SAMPLE TOUR FOR BAPTIST CHURCH GROUPS ONLY
A spiritual journey to the Holyland will revitalize your faith and bring the words of the scriptures to life. This thrilling and inspirational journey will take you to see significant Christian sites that you have only dreamed of.
Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ein Karem, Bethphage, Bethany, Mount Of Temptation, Qumran, Dead Sea, Mount Of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Capernaum, Sea Of Galilee, Cana Of Galilee, Nazareth, Mt. Tabor, Megiddo, Haifa, Caesarea, Jaffa, Tel Aviv.
Your land tour includes:
* Sharing transfer on arrival and departure (from Ben Gurion Airport)
* 8-night accommodation based on double occupancy bed and breakfast bases except at Kibbutz Lavi on half board (breakfast-dinner)
* Six touring days as per itinerary with English speaking guide
* Dinner in Jerusalem on Thursday followed by a Sound and Light Show at David`s Citidel
* Lunch Druze Village on Sunday
* Entrance fee to the sites visited as per the itinerary
* The hotels might be replaced with similar ones
Your land tour does not include:
*round trip economy airfare to Tel Aviv and return
*departure taxes/fuel surcharge or airport improvement fees subject to change without prior notice
*Insurance – non-refundable insurance premium
*Documentation including passport fees
*Early check in or late check out
*Meals not mentioned
*Porterage at airport and hotels
*Beverages not included
*Single Room Supplement
*Optional tours not quoted
*Gratuities for individual services such as laundry or valet service or any other items of a purely personal nature
*Tips to /drivers/local guides/hotel and restaurant staff – tipping is at the discretion of the traveller
E. & O.E.
For information and bookings contact Janice Snider.
Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. You will be met and transferred to Jerusalem through the Valley of Ayalon (”Oh sun stand still at Gibeon”) and “Oh moon in the Valley of Ayalon” Josh. 10:12) to ancient Emmaus (Luke 24:13) to visit the archaeological site then following the Emmaus Road to Jerusalem. Balance of the day is yours to relax after your journey. Overnight in Jerusalem.
Early morning drive to the Ramat Rachel Garden of Olives, the tallest olive tree in the world. Enjoy a short walk and panoramic view before driving to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth. Visit the Church of the Nativity, the remains of the ancient village of Bethlehem from the time of Christ (under the Greek Monastery), Shepherd’s Field, Shepherd’s Cave Chapel and the new archaeological excavations of a Byzantine farm with an ancient purifying bath.
Proceed via the fields of Ruth the Moabite towards the Judean Wilderness and North Mount Hebron to the desert city of Herodion to visit the ancient synagogue, King Herod the Great’s Desert Palace (Matt. 2:15), the underground secret passage and water cisterns. En route to Jerusalem travel via the matriarch Rachel’s Tomb (“A voice was heard in Ramah…Rachel weeping for her children” Matt. 2:18). Overnight in Jerusalem. B
Begin at the Lutheran Church of Ascension, a shrine located on the Mount of Olives and part of a larger complex believed to be the earthly spot where Jesus ascended into Heaven for 40 days after His resurrection. Ascend the 50 meters high Augusta Victoria High Church tower with its four large bells for a panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem, the Judean Desert, the Moab Mountains and the Dead Sea. On top of the Mount of Olives visit the Tombs of the Prophets Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi from the 6th-5th centuries B.C. (Matt. 23:27-28). Walk down Palm Sunday Road to Dominus Flevit where Jesus wept over the city (Luke 19:41). Visit the Church of All Nations (Basilica of the Agony) enshrining a section of bedrock where Jesus is said to have prayed before His arrest.
See the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus spent the night before His arrest by the Romans. Walk along the Kidron Valley where the Messiah passed on the way to the Temple Mount, one of the most important religious sites in the Old City. Visit the Underground Greek Orthodox Church of Mary Tombs, the Tombs of Absalom and Zachary, the ancient Jewish Biblical Cemetery and the excavations of Mikvehs (purifying baths) during Christ’s time. Continue to Mount Moriah and visit the Western Wall (Wailing Wall). Ascend the Temple Mount where Jesus spent Tuesday and Wednesday of the Holy Week.
Next, is the Mosque of El Aksa and the golden Dome of the Rock from which the Prophet Mohamed ascended to heaven. Continue to the Seller’s Market and proceed to Mount Zion to visit the traditional Tomb of King David, to enter the tomb one must dress modestly and wear a head covering, the Upper Room and St. Peter in Gallicantu. Proceed to Caiaphas’s House, the Jail of the Apostles and the Sacred Stairway. See Potters Field (Matt. 27:3-10), the City of David, the place of King David’s palace and the Pool of Siloam where Jesus healed the blind man (John 9:1-7). Overnight in Jerusalem. B
Our tour today begins at Lion’s Gate. See the Bethesda Pool where Jesus healed the paralyzed man amongst the most famous of Jesus’ miracles, the Church of St. Anne marking the start of the Via Dolorosa and the Pool of Bethesda amongst the most famous of Jesus’ miracles where Jesus healed the paralyzed man.
Continue past the Ecce Homo Arch and Walk the Stations of the Cross along the Via Dolorosa from the Pretorium to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Pause at the Lutheran Chapel of the 8th Station where Jesus spoke to the Daughters of Jerusalem, the Ethiopian Monastic Village, the Roman Cistern, Josef of Aramethea’s Tomb and the Arab Market of the Jaffa Gate.
At the Garden Tomb visit Golgotha and the Empty Tomb, tour the garden and attend a Communion Service. The balance of the day is at leisure. Overnight in Jerusalem. **Optional meeting with delegates of the Baptist Community living in Jerusalem. B
This morning we begin at the Israel Museum to see the Shrine of the Book, home of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, the most ancient Biblical texts known to mankind. Visit the reconstructed scale Model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period in the days of Christ before driving to Government Hill to view the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament and the Hall of Justice, Israel’s Supreme Court. Spend time at Yad Vashem, the sombre and moving Memorial dedicated to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust.
Travelling through the Jerusalem mountains we come to the village of Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist. Walkthrough the alleyways of this pictorial old village to the Garden of the Sisters of Zion, the place of Mary’s Magnificat. Drive through the Jerusalem Forest Nature Reserve to the Amiel Forest located nearby Zorah, the hometown of Samson the Hero (Judges 13:2) where you will have the opportunity to plant an olive tree. Overnight in Jerusalem. B
Drive to Bethpage where Jesus mounted the white ass to fulfill the ancient prophecy (Matt. 21:1-5) and Bethany (the house of Mary and Martha and the Tomb of Lazarus) to the Judean Wilderness. View the Good Samaritan Inn and walk along the cliffs of Wadi Kelt to enjoy the panoramic view of the Ein Kelt cascade and the Saint George Monastery (Elijah’s Cave). Continue to the Jordan Valley to see the Oasis of Jericho, the lowest and most ancient city in the world. View the Mount of Temptation, ancient Tel Jericho and the City Walls (Josh.2-6, Mark 10:46, Luke 19:1), Zacheus Tree and Elisha’s Spring. Head for the Jordan River, the place of the Baptism of Christ, the Ascension of Elijah the Prophet and enter the place of the Holy Ark to the Promised Land.
The Dead Sea is next. On the way, we stop to visit Qumran where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were found and where the Essenes were baptized. Visit the archaeological site and visitor’s center with time for a swim in the Dead Sea (optional mud treatments). Continue along the Jordan Valley via Mt. Gilboa where King Saul and his sons were killed in the Philistine battlefield) to Aenon Springs “After this Jesus and His Disciples went into Judea, where He remained with them and baptized John and John was also baptizing at Aenon” (John 3:22-23). Overnight at a Kibbutz on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. B/D
Our program this morning begins at the Mount of Beatitudes (Matt.5-7) where Jesus uttered the immortal words of the nine verses of the Beatitudes as written in the Gospel of Matthew. After a short service walks down the soft hills of Galilee to the Church of Saint Peter’s Primacy (John 21) on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Following Jesus on His ministry in Galilee, visit the site where Jesus fed the multitudes with five loaves and two fish at Tabgha (Feeding 5000, Mark 6). Our day around the lake will take us to Capernaum (Matt. 4:13) believed to be the home of both Jesus and Peter. When viewing the archaeological remains we will be able to visualize how Jesus taught in Capernaum where He healed Peter’s mother-in-law, the Sinning Woman and others.
Drive across the Upper Jordan River through the Valley of Beth Saida (third-most mentioned place in the Gospels) to Kursi in the Land of the Gadarenes, the place where Jesus healed a man from an evil spirit that was moved into a swineherd. After a short rest and dinner, we will board a boat for a night cruise on the Sea of Galilee. During the cruise under the sky full of stars, the engine will be stopped in the middle of the lake for us to enjoy a quiet and spiritual experience. It was here that Jesus walked on the water and spread His teachings to the rest of the world. Overnight in a Kibbutz on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. B/D
Drive through Cana of Galilee to Nazareth and visit the Basilica of the Annunciation, the Holy Grotto, the ancient village of Nazareth in the days of Christ, the archaeological museum, St. Joseph’s Workshop, the ancient Jewish-Christian purifying bath, the Baptist Church of Nazareth and meet with a local member of the Baptist community. Drive through Mount Tabor, the traditional place of the Transfiguration of Christ (Matt. 17 1-10) to Megiddo, the site mentioned in the Book of Revelation as Armageddon (Armageddon 1 Kgs. 9:15, Rev. 16:16). Visit the Museum and archaeological excavations.
At Mount Carmel ascend the roof of the Monastery built on the site where the Prophet Elijah proved to the Prophets of Baal who is the only God (1 Kgs. 18). Stop for a falafel lunch at a Druze village on Mount Carmel to learn about their way of life and famous hospitality. The Coastal Road will then take us to Caesarea (Acts 9 25) where Cornelius was the first Gentile to accept Christ and where Paul testified before Agrippa (Act 21:8). Enjoy a farewell dinner in Jaffa including an optional tour to the ancient port. Time to stroll through the newly constructed Artists’ Quarter. Jaffa is also the place where St. Peter revived Tabitha back to life and where the Lord offered him unclean food to eat on the roof of Simon Tanner’s house. B/L
Overnight in Tel Aviv.
Transfer to the airport for departure.
A similar program can be custom tailored for individuals based on upgraded hotels and sightseeing by private car. B
*Site under the Palestinian Authority Jurisdiction – visit subject to situation
**Visit subject to weather conditions
***The sequence of the tour, border crossing point used, hotels used and sites visited may be amended due to circumstances
****Men must cover their head while in the prayer area and women must cover their shoulders and wear long pants or a knee-length skirt. If you forget to bring a covering, guards will provide you with a piece of fabric for that purpose before you enter. The prayer area is separated by gender. If you want to be super respectful follow Jewish custom by never turning your back on the wall. You will see many people walking away from the wall backwards because it is simply disrespectful to turn away.
B = breakfast L= lunch D = dinner