Duration: 10 Days
Dates: January 3, 2022 to January 12, 2022
Departure City: Austin, Texas

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Detailed Itinerary

Day 01, MONDAY - January 03, 2022: Departure to Tel Aviv

Day 02, TUESDAY – January 04, 2022: Arrival in Tel Aviv – Transfer to Hotel in Tel Aviv
Welcome to Land of your Bible! We arrive in Tel Aviv, upon arrival we will meet our representative who will assist us through customs, then we will meet our local guide and driver. We will transfer to our hotel in Tel Aviv for dinner and overnight. (D)

Day 03, WEDNESDAY – January 05, 2022: Jaffa – Caesarea Maritima – Mount Carmel – Bethlehem of Galilee Spice Farm – Nazareth – Tiberias
6:30 AM Buffet breakfast.* Check-out. 7:45 AM Drive to Jaffa for a brief visit. Depart for Caesarea Maritima.10:15 AM Visit Caesarea Maritima (included), a magnificent city with Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader ruins. Here we will elaborate on the story of the baptism of Cornelius, the first gentile convert into Christianity (Acts 10), and on the travels of Paul — those events that led Caesarea Maritima to become the springboard of Christianity to the West. We continue along the coast to Mount Carmel.12:00 PM Lunch (included).1:00 PM Visit Mount Carmel, Muhraqa – The Place of Fire (included), and consider the contest between the Prophet Elijah and the false prophets of Baal (I Kings 18), discussing the reasons why the Prophet chose that place for the contest, and the lessons we learn from the story. Depart for Bethlehem of Galilee.2:45 PM Visit a typical Jewish village, Bethlehem of Galilee, famous for its spice production (included).
Proceed to Nazareth. Visit Church of the Annunciation built over the house of Mary, where the Angel appeared to Mary announcing to her that she is going to be with a child calling him Immanuel.On to visit the Upper Basilica and the nearby archaeological museum (included) seeing the remains of Nazareth from the time of Jesus. Drive to Tiberias. Then we will check into our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight. (B/L/D)

Day 04, THURSDAY – January 06, 2022: Sea of Galilee Boat Ride – Ancient Boat Museum – Capernaum – Mount of Beatitudes – Caesarea Philippi – Yardenit – Tiberias
6:30 AM Buffet breakfast. 7:45 AM We begin our day with a sail on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of a boat from Jesus’ time (included).We will dock in Ginnosar where we will visit the ancient boat museum (included), containing a 2000-year old fishing boat which is a good example of how the boats looked like in Jesus’ time. We will visit Capernaum (included), hometown of Jesus as described by the Gospel, also Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. There we will see the house of Peter’s mother in law and the ancient synagogue where many of Jesus’ teachings took place. 11:00 AM Visit Mount of Beatitudes where we enjoy its enchanting gardens and reflect over Jesus’ teachings of the Sermon on the Mount. 12:00 PM During lunch break you will have the opportunity to try St. Peter’s fish, commonly eaten by people in Jesus’ days (lunch included).2:00 PM Visit Caesarea Philippi, known also as Banias (included), springs from a source of the Jordan River, where Peter confessed that Jesus is the Son of God. We visit the high place seeing the gates of Hades, Augustus Temple and the High Place where the God Pan was worshiped. Drive to Yardenit. 4:00 PM Visit Yardenit Baptismal Site where you will get a chance to renew baptismal vows. Return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias. (B/L/D)

Day 05, FRIDAY – January 07, 2022: Magdala – Beit She’an – Bet Arabah – Dead Sea
6:30 AM Buffet breakfast. 7:30 AM Check out of the hotel.8:00 AM We visit Magdala (included), home town of Mary Magdalene to include the 1st century Synagogue, oldest Synagogue discovered on shores of Galilee with a stone carved model of the Temple, including a Menorah carving. We leave the area of Galilee, following the Jordan Valley Road towards Jericho.10:00 AM Visit Beit She’an (included), the capital of the Decapolis. There we will see the ruins of the Roman and Byzantine cities. We will also discuss the demise of King Saul and his sons, whose bodies were hanged on the walls of Beit Shean. 12:15 PM Visit Bet Arabah “Qasr el Yahud” known also as Gilgal, where the Israelites crossed into the promised land, from where Elijah was taken to heaven and where Our Lord was baptized. Drive to Jericho for lunch.1:15 PM Lunch (included). Drive towards the Dead Sea and check into our hotel. Dinner and overnight at the Dead Sea. (B/L/D)

Day 06, SATURDAY – January 08, 2022: Masada – Ein Gedi – free time at the Dead Sea
7:00 AM Buffet breakfast.8:45 AM We begin our day visiting Masada (entrance and cable car included) the fortress built by King Herod the Great and made famous by the Zealots in 73/74 AD with the standoff against the Romans. We visit the fortress and see the ruins that are considered a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.Then, we visit Ein Gedi (included), an oasis in the desert where the meeting between David and King Saul took place (I Samuel 24) and where some of the psalms were written by David. For those who want to participate, there will be a hike up to the waterfall.1:00 PM Lunch at Dead Sea Hotel (included). Time at leisure to enjoy our Spa facilities in the hotel and to spend time at shores of the Dead Sea. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight at the Dead Sea. (B/L/D)

Day 07, SUNDAY – January 09, 2022: Bethlehem – Shepherd’s Field – Israel Museum – dinner in Bethlehem
7:00 AM Buffet breakfast.Drive to Bethlehem. Brief stop at Cafe Cafe for camel ride, if available (not included; subject to confirmation). 10:30 AM In Bethlehem, visit the Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity built over the Cave of Christ’s Birth, we will view the actual place where Our Lord was born. Visit Shepherd’s Field where the angels appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of Our Lord. These fields are also the setting of the Book of Ruth.1:00 PM Lunch (included). Drive to Jerusalem. Arrive in Jerusalem and enjoy Genesis Welcome into the Holy City.3:30 PM Visit the Shrine of the Book (included) housing some of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered at Qumran and see a Model City of Jerusalem showing the city as it looked in the 1st century A.D. Check into our hotel.Dinner at the Cheers Restaurant. Return to the hotel, overnight in Jerusalem. (B/L/D)

Day 8, MONDAY – January 10, 2022: Temple Mount – St. Anne’s Church & Pools of Bethesda – Western Wall Tunnels – Davidson Center – Jewish Quarter – Free time in the Old City Jerusalem
6:00 AM Quick buffet breakfast. 6:30 AM Leave the hotel and drive towards the Old City to Temple Mount.
Please note that, due to security reasons, the only items the visitors can carry into Temple Mount are telephone, small camera, notebook and a bottle of water. Groups are not allowed to enter with professional cameras, iPads, backpacks, purses, any religious symbols such as Bible or crosses as well as Swiss penknives and clippers. 7:30 AM Visit Temple Mount where the Jewish temple stood until it’s destruction in 70 A.D. Here we reflect over Jesus’ ministry at the Temple of Jerusalem, seeing the Dome of the Rock, a possible location of the Holy of Holies. Leave Temple Mount.8:45 AM Visit Church of St. Anne’s (included), a perfectly intact Crusader church. It is a wonderful place to gather and sing a song (sometimes with fellow Christians from all over the world). There, we will also visit the Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place (John 5). 10:00 AM We enter the Western Wall Tunnels (included) reflecting on the massive stones which once formed the western exterior retaining wall of the Temple and reach the Warren’s Gate which is symbolic for Jews as it’s the closest point to the Holy of Holies which they can reach. 12:00 PM Enjoy lunch with Falafel and Hummus cooking class (included). 1:15 PM After lunch, visit the Southern Wall excavation site (included). Here we will walk on the very stones where Jesus trod to Herod’s “second temple”, and see the place where our Savior taught the Scriptures. Tour the Jewish Quarter, one of the Old City’s quarters, where we can see Roman Cardo, King Hezekiah broad wall, Hurva Synagogue and Golden Menorah. Free time in the Old City will be given. Return to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B/L/D)

Day 09, TUESDAY – January 11, 2022: Gethsemane – Kidron Valley – Pool of Siloam – House of Caiaphas – Holy Sepulcher – Garden Tomb
6:30 AM Buffet breakfast. 8:00 AM Start our day with visiting the Garden of Gethsemane where amid the 2000 years old olive trees we see the Rock of Agony on which Jesus prayed and the nearby Gethsemane cave where Jesus often spent the nights at and where he was arrested at the hands of the High Priest guards. There we will pause for a prayer time in private garden (subject to confirmation). 9:00 AM Later on we will walk along the Kidron Valley following the footsteps of Our Lord, seeing Absalom Tomb, Gihon Spring and Water Gate.9:45 AM We reach remains of the Pool of Siloam (included), accidentally discovered about ten years ago, which is the place where Jesus instructed the blind man to wash the mud off his eyes.11:15 AM We proceed to visit House of Caiaphas, the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu (included), where we can see parts of the streets that Our Lord was dragged on by his capturers. We will have a chance to visit and pray at the dungeon where He was kept overnight.12:30 PM Lunch (included).Back in the Old City, where we reach Ecce Homo (included), where we see the Stone Pavement called Lithostratos and have some time for prayers and meditations. Then, we walk the Via Dolorosa following Christ passion toward the church of the Holy Sepulcher. Visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, known by the locals as the Church of Resurrection.3:30 PM In the afternoon, we visit Garden Tomb (included), a peaceful spot where we can remember Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection. We see the Calvary and the empty Tomb. Celebrate communion service at the Garden reaching the climax of Pilgrimage at the empty Tomb. Return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B/L/D)

Day 10, WEDNESDAY – January 12, 2022: Departure
Buffet breakfast. Check-out of the hotel. Drive to the Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport and board your homebound flight. (B)
Note: Hours on program are approximate.