HIGHLIGHTS OF ISRAEL & JORDAN

FRI This morning we drive for a short visit of the city of Jaffa (Joppa) where we will take a short walking tour in

picturesque alleys of the old, fortified town. We will pass by the house of Simon the Tanner and marvel at the

views from the hill top.

We drive north along the coast to the archaeological ruins of Caesarea, built by Herod the Great in honour of

Augustus Caesar. From there we go on to visit Megiddo where the book of Revelations mentions a great battle

at the place called "Armageddon". It is an ancient city inhabited continuously for more than five millennia.

After exploring the ancient ruins we drive toward the Sea of Galilee.

Arrive at Tiberias and check-in to your hotel.

Overnight in Tiberias.

SAT Start the day from historic Tiberias, where Jesus lived, sojourned, and preached on the shores of the Sea of

Galilee.

Our next destination will be Capernaum, the center of Jesus ministry. On to Tabgha, just north of Tiberias, the

site of Christ’s miracle of feeding the 5,000 and at the Church of Multiplication, where the mosaic floor depicts

a basket with loaves and two fishes. We drive on to the Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the Sea, where Jesus

preached the “Sermon on the Mount” and it is believed that Jesus picked his 12 apostles. We ascend to the

Golan Heights to view the panoramic view of the peaks of Mt. Hermon, the rugged plateau of the Golan

Heights, and beneath it the green pastoral Hula Valley. Visit the Yardenit Baptismal Site, located along the

Jordan River, south of the Sea of Galilee. Return to Tiberias for another lovely night in town.

Overnight in Tiberias.

SUN This morning we travel to Cana to visit the Wedding Church where Jesus performed his first miracle, turning

water into wine. We proceed to Nazareth, where Jesus spent his childhood, and the Church of Annunciation,

built on the site where archaeologists believe the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary. You will also

see Mary’s Well and Joseph’s Church..

Drive through the Jordan Valley to Beit Shean with its recently excavated amphitheatre. Visit the excavations

of this beautiful preserved Roman City which was destroyed in an earthquake.

Continue to Jerusalem, to check-in at the hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem.

Through remarkable scenery of the Dead Sea we continue to Masada which is situated on an isolated cliff in

the Judean Desert. The site was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2001. Ascend by cable car to the

fortress, which was the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans. Visit the

excavations, King Herod’s palace, the synagogue, bathhouse and much more. Enjoy the breathtaking view of

the Roman camps and the Dead Sea. En route to the Dead Sea, you will see the site of the Qumran Caves where

the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered.

Nearly 1,300 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on the earth’s surface. Bring your swimsuit

as if weather permits it’s possible to “float” on the salty, mineral rich, water.

Late evening return to Jerusalem.

Overnight in Jerusalem.

TUE Start the day at the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book with the famous Dead Sea scrolls, then a visit to the

beautifully renovated model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem, dating back to the time of the Second Temple.

This afternoon drive to visit the picturesque village of Ein Karem, in the south western outskirts of

Jerusalem. This small village has great significance in Christian traditions, since this is where according to

tradition John the Baptist was born. Proceed to visit Yad Vashem, the official memorial to the Jewish victims

of the Holocaust, established in 1953, located at the foot of Mt. Hertzl. End the day exploring Bethlehem - the

birthplace of Jesus at the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square.

Overnight in Jerusalem.

WED Today enjoy sites of the Old City of Jerusalem. Enter through one of the gates to the walled old city,

where you will see the Western Wall and the actual site of the Second Temple, Temple Mount and the

colourful bazaars. Walk the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa and the stations of the cross, to Calvary and the

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, housing both the traditional site of Crucifixion and the Tomb of the

Resurrection. To the southwest, just outside the Old City, is Mount Zion, with the traditional tomb of King

David and the Room of the Last Supper. Enjoy the spectacular panoramic view of Jerusalem - the holy city for

each of the world’s three great religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam, from atop the Mount of Olives.

Visit the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas betrayed Jesus. In the heart of a neighbourhood in downtown

Jerusalem, visit Mahane Yehuda to experience the flavours, aromas, colours and the traders' interaction with

the crowds, at the largest open market in Israel

Overnight in Jerusalem.

Drive from Jerusalem to the Sheikh Hussein border crossing for procedures to enter Jordan. Proceed to Jerash

- city of the Decapolis, located about 45km north of Amman in the fertile heights of the Gilad. Visit the ancient

Roman city with colonnaded streets, the baths and the hill of the top Temple etc. Drive to Amman for a

panoramic city tour of the Jordanian capital.

Overnight in Amman.

FRI After breakfast drive to Mount Nebo, from where Moses viewed the Promised Land. From here you can see

the Jordan Valley, Jericho and the Dead Sea. Continue south along the Desert Highway to Wadi Musa, the

modern village of Petra.

Enter the site of Petra and walk, or ride on horseback to the "Siq" (Canyon). Walk through the "Siq" to the red

rock city, the ancient capital of the Nabateans from 3rd Century BC to 2nd Century AD.

Visit the most interesting carved monuments such as the Treasury (El Khazneh - a tomb of a Nabatean king)

then the field of tombs, obelisks and the altar (Al Madhbah) - from this point you can view the whole of the

city. After the visit return to Wadi Musa.

Overnight in Petra.

SAT After breakfast drive south to the towering mountains and rock formations of Wadi Rum, that had

mesmerised Lawrence of Arabia. Drive through the stunning landscapes on a desert jeep safari, visiting the

Lawrence Spring and Khazali Canyon.

Drive north to Madaba to visit the remains of the Byzantine church with its mosaic floor map, the oldest

surviving original cartographic depiction of the mosaic map of the Holy Land and Jerusalem.

Overnight in Amman.

SUN Today after breakfast, leave the hotel and drive to the border. Cross the Jordan River and drive back to Tel

Aviv transfer to the airport for your flight back home.