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DAY 1, Tuesday - Depart for Israel
Depart for Israel
DAY 2, Wednesday - Arrive in Tel Aviv and Transfer to Jerusalem
Welcome to Israel! Arrive in Tel Aviv and transfer to your hotel in Jerusalem. We recommend that you select flights which arrive in your destination no later than 5 PM
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Dinner
DAY 3, Thursday - City of David, Jewish Quarter, Western Wall Tunnel
Begin the day at the City of David, and visit the Gihon Spring, which was Jerusalem's main water supply. Continue to the restored Jewish Quarter. Arrive at the Western Wall, the only remaining portion of the Second Temple and walk through the Western Wall Tunnels. Stroll along the Cardo, the ancient Roman market street. Conclude with a panoramic view of the Temple Mount where the Temple once stood. Tonight, join your fellow travelers for dinner
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 4, Friday - Israel Museum, Yad Vashem, Home Hosted Shabbat Dinner
Today's exploration begins with a visit to the Israel Museum. View the Scale Model, a miniature replica of ancient Jerusalem from the Second Temple period and the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed. Afterward, drive to Yad Vashem, memorial to the Holocaust. Continue to Mishkenot Sha'ananim, a neighborhood dating to the late 1850's, the first building project outside the Old City Walls. Finally, drive by the quarter of Me'a She'arim, to get a glimpse into the ultra-Orthodox Jewish life. On this eve of Shabbat, join the Jerusalemites preparing for the Sabbath at the Western Wall. Tonight, you're invited to a Shabbat dinner with a family at their private home
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 5, Saturday - Mt. Scopus Observatory, Mt. Zion, Christian Quarter
This morning, observe panoramic views of Jerusalem from Mt. Scopus. Take a walking tour of the Old City beginning at Mt. Zion. Visit the Room of the Last Supper and the Tomb of King David. Walk the path of Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, one the holiest Christian sites in the world. Visit a fabric store and meet a third-generation fabric merchant who imports hand-woven silk, cotton and gold-threaded cloths from Africa and uses them to create robes for Christian priests, Muslim imams and ultra-Orthodox Jews. Stroll through the bazaars with their wondrous aromas and sights. This afternoon, join the optional Bethlehem* tour to visit the Church of the Nativity, commemorating the birthplace of Jesus Christ
*Bethlehem is under the Palestinian Authority, requiring a brief inspection and local guide
Optional: Half Day Bethlehem (PM)
Overnight: Jerusalem
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 6, Sunday - Ein Gedi, Masada Fortress, Dead Sea
Depart from Jerusalem and travel to the lowest spot on Earth, the Dead Sea. Drive pass the Qumran Caves where the world-famous Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered by a Bedouin shepherd. Then, on to Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. Continue to Masada, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ascend by cable car to the top of the ancient fortress. Visit the archaeological sites including the remains of Herod's Great Palace, a synagogue, bath houses, dwellings, and workshops. Descend and proceed to your hotel, on the shores of the Dead Sea. Perhaps float in the buoyant waters or, relax by the beach before dinner at the hotel
Overnight: Dead Sea
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 7, Monday - Agriculture in Arava Desert, Kibbutz Ktura, Timna Park
Travel south, passing by the Dead Sea Works, producers of potash products. Visit the Yair Research & Development in Hazeva promoting agriculture in the desert. After lunch along the way, visit Kibbutz Ktura, a small dwelling originally settled by a group from the USA, where its members maintain the original lifestyle of communal life. Continue to Timna Park, where ancient Egyptians carved and melted copper creating tools and ornaments. Arrive in Eilat, Israel's southernmost city at the northern tip of the Red Sea, surrounded by granite mountains and desert scenery. Gather together for dinner tonight
Overnight: Eilat
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 8, Tuesday - Day in Eilat
There's lots to do in Eilat, on your day at leisure. Explore the "Underwater Observatory", and watch turtles and stingrays glide by. Stop at the Rare Fish Aquarium to see an interesting collection of fish, corals and sharks. The "Dolphin Reef" offers a unique opportunity to observe and swim (weather permitting) alongside some of nature's most magnificent sea creatures. Or, participate in the optional Full Day Petra with lunch tour
Optional: Full Day Petra with lunch (AM)
Overnight: Eilat
Meals: Breakfast
DAY 9, Wednesday - Neot Smadar, Ramon Crater Jeep Tour
Bid farewell to the Red Sea and travel north to Kibbutz Neot Smadar. Visit the Arts Center Tower, which took thirteen years to build, housing workshops and galleries. After lunch at their inn, drive further through the Ramon Crater, a large erosion crater created millions of years ago when an ocean covered the area. Board an open-top jeep, for a tour of this crater. Later, continue to Sde Boker for dinner and overnight
Overnight: Sde Boker
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 10, Thursday - Ben-Gurion Cottage, Carmey Avdat Winery, Bedouin Experience
In the morning, visit Kibbutz Sde Boker, the final home and self-chosen burial site of Israel's first Prime Minister David Ben Gurion. Next, travel to Avdat a former Nabataean city, once the most important city on the Incense Route. Tour Carmey Avdat Winery, and enjoy lunch along with wine tasting. Afterward, head to the nearby Shanti House, providing refuge and rehabilitation to at-risk youth. Take a camel ride through part of the original Nabatean Incense Route and view landscapes of the Zin Valley. This evening, savor a Madfoona dinner and learn about the Bedouin way of life and desert customs
Overnight: Sde Boker
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 11, Friday - Ashalim Solar Power Station, Zichron Ya'akov, Haifa
On the drive north this morning, you reach the Ashalim Solar Power Station. Take a tour of Israel's solar panel plant. Next, travel along the Trans-Israel Highway to Zichron Ya'akov, located at the southern end of the Carmel Mountain Range. Stroll along the quaint main street of this historical town, lined with cafes and historic buildings. Afterward, travel towards Haifa, passing Druze villages atop Mt. Carmel. View the Baha'i Gardens, and the golden dome of the Baha'i Shrine, named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Arrive at the hotel in Haifa for dinner and overnight
Overnight: Haifa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
DAY 12, Saturday - Acre, Rosh Hanikra, Mi'ilya
Today, travel to the Crusader city of Acre (Akko). Once a thriving Ottoman city, with its bustling fishing port, stunning architecture and monuments recalling the colorful Middle Ages. Descend into the underground city of the Crusaders, and walk through a series of subterranean rooms and tunnels. Acre's Old City is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Later, take a scenic drive past the rugged terrain of the northernmost tip of Israel to the white cliffs of Rosh Hanikra. Here, descend by cable car (weather permitting) to the astonishing underwater grottoes and sea caves. Afterward, head into the heart of the Galilee region to Mi'ilya, a village inhabited by Melkite Greek Catholics. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. There will time to visit the village, before returning to Haifa
Overnight: Haifa
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 13, Sunday - Safed, Golan Heights, Mt. Bental, Katzrin
Morning drive to the Jewish mystical city of Safed, where Kabbalah flourished during the Golden Age. View tiny historic synagogues and galleries & shops in the Artists' Colony. Next, ascend to the peak of the craggy Golan Heights overlooking the serene fertile valleys and tranquil villages below. Reach Mt. Bental at the crossroads of Syria and northern Israel. Later, visit the ancient village of Katzrin, an open-air museum, featuring partially reconstructed remains of a Talmudic-era village dating from the 4th to 6th centuries AD. Descend from the Golan Heights and arrive at your kibbutz in time for dinner
Overnight: Galilee Region
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 14, Monday - Zippori, Home Hosted Lunch, Caesarea
Travel through the verdant Galilee hills to the ancient city of Zippori, which was the administrative capital of the Galilee region in the 1st-century. Next, share a home-cooked lunch at a private family home in Kfar Kara; learn about traditions and challenges of life in Israel. Afterward, continue to Caesarea, built by King Herod. Explore this archaeological site with its Roman and Crusader ruins, including a 1st-century theater still being used today and a hippodrome that once held over 20,000 people for chariot races. Continue with a drive towards the bustling cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv, nestled on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
DAY 15, Tuesday - Tel Aviv, Carmel Market, Jaffa, Farewell Dinner
The exploration of Tel Aviv begins with a drive along Rothschild Boulevard, highlighting the Bauhaus architecture of this city, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visit the Center for Israeli Innovation, presenting the Israeli Startup Nation. This visitor center features displays of leading Israeli companies, and promising Israeli startups. Continue to Carmel Market, a vibrant marketplace where vendors sell clothing, spices, fruits and food. On to Jaffa (Joppa), the ancient port city eternally linked with biblical stories of Jonah and St. Peter. Stoll along the winding alleyways to the reconstructed Artists' Quarter and view its ancient seaport. From atop the hill, admire panoramic views of the Mediterranean coast and the expanding city of Tel Aviv. Tonight, attend a cooking workshop focusing on Israeli cuisine, followed by a Farewell Dinner
Overnight: Tel Aviv
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
DAY 16, Wednesday - Depart Israel
Transfer to the airport for your departure flight
Meals: Breakfast
Due to local events, holidays and site openings, the order of sightseeing may be changed. Details to be provided locally by Tour Manager.
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