Holy Land Tour 2011 - Itinerary

DAY 1 -- Saturday, January 8, 2011 -CHICAGO/NEW YORK/TEL AVIV

Today we will meet at our local airport (Chicago or other) for our flight to our gateway.

Tour members are all welcomed this evening in New York at JFK International Airport for our departing flight to Tel Aviv via Jumbo Jet arriving the next day.  Meals served on board.

DAY 2 -- Sunday, January 9 - TEL AVIV / NETANYA

Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, we are met and taken on a tour of Jaffa (Joppa), the city of Jonah, where Peter had his housetop experience at the home of Simon the Tanner.  Continue along the Mediterranean coast through the largest city in Israel, Tel Aviv. We proceed north to Netanya where we will check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 3 -- Monday, January 10 -NETANYA /CAESAREA / NAZARETH / TIBERIAS

This morning we proceed to Caesarea, capital of the Roman procurators of Judea.  Visit the Roman port, Crusader's Moat, Roman theater and aqueduct.  Continue Muhraka on Mount Carmel.  Proceed to Megiddo to visit the excavations that unearthed 20 different civilizations.  Traveling through the Plain of Jezreel, we visit Nazareth, boyhood home of Jesus.  We will see the Church of the Annunciation which is over the site of the ancient village..Transfer to the hotel in Tiberias for dinner.

DAY 4 -- Tuesday, January 11 – MOUNT ARBEL / SEPPHORIS / CANA / EIN HAROD

We begin our day with a walk to the edge of the Mount Arbel cliff, overlooking the northern part of the Sea of Galilee, including the main sites of Jesus' mission. We proceed to Sepphoris, a stunning example of a mixed (Jewish-Gentile) city. It was the capital of Galilee when Jesus was growing to manhood seen a few miles away from Nazareth. We visit the fantastic mosaics near the underground cisterns that furnished water for the city. Continuing on we stop by Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle. Enroute back to our base in Tiberias, we visit the brook of Ein Harod, where Gideon and his 300 men were chosen to defeat the Midianites. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 5 -- Wednesday, January 12 - TIBERIAS / UPPER GALILEE

This morning we leave Tiberias and head north via Magdala into the valley of Gennesareth Then on to Chorazin, through the Hula Valley to Hazor, ruins of the powerful Canaanite city destroyed by Joshua and rebuilt by Solomon to command upper Galilee.

We continue to the northern limits of Jesus' travel as we cross the River Hatzbani to Dan and Banias (Caesarea Philippi), dedicated to Pan, Greek god of pastures, flocks and shepherds; here Peter made his great profession of faith.  Driving to the foot of Mount Hermon, we ascend onto the Golan Plateau for a magnificent view of upper Israel.  Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 6 -- Thursday, January 13 -
TIBERIAS / SEA OF GALILEE / BET SHEAN / JERUSALEM

This morning we take a relaxing boat ride on the  Sea of Galilee where we will be able to look to the shore where so many miracles occured. At Ginossar to view the New Testament boat found below the sea and see the kibbutz. We continue to Capernaum and see first century ruins, then visit Tabgha and the Mount of Beatitudes. Continue to the River Jordan where those that wish may be baptized.

This afternoon we travel via the Crusader fortress of Belvoir along the Rift Valley to Bet Shean, where King Saul and his sons were pinned to the walls.  It became the Decapolis Capital and was traveled by Jesus and known as Scythopolis.  See the ancient theater, Circus Maximus and Cardo Maximo.   We head down the Jordan River Road and head to the Judean wilderness on our way up to Jerusalem. We will enter the Holy City via the Mount of Olives with the beauty of Jerusalem before us. Continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 7 -- Friday, January 14 - JERUSALEM / NEW CITY/BETHLEHEM

Today we drive to the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of Jerusalem, via the Church of Pater Noster and the Chapel of Ascension, then proceed to the Garden of Gethsemane crossing the Kidron Valley, we pass the tombs of Absalom, Zechariah and St. James  onto Mount Zion, the Upper Room, the tomb of King David and Dormition Abbey.. View the Knesset (Israeli parliament) building. Continue to visit Yad Vashem, a memorial of the Holocaust.

This afternoon  we continue to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, the Manger, Crusader's Cloister and the Grotto of St. Jerome.  We then visit the cave in Shepherds' Field and view the Fields of Boaz.  En route to Jerusalem we see the Tomb of Rachel location and other antiquities before returning to the hotel for dinner.

DAY 8 -- Saturday, January 15 - JERUSALEM / MASADA / JERICHO

We begin our day via Bethany, home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus.  Drive to Masada and ascend by cable car to the magnificent ruins of the fortress where, from 70 to 73 AD, Jewish defenders made their last stand in the Judean revolt against Rome.  We see the remains of storehouses, cisterns and a sixth-century Byzantine church.  Continuing alongside the Dead Sea, 1300 ft. below sea level -- the lowest spot on earth -- we proceed to Ein Gedi. Here we will have a stop for lunch and swim in the Dead Sea or walk the path to see the waterfall in the desert.

This afternoon we continue to Qumran and the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We travel to Jericho, the world's oldest city.  From the excavated tel atop the ruins of ancient Jericho we view the lush green Jordan Valley, Elisha's spring and Qarantal, the Mount of Temptation. We will head up to Jerusalem and return to the hotel for dinner.

DAY 9 -- Sunday, January 16 - JERUSALEM / RABBI TUNNEL / SOUTHERN WALL

This morning we will board our bus for our exciting tour to the famous Rabbi Tunnel. Here we will enter by the Western wall and go down to the foundation of the SecondTemple. We will see a model that will demonstrate where we are in location to the time of Christ. Continue along the tunnel as we proceed to the entry way to the Holy of Holies.  We will continue to the Temple Institute where we will see the making of the instruments for the new temple. We will see how they are following the Bible for exact instructions. We will see a film explaining where the Rabbi believes the Ark of the Covenant is found.  We enter the Jewish Quarter of the Old City to visit the Wohl Archaeological Museum, displaying the newly restored Herodian Quarter housing the remains of this area of Jerusalem date back to the time of the Herodian Dynasty (37 BC to 70 AD).

This afternoon we will head to the Southern Wall and visit the Mikev pools and the steps that Christ would have used to enter the Temple area and would have taught from. The City of David , visit the Pool of Siloam. Then visit the New City of Jerusalem, the Shrine of the Book where we see the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Model City on display. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 10 -- Monday, January 17 - JERUSALEM / MT. OF OLIVES / OLD CITY

We enter the Old City this morning through the Dung Gate and see the Western (Wailing) Wall the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount.

We visit the Church of St. Anne, the Pool of Bethesda, Pilate's Judgment Hall, the Chapel of Flagellation, Lithostrotos, and the Arch of Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man").  We follow the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Cardo and the remains of Nehemiah's Wall on the way to the Church of St. Peter of Gallicantu (Caiaphas' House), end our day in the Garden Tomb before returning to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 11 -- Tuesday, January 18 - JERUSALEM  / VALLEY OF ELAH / EMMAUS

This morning we leave Jerusalem for the Region of Adullom, where David took refuge from Saul, and the Valley of Elah, the site of David's conquest of the giant Goliath.  On our return to Jerusalem we stop at Emmaus, where Jesus appeared to two disciples and walked with them. 

The afternoon is free for personal activities. Return  to our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

DAY 12 -- Wednesday, January 19 - TEL AVIV / NEW YORK

We transfer to the airport for our flight home with unforgettable memories to cherish always. Knowing we have walked in the footsteps of Jesus and the early Christians on such a memorable tour will bring new meaning to our Bible reading.