Day 1: Cairo
Arrive at the airport in Cairo, & transfer to the hotel. Enjoy dinner & an overnight stay in the city.
Day 2: Cairo
Step off the asphalt this morning & onto the hot, desert sands of the Giza Plateau. You’ll see the Great Sphinx, the Great Pyramid of Giza, & the two neighboring pyramids. Afterward, head back into the city to explore the Museum of Cairo. Highlights of the museum include treasures of King Tutankhamun. Before dinner, you’ll also visit some of the city’s famous churches, including the Old Cairo Hanging Church.
Day 3: Cairo – Sinai Desert
After breakfast, travel up into the mountains of the Sinai Desert. Check-in to your accommodation in the city of Saint Catherine, & spend the remainder of the day at leisure.
Day 4: Saint Catherine – Eilat – Dead Sea
Take a hike up Mount Sinai this morning. It was on this Mount, according to tradition, that Moses was given the Ten Commandments. Enjoy a prayer & worship service before heading down the Mount for breakfast. Visit Saint Catherine’s Monastery. Situated beside Mount Sinai, this 6th century complex is officially one of UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. After observing the age-old artwork inside, head across the border & into the Holy Land of Israel. Your first stop will be in Eilat. Enjoy a brief, guided tour of the city before continuing on to today’s final destination. Enjoy dinner & an overnight stay in the Dead Sea area.
Day 5: Dead Sea – Qumran – Beit She’an – Megiddo – Jordan River – Sea of Galilee
You won’t need a raft for this morning’s activity, as the waters of the Dead Sea act as a natural floating device. Enjoy time to relax on the sea’s surface! Visit Qumran, where in the 20th century the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Explore the ruins of Beit She’an, a land ruled by the Roman Empire & its predecessors, the ancient Egyptians. Highlights include Paladius Street & the Roman theatre. Next, travel to Megiddo, believed to be the site of Armageddon, as foretold in the book of Revelation. Before heading to your hotel in the Sea of Galilee region, visit the Yardenit Baptismal Site. Pastors will have the opportunity to baptize members of their group while visiting this site. This is a unique experience, as it is believed that Jesus was baptized in this same body of water.
Day 6: Sea of Galilee – Tabgha – Capernaum – Mount of Beatitudes – Mount Tabor – Sea of Galilee
Begin the day by sailing the Sea of Galilee. Later visit Tabgha, home to the Church of the Multiplication, & explore ancient Capernaum, the town where Saint Peter & Saint John lived. Visit the Synagogue & Saint Peter’s House. Other sightseeing highlights of today’s tour include Mount Tabor & the Mount of Beatitudes. Enjoy another evening in the Sea of Galilee region.
Day 7: Sea of Galilee – Nazareth – Mount Carmel – Caesarea – Jaffa – Jerusalem
Enjoy a brief visit to Nazareth this morning. Highlights include the Synagogue Church & Mary’s Well. Next, head up to Mount Carmel, the believed site where the story of Elijah, the sacrifices, & the false prophets took place (I Kings 18). Visit Caesarea, where you’ll see the ancient Roman Amphitheatre built by Herod the Great & the stone inscription of Pontius Pilate. The last stop on today’s tour before arriving in Jerusalem is in Jaffa. You’ll take a walk through this coastal city’s Artists’ Quarter. Then enjoy visits to Saint Peter’s Church & Simon the Tanner’s House, where Peter received the vision of the sheet, as told in the Book of Acts. Enjoy dinner & an overnight stay in Jerusalem.
Day 8: Jerusalem
Spend the day in Jerusalem, enjoying visits to many biblical & historical sites. Take a tour of the Israel Museum. The museum features the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are put on display. Journey up onto Mount Zion to see King David’s Tomb, the Abbey of the Dormition, the Last Supper Room, & the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu. Walk through the Garden of Gethsemane, & see the neighboring Mount of Olives. Other highlights include Mount Zion, Dominus Flevit Church, & Pater Noster Church. Enjoy dinner & another overnight stay in Jerusalem.
Day 9: Jerusalem
Today you will walk in the footsteps of Jesus of Nazareth when he carried his cross, as you head down the street Via Dolorosa. You will visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, & see the Western Wall at the Temple Mount. This afternoon you will visit the reputed site of Jesus’ burial, the Garden Tomb, & see the remains of the Pool of Bethesda. Spend the evening at leisure, as you look forward to another full day of discovering the essence of the Holy Land.
Day 10: Jerusalem – Bethlehem – Madaba – Mount Nebo – Petra
Travel to the town where Jesus was born, Bethlehem, & visit the Church of Nativity. Afterward, head across the Israeli-Jordan border. You’ll make a stop in Madaba to visit Saint George Church, home to the Madaba Map of mosaics. Stand on Mount Nebo, & take in the scenic views of the Promised Land. Afterward, continue to Petra for dinner & an overnight stay.
Day 11: Petra – Amman – USA
Discover the wonders of Petra this morning. You’ll marvel at the carved structures that make up this ancient city, which include the famous Monastery & the Kazneh. You’ll also take a walk through the enormous gorge, also known as the gateway to Petra. After your guided tour, travel to the airport in Amman, & board return flight home.