Duration: 13 Days
Dates: October 17, 2023 to October 29, 2023
Departure City: Houston, Texas (IAH)

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Detailed Itinerary

Tuesday, October 17 (Day 1) – Departure to Amman

Wednesday, October 18 (Day 2): Arrival in Amman – Transfer to Hotel
Upon arrival in Amman, our guide will assist us through customs and passport control. Transfer to our hotel in Amman for dinner and overnight.

Thursday, October 19 (Day 3): Petra – Wadi Musa – Petra
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.

Friday, October 20 (Day 4): Madaba – Mt. Nebo – Allenby – Beit Shean – Tiberias
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 Shean (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.

Saturday, October 21 (Day 5): Sea of Galilee – Magdala – Mt. Beatitudes
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 (Entrance Included) (Matt. 4:13), 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 (Entrance Included) (the hometown of Mary Magdalene) with its 1st century synagogue. Lunch of St Peter’s Fish and overnight in Tiberias.

Sunday, October 22 (Day 6): Tel Dan – Tel Hazor – Banias – Tiberias
There is nothing quite like watching a sunrise on the Sea of Galilee from your guesthouse or from a boat. Today will include many biblical sites in the Upper Jordan Valley: Hazor (Entrance Included) (Josh. 11:10; 1 Kgs. 9:15), Tel Dan (Entrance Included) and the Nature Reserve, Border of Lebanon (Josh. 11:17), view Mt. Hermon (Deut. 3:8), Caesarea Philippi (Entrance Included) (Paneas; Mark 8:27), The road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-19) in the Golan Heights (Bashan) and. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias.

Monday, October 23 (Day 7): Nazareth – Megiddo – Caesarea – 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 (Entrance Included) (Armageddon; 1 Kgs. 9:15; Rev. 16:16) and Caesarea Maritima (Entrance Included), the springboard of Christianity to the West (Acts 9 & 25). We proceed south to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

Tuesday, October 24 (Day 8): Mt. Olives – Davidson Centre – Bethlehem – 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.

Wednesday, October 25 (Day 9): Western Wall Tunnels – St. Anne – Israel 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 displayed. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Thursday, October 26 (Day 10): Temple Mount – City of David – Hezekiah’s Tunnels – Valley of Elah
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). 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.
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.

Friday, October 27 (Day 11): Masada – Ein Gedi – Qumran – Jerusalem
Leaving Jerusalem, we will descend down to the Dead Sea and the wilderness of Judah. Our first stop will be Masada (Entrance Included + Cable Car), 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 (Entrance Included) 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.

Saturday, October 28 (Day 12): House of Caiaphas – Ecce Homo – Garden Tomb
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 and celebrate a communion service. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Sunday, October 29 (Day 13) Departure
We depart from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv to board our flight back home. This will be the close of an unforgettable tour.