DAY 1- USA - Israel
Departure from the USA.

DAY 2- Tel Aviv
We arrive at Ben Gurion Airport where we are met by our guide for assistance through customs and transferred to our hotel in Tel Aviv.

DAY 3- Jaffa - Caesarea - Mount Carmel - Akko - Tiberias
After a visit to ancient Jaffa, we drive north along the Mediterranean Sea to Caesarea, Roman capital of Judea. Here we view the beautifully restored theater, and the ruins of the ancient town, its harbor and aqueduct. We travel inland to Megiddo (Biblical Armageddon). We then visit the ancient Canaanite and Phoenician port of Akko, a major Galilean city during the Roman period and capital of the Crusader Kingdom after the fall of Jerusalem. We continue to Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

DAY 4- Capernaum - Mount of Beatitudes - Banias
We set sail on the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum and visit the ruins of the ancient synagogue. Continue to Tabgha, site of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, and the Mt. of Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount. On through the Hula Valley to Banias, ancient Caesarea Philippi at the foot of Mt Hermon. After ascending the Golan Heights, visit the former Syrian fortifications, then drive along the eastern side of the Sea of Galilee to Kursi, where Jesus cast out the demons from the man of Gedara. Time for a stop at Yardenit. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Tiberias.

DAY 5- Tiberias - Beit She'an - Jerash - Amman
Visit Kibbutz Ginossar on the Sea of Galilee, where we view an excavated boat dating from the time of Jesus, then drive to Cana, site of Jesus' first miracle, and Nazareth, his boyhood home. We continue south via the Jordan Valley to Beit She'an, an extraordinary excavation of an ancient Roman city. Cross the Sheikh Hussein border to Jordan and drive to Jerash, one of the best preserved cities of the Roman Empire. On to Mt. Nebo, from which Moses viewed the Promised Land to Madaba, where the 6th Century AD mosaic map of the Holy Land can be found, and finally to Amman for dinner and overnight.

DAY 6- Amman - Petra
This morning we drive to the Nabatean capital of Petra, a secret and mystical city carved more than 2,000 years ago in pink sandstone. After a tour of the ancient city, including a portion on horseback, we drive to our hotel near Petra for dinner and overnight.

DAY 7-Aqaba - Nuweiba - Sinai
After breakfast we board our bus and drive south first to Wadi Rum and then to Aqaba, the Jordanian port on the Red Sea. Here we board a hydrofoil and cross to Nuweiba, on the Egyptian side, where we can enjoy a dip in the beautiful and calm waters of the Red Sea before continuing to our guest house at the base of Mt. Sinai for dinner and overnight.

DAY 8- Mount Sinai - Eilat
Up early this morning to begin our ascent of Mt. Sinai, either on foot or by camel. We'll climb the 950 steps to the top. After returning to the bottom of the mountain, we'll make our way back to Israel via the Taba border to Eilat on the Red Sea, called Etzion Geber in the Bible. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 9- Eilat At Leisure - Mitzpe Ramon
Enjoy a swim in the Red Sea this morning, snorkel, optional visit to the fascinating Underwater Observatory, and delight in the facilities of Israel's most popular resort. Later today we drive north from Eilat via the Wilderness of Paran and Mt. Kharkom to Mitzpe Ramon, overlooking the massive Ramon Crater and our base for exploring the Negev's best sites. Dinner tonight is cooked over an open fire, Bedouin-style, then overnight at our hotel.

DAY 10- Avdat - Beersheva - Arad - Dead Sea
This morning we drive to Avdat, the largest Nabatean city in the Negev, which reached its zenith during the Byzantine era, and Beersheva, modern capital of the Negev and city of the Patriarchs. We continue to Tel Arad where we view the only existing temple from the Israelite period, to our resort hotel at the Dead Sea. Dinner and overnight at the Dead Sea.

DAY 11- Masada - Ein Gedi - Qumran - Jerusalem
Today we visit the fortress of Masada, where Jewish defenders made their last stand against Rome (AD 73). Continue along the shore of the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi, David's waterfall and a wonderful nature center. After a dip in the mineral-filled waters of the Dead Sea, we continue to Qumran to see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Later this afternoon we drive up to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

DAY 12- Old City of Jerusalem
Our full day of sightseeing in Jerusalem includes the Mt. of Olives, Mt. Scopus, Mt. Zion, the site of the Upper Room, the Kidron Valley and the Garden of Gethsemane. Continue to the Old City within the walls, including the Via Dolorosa, the restored Jewish Quarter, the Western (Wailing) Wall, the
Temple Site on Mt. Moriah and a walk along the ramparts of the Old City.

DAY 13- Special Archeology Day
In cooperation with the Antiquities Authority of Israel, we drive to an ongoing excavation such as Tel Maresha at Beit Guvrin National Park. We return toJerusalem and enjoy an authentic Roman Lunch at the Cardo Culinaria, a wonderful restaurant located in the ancient Cardo (Jerusalem's 2,000-year-old "Rodeo Drive" of the Second Temple period). This afternoon we visit the Western
Wall Tunnels that run along the face of the Temple Mount and explore the Southern Wall Ophel Excavations. We drive through the Elah valley, where David fought Goliath, then return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

DAY 14- New City of Jerusalem - Bethlehem
Today we visit the model of the city during the Second Temple period, then continue to the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are housed and to the Holocaust Memorial at Yad Vashem. This afternoon, we drive south to Bethlehem to see Shepherd's Field and the Church of the Nativity and continue to Ein Kerem to visit the fascinating Biblical Resources Scripture Garden, where authentic artifacts from the time of Jesus are displayed in a natural setting. After our tour, we enjoy a Biblical dinner and lecture, then return to our Jerusalem hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 15- Jerusalem At Leisure
We enjoy time to shop, stroll, and explore Jerusalem further on our own. Dinner and overnight at our Jerusalem hotel.

DAY 16- Jerusalem - USA
We transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for our return flight, arriving in the USA later today.

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