Tour members meet for our flight to Israel. After dinner, relax and enjoy onboard entertainment as we prepare for this exciting adventure.

In Tel Aviv, after proceeding through customs, we’re met by our tour guide. From here, we drive to our hotel in Netanya for dinner and overnight.

En-route to Galilee, we will be visiting the following Biblical sites: Caesarea (Acts 10, 12, 23), Megiddo (Armageddon; 1 Kings 9:15; Rev. 16:16), and Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18). Lunch is included at a local restaurant on Mt. Carmel. We complete our tour overlooking the Jezreel Valley at Mt. Precipice, the traditional site for Jesus being chased out of Nazareth (Luke 4). Dinner and overnight are at our hotel near the Sea of Galilee.

After breakfast, we make our way north through the Hula Valley, stopping first at the excavations of Tel Hazor (Joshua 11) and then continuing to Tel Dan where we will tour extensively and include a visit to the Canaanite/ Bronze-era mud brick gate that has been nicknamed the “Gate of Abraham”. At the foot of Mt. Hermon, we will visit the springs of Banias and the site of Caesarea Philippi and Peter’s declaration in Mathew 16. Next, we will visit one of the Druze villages perched on the Golan Heights where we will have a stop for lunch (included). After enjoying the tastes and spices of this Syrian/Lebanese cuisine, we will head to the Golan Heights and stop off for some lookout points along the Damascus Road to hear some of the modern military history in this region. We conclude our day with an opportunity to experience a Baptism or renewal in the waters of the Jordan! Dinner and overnight are at our hotel near the Sea of Galilee.

We start our day atop the Mount of Beatitudes and read from Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount. We continue to Capernaum, the center of ministry for Jesus in Galilee. Next, we visit Tabgha, remembering the story of the feeding of the 5,000 and John 21 with Jesus calling out to Peter to cast the fishing net on the right side. A recently excavated highlight to visit in Galilee is the 1st Century remains of Magdala, including the greatest relic of all: A 2000-year-old Synagogue. Following our stop for an optional St. Peters Fish lunch (included), we enjoy a spectacular boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and a visit to Kibbutz Ginnosar (Gennesaret) where we will see the remains of a fisherman’s vessel discovered on the shores of the Sea of Galilee dating from the time of Jesus. Dinner and overnight are at our hotel near the Sea of Galilee.

Leaving the Sea of Galilee behind us, we drive southwards through the Jordan River Valley to Beit Shean – a city built at the crossroads between Jezreel and Jordan Valley. Here, we will tour the extensive RomanByzantine, stunning remains of a city that was once part of the Decapolis, and where the bodies of King Saul and his sons were exhibited after battling the Philistines (1st Samuel 31). Continuing southbound through the Jordan Valley, we enter the Judean Desert where we drive past Jericho and stop at the traditional Baptism site of Qasr El-Yehud. A short drive to lunch and a visit to the site of the Dead Sea Scrolls community of Qumran. Here, we will step into the lives of the community that both pre-dates and continues parallel in the 1st Century AD to the days of John the Baptist and Jesus, leaving behind the most important Archeological relic of all – text amongst which we find the earliest of Hebrew Biblical scriptures. Having toured the site, we will continue to the desert oasis of Ein Gedi, prominent in King Saul’s pursuit of the young King David, with a short trail walk to David’s Waterfall. Then we continue to our Dead Sea Spa hotel for check-in and dinner.

We begin with an early morning float in the mineral rich Dead Sea waters, and after another fantastic Israeli breakfast, we begin our touring day at Masada, the desert fortress built by King Herod and later used by Jewish Zealots for their last stand against the Roman Empire. We will ascend upon the wilderness mountain top fortress, by way of cable car, to survey the ruins of the fortifications, waterworks, the synagogue, and palaces. We will stop for lunch in the ancient city of Jericho adjacent to Tel Jericho where we will begin our journey from the lowest city in the world, Jericho, to the highest, Jerusalem (at least spiritually speaking!). Arriving this afternoon on top of the Mount of Olives, we follow the Palm Sunday route, walking in the footsteps of Jesus and Holy Week. Concluding at the Garden of Gethsemane, we will have some private time for prayer and devotion in the garden. Then we check-in to our Jerusalem Hotel. In the evening after dinner, we will venture out to the spectacular Sound and Light show at the Tower of David Citadel in the Old City.

After breakfast, we travel through modern West Jerusalem to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust children’s memorial. Picking up from Holy Week and the events that we visited in Gethsemane the previous day, we will first continue in the footsteps of Jesus and the betrayal as we arrive at the site that commemorates the trials of Jesus presented to the Sanhedrin and Peter’s denial in the courtyard of Caiaphas. We will continue with a short drive to the city of Bethlehem where we will walk through Manger Square to visit the Church of Nativity, the oldest Church in the Holy Land. Next, we visit Shepherds’ Field and hear the tale of Bethlehem from the local Christian Palestinian population both historically and a glimpse into everyday life today. We also see the traditional artwork of olive wood carvings made here by local Christian artisans of Bethlehem. Dinner and overnight are back at our hotel in Jerusalem.

First thing in the morning is to rise onto the Temple Mount, visiting the site where the Temple once stood. Outside of the Temple Mount, and outside the city in the context of John 5, are the relics of the Bethesda pools! After readings and time to reflect, we will continue into the Old City. Following the Via Dolorosa, we arrive at the sites that represent Good Friday, leading from the trial of Pontus Pilate up to the Rock of Calvary and the Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. After lunch (included), we will continue exploring the Old City and tour the Jewish Quarter, including the excavations of the Temple’s Southern Steps, Robinson Arch, and Ophel excavations adjacent to the Temple Mount and Western Wall - where we will witness the prophecy of destruction, as not one stone will be left upon another. We will conclude with the Jebusite, Davidic, and First Temple-Era relics unearthed at excavations that have been ongoing at the City of David and will arrive at the Pool of Siloam (John 9). The end of the day has an opportunity for those who wish to put on their water shoes, turn on a flashlight, and walk through the flowing waters of the 2700-year-old Shiloah Tunnel (Hezekiah’s Tunnel), before returning to the hotel. We will have dinner at the rooftop restaurant of the Notre Dame hotel. Then we return to our hotel in Jerusalem for overnight.

We begin our final touring day at the pinnacle of spiritual history and climax of our Pilgrimage – The Garden Tomb. Also known as Gordon’s Calvary, the site is linked to the Crucifixion, Burial, and The Resurrection of Jesus. Here, we will celebrate Communion together as well as touring the garden, viewing both Golgotha and the empty tomb! Having seen and witnessed so much archeology in this land of history, today we have a unique hands-on experience, sifting through the excavated debris of the Temple Mount and ancient Jerusalem and looking for hidden treasures of the past. This guided hands-on archeological experience will give us with a further understanding of the methods and science behind archeological excavations as well as the history of Jerusalem that we have toured and experienced during our Pilgrimage. Then we proceed to the heart of West Jerusalem to visit the Israel Museum, including the Dead Sea Scrolls housed in the iconic Shrine of the Book exhibition, and see the impressive model of Jerusalem from the Second Temple Era. En-route we will pass-by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament building and the Supreme Court building. We conclude our tour arriving on the Mediterranean Coast with a tour of Jaffa and a celebratory farewell dinner. Having experienced together the Land of the Bible, we begin the return journey home with everlasting memories to forever cherish, plus a further connection to Scripture through having walked, witnessed, and read the text within the context of this ancient land.

Arriving back in the U.S.A., we take home wonderful memories, renewed faith, and a greater understanding of our Lord’s life.