Duration: 14 Days
Dates: March 19, 2024 to April 1, 2024
Departure City: Detroit, Michigan (DTW)

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Detailed Itinerary

DAY 1 – Tuesday, March 19 - DEPART USA
Our journey of a lifetime begins with a flight on a wide body jet. After take-off, we will be served dinner and breakfast.

DAY 2 – Wednesday, March 20 - ARRIVE AMMAN, JORDAN
Upon arrival in Amman, our guide will assist us through customs and passport control. Transfer to our hotel in Amman for dinner and overnight. (D)

Day 3 – Thursday, March 21 - PETRA/ WADI MUSA
After breakfast, we begin a long day of driving through the Jordanian desert along the area called the Way of the Kings. On our way we will visit Petra (entrance included). The “rose red city half as old as time,” This ancient Edomite and Nabatean capital is an amazing example of prophecy. We’ll see the spectacular “city of the dead,” with its famed gorge, ancient streets, temples, dwelling places and tombs, carved in the solid rock. Then we arrive at El-Ji Post, and continue the one-mile journey on horseback, or walk, passing through the famous Siq (the natural gorge) and arrive at the Treasury. Overnight in Petra, dinner will be served at our hotel. (BD)

Day 4 – Friday, March 22 - BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN/ DEAD SEA
After driving north again along the Dead Sea Road we will make our way to Bethany Beyond the Jordan (entrance included). We will have an opportunity to be baptized here, the place where John the Baptist lived when he baptized Jesus. We then drive to our spa hotel, where we can enjoy the remains of the day at leisure to perhaps soak in the mineral rich Dead Sea or take in a spa treatment. We enjoy dinner and overnight at the Dead Sea. (BD)

DAY 5 – Saturday, March 23 - MADABA/ MT. NEBO/ BORDER CROSSING/ BET SHE’AN/ THE GALILEE
This morning we drive to Madaba (entrance included) the sight of a mosaic map of Jerusalem from the Byzantine era and then on to Mt. Nebo (entrance included), to stand where Moses stood to view the Promised Land. We continue to our border crossing and leave Jordan for Israel. From there on our way to the Galilee area we stop at Bet She’an (entrance included), the Disneyland of archeology and also where the bodies of King Saul and his sons were taken and mutilated after their death in battle. We overnight in Tiberias. (BD)

DAY 6 – Sunday, March 24 - CHURCH OF THE BEATITUDES/ PETER’S PRIMACY/ CAPERNAUM/ KHORAZIM/ JESUS BOAT MUSEUM/ BOAT RIDE/ MAGDALA
This morning we rise at our hotel on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. Today will include many Biblical sites along the shore of the Sea of Galilee: e.g., Capernaum (Matt. 4:13) (entrance included), Mount of Beatitudes (Matt. 5-7), Church of Peter of Primacy (John 21), The Jesus Boat exhibition; Sunset boat ride across the Sea of Galilee (entrance included); we will also visit Magdala (the hometown of Mary Magdalene) (entrance included) with its 1st century synagogue. Lunch of St Peter’s Fish and overnight in Tiberias. (BD)

DAY 7 – Monday, March 25 - HAZOR/ TEL DAN/ CAESAREA PHILIPPI/ GOLAN HEIGHTS/ BETHSAIDA
There is nothing quite like watching a sunrise on the Sea of Galilee from your guesthouse or from a boat (included). Today will include many biblical sites in the Upper Jordan Valley: Hazor (Josh. 11:10; 1 Kgs. 9:15) (entrance included), Tell Dan and the Nature Reserve (entrance included), Border of Lebanon (Josh. 11:17), view Mt. Hermon (Deut. 3:8), Caesarea Philippi (Paneas; Mark 8:27) (entrance included), The road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19) in the Golan Heights (Bashan). Dinner and overnight in Tiberias. (BD)

DAY 8 – Tuesday, March 26 - NAZARETH/ MEGIDDO/ MT. CARMEL/ CAESAREA MARITIMA/ JERUSALEM
Today we depart the Galilee, visiting the following biblical sites: Nazareth - Mount of Precipice (Luke 1 & 2), Mt. Carmel (1 Kings. 18) (entrance included), Megiddo (Armageddon; 1 Kgs. 9:15; Rev. 16:16) (entrance included) and Caesarea Maritima (entrance included), the springboard of Christianity to the West (Acts 9 & 25). We proceed south to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight. (BD)

DAY 9 – Wednesday, March 27 – MOUNT OF OLIVES, SOURTHERN STEPS, BETHLEHEM CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY/ SHEPHERD’S FIELDS
Today we begin our tour with an orientation of the City of Jerusalem form the Mount of Olives. We will then visit the Southern Steps (entrance included), the main entrance to the Temple and the Teaching steps where Rabbis such Gamaliel used to teach. We will then visit Bethlehem and the Church of the Nativity where Our Lord was born and Shepherd’s Fields. Time will be given for shopping. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (BD)

DAY 10 – Thursday, March 28 - WESTERN WALL/ RABBINICAL TUNNEL/ ST ANNE’S CHURCH AND POOL OF BETHESDA/ MODEL OF JERUSALEM/ SHRINE OF THE BOOK/ ISRAEL ARCHEOLOGY MUSEUM
After breakfast, we will enter Jerusalem through the Dung Gate, and walk to the holiest site in the whole Jewish world, the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) of Herod’s temple. At this point we will enter the Rabbinical Tunnel (entrance included) where we get as close to the temple as allowed without being on the Temple Mount. Here you will see the foundation stones of Herod’s wall surrounding the Temple Mount. When we exit the Rabbinical Tunnel we will make our way from the temple area. We will proceed to St. Stephen’s Gate to visit the Church of St. Anne (entrance included), which is also the site of the Pools of Bethesda (John 5). From there we will go to the Israel Museum (entrance included), including a 1:50 scale model of Jerusalem at the time of Herod the Great and the Shrine of the Book Museum, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B,D)

DAY 11 – Friday, March 29 - MASADA/ EIN GEDI/ QUMRAN/ TEL JERICHO/ WADI QELT
Leaving Jerusalem, we will descend to the Dead Sea and the wilderness of Judah. Our first stop will be Masada (entrance & cable car included), where we will ascend high upon the wilderness mountain by way of the cable car to the fortress built by King Herod. Here we survey the ruins of the fortifications, waterworks, synagogue, temples and palaces. Following the road north along the western shore of the Dead Sea, we will stop at Ein Gedi where David hid from King Saul (I Samuel 24). Continuing north, we will stop at Qumran (entrance included) and the possible settlement of the first century sect known as the Essenes, the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls. From there we will go to the city of Palms, Jericho the oldest existing city on earth. Here we will see Tel Jericho (entrance included) and the Mount of Temptation. If it is available on our way back to Jerusalem we will stop at the Wadi Qelt. The Biblical Valley of the Shadow of Death. Back to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight. (BD)

DAY 12 – Saturday, March 30 - UPPER ROOM/HOUSE OF CAIAPHAS/ CHURCH OF ALL NATIONS/ GARDEN OF GETHSAMANE/ KIDRON VALLEY/ VIA DOLOROSA/ JUDGEMENT HALL/ CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE/ GARDEN TOMB/ COMMUNION
Today we will follow the Passion of Christ. We begin our day on Mt. Zion where we will visit the Upper Room, where Jesus spent those last momentous hours with His disciples before His passion, and it was also here where the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples on Pentecost. We will then go to Gethsemane with its ancient olive grove, and there visit the Church of Agony, where Jesus prayed and was arrested (private time will be given in the private section of the Garden). We will then cross the Kidron Valley on foot to go to the house of Caiaphas (entrance included), where Jesus was tried and where Peter denied Our Lord. We then walk the Via Dolorosa to the Sisters of Zion Convent (to see the Pavement where Jesus stood as he was being tried by Pilate) and the Ecce Homo Arch (entrance included), and then follow the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. Late in the afternoon we will visit the Garden Tomb (entrance included) and celebrate a communion service. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (BD)

DAY 13 – Sunday, March 31 - TEMPLE MOUNT/ CITY OF DAVID/ VALLEY OF ELAH/ HALF ADAY OF LEISURE WITH A FEW POSSIBLE OPTIONS
Beyond the Western Wall of the Temple Mount lies the 35-acre temple area purchased by King David (2 Sam. 24:18-25). On this site now stands the magnificent Dome of the Rock (the third holiest shrine in all Islam) and the El Aksa Mosque. We will then visit the City of David (entrance included), the original location of the city of Jerusalem and explore the origins of the city, here you will have the option to walk in water through Hezekiah’s Tunnel on to the Pool of Siloam (flashlights and water shoes needed) (entrance included). We will then to the Valley of Elah where David defeated Goliath. The second half of the day will be at leisure with various options in the Old City. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (BD)

DAY 14 – Monday, April 01 - FLIGHT HOME
We depart from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to board our flight back home. This will be the close of an unforgettable tour. (B)

**** In case of unforeseen events, this itinerary is subject to change.***