Experience the Holy Land

Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land--from Gilead to Dan" (Deuteronomy 34:1).

Upon arrival at Amman International airport we will be met by our representative who will assist us through passport control and with our luggage. We will meet our Jordanian guide and board our Jordanian Bus and start our tour of Jordan by driving immediately to nearby Madaba with its 6th-century mosaic map depicting the Holy Land as Christian pilgrims knew it then. Continue to nearby Mt. Nebo from which God showed Moses the Promised Land. On a clear day, we can see the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem! A tour of the church on top of Mt. Nebo houses mosaics from the 4th- 5th and 6th century AD, a picture of geometrical designs - animal figures and people on their daily activities. We then take the Desert Road to Petra located in the heart of the Seir Mountain. Dinner and overnight at a Petra Hotel.

“You live in Sela. You live there in the hiding place in the rock. Your home is high in the mountains” (Obadiah 1:3).

Today we will have time to spend in one of the 7 wonders of the World. Start the tour of Petra early. Today you are in the heart of the Seir Mountains that has been mentioned in the Bible in Genesis. These mountains house the Aaron Peak and that is the highest in Petra and the burial place of Aaron, brother of Moses. A walk through the siq- the main entrance to Petra- for 1250 m...bring you to the first monument Treasure “this is the one that appears in Indiana Jones’ movie”. A walk further down through the outer siq with all of its tombs and burial chambers brings you to one of the largest theatres in Jordan. This theatre is carved in the sand stone mountains of Petra at the bottom of the High place of sacrifice. Apparently some sacrificial rituals used to take place here. Now, it is time to walk up hill to the Royal Tombs. You will have a great view of the lower part of Petra with all its Roman remains. These tombs are: Urn- Corinthian- Silk and Palace tombs. We walk back to the entrance and board our bus and continue driving along the Exodus route south along the famed historical King’s Highway passing through Wadi Rum made famous by Lawrence of Arabia. This is the heartland of Midian, which played a crucial part in early Israel's faith (Exodus 3: 1-18). We continue to south to the Jordanian city of Aqaba a resort town located on the northernmost shores of the Red Sea. Dinner and Overnight in Aqaba.

"So we went on, away from our brothers, the people of Esau, who live in Seir, away from the Arabah road from Elath and Ezion-geber...." (Deuteronomy 2:8)

First thing this morning we transfer to Arava border with Israel. After the border procedures we will meet with our Holy Land guide and board our bus and transfer to Eilat the twin Israeli city of Aqaba. Once in Eilat, we drive north to Timna Park 20 miles north of Eilat in the Arava Valley. It is a region of startling beauty, including ancient copper mines, odd rock formations, and the remains of a Midianite tent-sanctuary related to that of the exodus. At Timna Park, a life-size replica of the biblical tabernacle has been constructed. While no original materials (e.g., gold, silver, bronze) have been used, the model is accurate in every other way based upon the biblical description. After our visit we retrace our way back to the city of Eilat and transfer to the Taba border and cross into Sinai. We drive along the Eastern shores of the Sinai Peninsula on the Red Sea towards Nuweiba. From there we drive west through Sinai enjoying the desert landscape and retell the story of the Exodus and the delivery of the Israelites from the Pharaoh of Egypt. From here we head straight to the towering red granite mountains of the high range where both St. Catherine's monastery and Mt. Sinai are found. We enjoy our evening meal and settle for the night at Morgenland Village.

For those who are physically capable, early morning we begin our ascent on Mount Sinai, walking in the footsteps of Moses and the devoted pilgrims who tread this route centuries earlier. We should reach the summit just before dawn in time to witness its incredible sunrise and splendid views. At the summit is the traditional place of the story of the burning bush and the Moses encounter with God and the receipt of the two tablets with the Ten Commandments known as the Mosaic Laws. Descending the mountain we return to the hotel to rejoin the rest of the group for breakfast. We spend the later part of morning touring the monastery of St. Catherine, taking in its fascinating and unique sights and exceptional history.  Following lunch we board our bus and head back towards the eastern shores of the Sinai Peninsula on the Red Sea and drive back to the Taba Border. Cross back into the Holy Land and retrace your way through the Negev north passing by Timna and continue on to the Ein Bokek at the southern end of the Dead Sea for your dinner and overnight at a hotel along the shores of the Dead Sea. You can also experience floating on the salty water in the sunset.

"And the border shall go down to the Jordan and its termination shall be at the Salt Sea. This shall be your land according to its borders all around.'" (Numbers 34:12).

After breakfast we drive to nearby Masada. Here we take the cable car to the top, visiting Herod's mountain bunker and the last stronghold of the Jewish revolt against Rome (66-73 AD). We then descent back to the base regain our bus and continue driving north along the western shores of the Dead Sea to Qumran and the possible settlement of the first century sect known as the Essenes, the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Drive to Jericho. At Jericho we visit the tel of this oldest city and view the traditional mountain of Jesus' temptation. Continuing north through the Jordan Valley and passing by Beth Shean (aka Scythopolis) located at the strategic crossing point between the Jordan valley and the Jezreel. If time permits, we shall view the setting for the death of Saul (I Samuel 28 - II Samuel 1). We will survey the magnificent Roman and Byzantine ruins: theatre, bathhouses, ancient rest rooms, market areas, colonnaded streets. We then continue driving north to Tiberias and stop at the modern Baptismal spot at Yardenit where the Jordan River exits from the Sea of Galilee as it flows south through the Jordan Valley. Here the group has the possibility of renewing the Baptismal vows before heading north to Tiberias and drive along the western shores of the Sea of Galilee and check into our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

"They got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum…” (John 6). After landing, “When he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside, and sat down” (Matt. 5:1).

We drive along the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, where we visit the synagogue and the place where early Christians remembered Peter's house. This is also where Peter’s mother in law’s home was in He Bainong. We continue to Tabgha (short for Heptapegon, "seven springs") to view the mosaics in the Church of the Loaves and Fishes. Ascending the Mt. of Beatitudes, we listen to Jesus' teachings. On an ancient trade route, we pass Hazor and then go on to Dan. Here we do a nature walk and visit the high place where Jeroboam son of Nebat set up a golden calf. We continue to Caesarea Philippi (Banias), where Peter answered Jesus' question, "Who do you say that I am?" Our route then takes us over the Golan Heights, skirting Mt. Hermon, with a view toward Damascus. We end the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Today we will taste the famous Peter’s Fish.

"We are going up to Jerusalem." (Matth. 20:18).

We drive up to Nazareth. On the way we stop at Cana of the Galilee where Jesus performed his first sign (John 2), commemorating Jesus' transformation of water into wine. We proceed towards Nazareth and drive up to the Mt. of Precipi for a panoramic view of the Jezreel and see the connection with Mt. Tabor in the distance and the Carmel Range in the west and the connections to the town of Nazareth down the hill. It is also the location of the events mentioned in (Luke 4:16-30). This story tells about how angry Jewish worshipers drove Jesus away from the Synagogue, attempted to throw him of the cliffs, and he disappeared before their eyes "in the midst of them".   We drive down to Nazareth and spend the rest of the morning getting acquainted with Jesus' home town, visiting its spring, where Mary would have done her family's laundry, and walking through the present-day bazaar, over the site of the ancient village, to the Church of the Annunciation.  We then drive to the mound of Megiddo, har megiddo in Hebrew, which gave its name to Armageddon.  We then ascend Mt. Carmel, site of Elijah's confrontation with the prophets of Baal. From there we drive towards the Mediterranean coast and drive south along the coastal highway to Caesarea- by - the Sea. We enter Caesarea Maritima to explore this Roman bridgehead to the East, which became the Christian springboard to the West. After the visit this ancient harbor, we board our bus and head up the historic Beth Horon road (Joshua 10:10) to the Benjamin Plateau, passing ancient Gibeon and continuing on to Jerusalem. Finally, atop Mt. Scopus, we behold majestic Jerusalem. We check into our hotel in Jerusalem for the next 4 nights.

"If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace" (Luke 19:42).

After breakfast, we drive to the Mount of Olives. The summit offers a magnificent view of the Old City. This visit reminds us of Jesus’ last hours in prayer and anguish as he faced his passion and death. Visit the Chapel of the Ascension, the Shrine of Pater Noster, and the Chapel of Dominus Flevit (The Lord Wept). Then, follow Jesus’ Palm Sunday route along Hosanna Road to the Garden of Gethsemane to visit the Grotto, the Garden, and the Church of the Gethsemane also known as Church of All Nations. Then, drive through the Kidron Valley and head towards Mt. Zion, where we will pass the Tombs of Absalom and Zachariah. Visit the Church of St. Peter-in-Gallicantu. This church is built on the site of the Palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest. Here, Jesus was imprisoned and Peter denied the Lord three times. Next we visit the Upper Room which is also known as Cenacle, site of the Last Supper and descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles. We board our bus again and drive south to the region of Bethlehem passing by Rachel's Tomb on the outskirts of the city. We drive to the Shepherd's Fields where you can read the Biblical account of Ruth, David, and the birth of Jesus. At the Shepherd's Field, where we will visit some of the caves, which are typical of the stables of that time. We drive up to nearby Bethlehem where we visit the traditional birthplace of the Nativity.  We return back to our base in Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to make war on Jerusalem, he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. A large force of men assembled, and they blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. "Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?" (2 Chronicles 32:2-4).

After breakfast we begin our day with a visit to a modern tunnel that enables us to examine the length of the outer Herodian Temple wall, mostly preserved in mintcondition, including two stone blocks each weighing about 600 tons. We will then visit the Davidson Centre andexamine the ruins near the south side of the Temple complex, including steps where we may be certain that Jesus and the disciples walked. The group may then descend the slope of the first Jerusalem (“City of David”) to the Gihon spring and proceed through Hezekiah’s tunnel, which led the water to a pool where city dwellers of old were safe from the Assyrian arrows.We then drive to the Shrine of the Book, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the Israel Museum, including the outdoor model of Jerusalem as the city may have looked in 66 AD. Later this afternoon we have a solemn visit to Yad VaShem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, dedicated to the six million Jews who lost their lives before and during the World War II.  Then it’s back to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

"He has risen!" (Mark 16:6)

After breakfast we transfer to the Dung Gate where we visit the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site. We will ascend to the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site of Islam, located on the traditional site of the ancient Temple Mount. Just to the north we find the Pools of Bethesda (John 5) and St. Anne’s Church, perfectly preserved from the Crusader period with remarkable acoustics. We then follow the Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) back as far as the Holy Sepulcher. We then walk through the Arab Souks and exit the Old City from Damascus Gate and find our way to the Garden Tomb where we conclude our tour with a special visit and with the possibility of having communion on its grounds. We then drive down into the Jordan Valley and head to the Allenby Bridge to cross back to Jordan and continue to Amman for dinner and head to the airport for our late flight back home.

Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.' (Matthew 28:19-20)

Bookings must be made 150 days before the departure date due to high demands. A non-refundable deposit of $200 USD is required when booking is made. The deposit is to secure accommodation bookings.

Full payment must be made 60 days before departure.

All cancellations should be in writing after the booking. The deposit will be forfeited if cancellations made 60 days before the departure date. The full tour payment will be forfeited if cancellations made within 60 days before the departure date due to the pricings applied to the group sizes. (Because heavy penalties imposed by hotels and any change of the group sizes may affect the price for the whole group and possibly the one free person for every 20 people.)