2025 & 2026 DATES -
January 2-15, 2025 (Egypt & Nile Cruise)
February 2-13, 2025 (Israel & Petra)
February 17-28, 2025 (Greece & Turkey)
Other Israel Dates:
October 27- November 5, 2025
January 5-14, 2026
January 12-21, 2026
January 19-28, 2026
January 26-Feb 4, 2026
February 9-18, 2026
NOTE: email [email protected] for more information.
Suggested Israel Itinerary:
Day 1 – (USA to Israel) - Depart from the USA on our flight to Tel Aviv, Israel. Two meals will be served on-board. After dinner, relax and enjoy the on-board entertainment.
Day 2 – (Tel Aviv, Joppa) - Arrive at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport and meet our tour guide, who will welcome us to the Land of the Bible and escort us throughout our stay in Israel. Israeli guides are legendary for their knowledge and dedication. Our tour begins in ancient Joppa (Jaffa). Joppa was an important seaport for Solomon. (Ezra 3:7), The cedars from Lebanon were floated down from Phoenicia to Joppa and then transported to Jerusalem for building the palace and temple. (Jonah 1:3), Jonah sailed from Joppa to Tarshish. Here was the house of Simon the Tanner (Acts 10:9-23) and the place of the Miracle of the resurrection of Tabitha (Acts 9:36-43). We will proceed to Tel Aviv to check in to the hotel to rest and prepare spiritually for the special touring days to follow.
Day 3 - (Caesarea, Mount Tabor, Mt. Carmel, Nazareth) – After an abundant breakfast buffet, we journey north along the coast to Caesarea (Acts 10), built over 2000 years ago by King Herod. The Apostle Paul was imprisoned at Caesarea, and Pontius Pilate also lived there. Cornelius the Centurion and his family, the first Gentile Christians, were filled with the Holy Spirit in Caesarea as well. From here we depart to Mount Tabor for an incredible view of the Jezreel Valley and believed by many to be the site of the transfiguration found in Matthew 17. We then drive to Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18), site of Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal. We end the day by driving to the Nazareth Village to experience what life would have been like for Jesus 2000 years ago. From here we make our way to Tiberias and arrive at our hotel located on the Sea of Galilee.
Day 4 - (Sea of Galilee) – This day alone is worth the trip! We begin the day by visiting the Arbel cliffs, a mountain on the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee. We may have the option to hike to the top of this 800-foot cliff (the bus will take others to the top from the other side). The view from the top is the best there is of the whole Sea of Galilee below! Then we continue to Capernaum, the home center of ministry for Jesus here in Galilee. Next, we enjoy a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, with a quiet and peaceful worship service. Upon landing, we also see the “Jesus boat” from the first century, a vessel found here along the shores of Galilee in 1986. Next, we read from Matthew 5 on the Mount of Beatitudes. We walk down the pathway, recollecting the transforming words of Jesus shared and end up at Saint Peters Primacy, the location where Jesus ministered to his disciples in John 21. From here we drive to Magdala the hometown of Mary Magdalene. We will see a first century synagogue where Jesus no doubt taught. We conclude our day at the southern end of the Sea of Galilee and enjoy optional baptism service in the Jordan River at Yardenit. We return to our hotel for dinner and an evening reflection.
Day 5 – (Chorazim, Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Mount Bental) – We will start our day visiting the New Testament city of Chorazim. This was one of the three cities condemned by Jesus (Matthew 11). We visit the third-century synagogue here, built out of basaltic rock. Next, we will visit Tel Dan for a walk through a quiet national park and impressive Old Testament city and hear the stories of the consequences of the disobedience that took place here (Judges 18, 1 Kings 12). We will also see one of the main sources of the headwaters of the Jordan River. We will then visit Caesarea Philippi where Jesus asked, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” It was Simon Peter who was inspired to answer: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Matthew 16). We will then visit Mount Bental for a spectacular view of Mount Hermon.
Day 6 - (Beit She’an, Gideon’s Spring, Shiloh, Dead Sea) – We begin the day by driving south to the Jordan Valley to the site of Beit She’an (1 Sam. 31), an impressive Roman city of the Decapolis. Our next stop is at the foot of Mount Gilboa is Ein Harod, (Gideon’s Spring). Judges 7 describes Gideon’s actions in thinning his army down to 300 before God gave him a mighty victory over the Midianites. In the afternoon, we drive to the ancient city of Shiloh for lunch. This was the first capital of Israel where the Tabernacle of God stood for 369 years. We drive to our hotel on the Dead Sea where we will enjoy dinner and free time with an optional float in the Dead Sea or a treatment at the spa.
Day 7 - (Masada, Ein Gedi, Genesis Land, Qumran, Jerusalem) - We begin the day
by driving to Masada, an ancient fortress built by Herod on a mountain and later occupied by the Zealots. We then drive to Ein Gedi, an oasis in the desert where David hid from Saul in a cave. Next, we are off to lunch at Genesis Land, situated in the heart of the Judean desert, near the Dead Sea, in the land where the Patriarchs lived. This experience gives hospitality and life as it was during the biblical time of Abraham. Next is Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. This is also the place of the ancient sect of Judaism called the Essenes from whom John the Baptist possibly came. We finish the day ascending 4,000 feet to the holy city of Jerusalem where we see the Valley of the Shadow of Death from Psalm 23 and the Good Samaritan on the way to our hotel where we will enjoy dinner and free time.
Day 8 - (Jerusalem, Bethlehem) – We begin our day with a magnificent view of the Old City from the top of the Mt. of Olives. We get our first glimpse of Jerusalem beholding a breath-taking panorama of the Holy City. We walk down the “Palm Sunday” route to the Garden of Gethsemane. We enter the city through the Lion’s Gate on our way to the Pool of Bethesda (John 5) and begin our journey down the Via Dolorosa (the way of suffering) that our Jesus took on His way to the Cross. We will visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher believed to be by many the burial site of Jesus. Next, we visit Bethlehem, the town of Jesus’ birth. Here we visit the Shepherd’s field where we will celebrate Christ’s birth. We will also visit an olive wood factory/store in Bethlehem. We return to Jerusalem with a visit to Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Museum. We see the Children’s Memorial and walk through a guided tour of the museum. We conclude our day at the Israel Museum and the model of Jerusalem (1:50 scale model of Jerusalem as it would have appeared in Jesus’ time). Afterwards, we return to our hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and reflection.
Day 9 - (Jerusalem, City of David) – The day starts with a communion service in
the Garden Tomb, a second possible site for the crucifixion and burial of Jesus. Following this heart moving worship service, we proceed to Mt. Zion and the site of the Upper Room and the Last Supper. We proceed to the House of Caiaphas where Jesus was taken after his arrest. We then visit the City of David and the new excavations of David’s palace. Those who want to will take an optional adventurous walk through the water of Hezekiah’s Tunnel. We then sit on the steps of the Pool of Siloam and recount the events of John 9. From here, we walk up through an exposed Herodian drainage
channel that takes us to Davidson Archaeological Park where we will visit the
“Robinson’s Arch” and the Southern Wall Excavations a possible location for Peter’s
sermon in Acts 2. We then will pray at the famous Western (Wailing) Wall, the most
holy place in Judaism. After some time for personal prayer and reflection, we walk 400
yards along the retaining wall of the Temple Mount itself through the Western Wall Tunnel. From here we visit the Jewish Quarter for lunch and walk through the Cardo. In the late afternoon, we drive through the Valley of Elah, where David fought Goliath and onto Abu Gosh, the biblical city of Kirjath Jearim, from where King David brought the Ark of the Covenant (1 Chronicles 13) back to Jerusalem from the house of Obed-Edom. We will enjoy a Farewell Dinner in a nice restaurant and then transfer to the
Airport for our flight back home.
Day 10 – (Israel to USA) – Our guide will assist us with the check-in procedures as we prepare for our flight to the USA. We arrive home today with wonderful memories of a visit to the Land of the Bible!
Email [email protected] for more information.