights is a visit to MOUNT NEBO, where Moses saw the Promised Land. Continue to your hotel at the Dead Sea for your two-night stay. (B,D)

Day 12   Dead Sea. Excursion to Jerash & Um Quais. The morning is dedicated to Jerash, the best-preserved Greco-Roman city in the Middle East. Next, stop in Um Quais, site of the Gaderene swine miracle. (B,D)

Day 13   Dead Sea. Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)

Meals:  Full Israeli breakfast daily (B); 10 three-course dinners (D), including a welcome dinner in Tel Aviv and a farewell dinner in Jerusalem.

Hotel Information:  TEL AVIV Herods (SF), HAIFA Dan Panorama (F), KIBBUTZ Lavi (F), JERUSALEM Dan Panorama (F), PETRA Marriott (SF), DEAD SEA Jordan Valley Marriott (SF)


Terms and Conditions

Note: Flights are NOT included with the Tour and unless otherwise stated above transfers are also NOT included.

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