Day by Day Travel Itinerary

• DAY 01 Fri . Jun . 21

  DEPART THE USA

  Today we depart for our overnight flight to Tel Aviv, Israel, arriving at Ben Gurion airport, with a connection in Newark.

• DAY 02 Sat . Jun . 22

  ARRIVE ISRAEL

  We arrive into Tel Aviv early morning and proceed through passport control where we are welcomed by our Wilcox World Travel representative. After claiming our bags, our representative will lead us to the airport exit to meet our guide, board our bus, and begin our tour of The Holy Land. We drive north to the coast of Sharon where the baptism of the Gentiles began at Caesarea Maritima (Acts 10). There we view the sunken harbor, the hippodrome, the theatre, and the Roman aqueduct. We then drive to Muhraka (“burnt offering”) on Mt. Carmel with a panoramic view of the Plain of Jezreel, from that observation point we will see Mount Tabor and the City of Nain and Esdraelon--I Kings 18, the confrontation between Elijah and Jezebel with the prophets of Baal. On the way to Nazareth, we pass the ruins of Tel Megiddo (Armageddon, Revelation 16). In Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, we visit The Church of the Annunciation. We continue to our hotel located on The Sea of Galilee in Tiberias

• DAY 03 Sun . Jun . 23

  UPPER GALILEE / THE JORDAN RIVER

  After breakfast, we drive north toward The Golan Heights and experience spectacular views of The Sea of Galilee. We stop at The Mount of Beatitudes (Matthew 5-7) for a visit. We make our way to Dan where we combine a nature walk beside the upper Jordan River and visit ancient ruins, including the Israelite high place that supported a golden calf (I Kings 12). A short drive takes us to the spring of Caesarea Philippi (Banias) where Peter confessed his recognition of Jesus as Christ (Matthew 16). There we visit the stunning remains of a first century AD palace belonging to Agrippa II. Ascending the Golan Heights, we will have an impressive look towards the Nimrod fortress and Mt. Hermon and stop at an overlook for a glimpse of Damascus, 45 miles away. Next, we visit the newly discovered and exciting archeological site of the fishing Village of Magdala where we can see a first century synagogue typical of the various synagogues that dotted the Galilee region and where Christ would have first preached the gospel, from there we continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

• DAY 04 Mon . Jun . 24

  TIBERIAS / THE SEA OF GALILEE

  After Breakfast on our way to Sepphoris we will have our first stop at Mount Arbel for a spectacular view towards the Sea of Galilee, then we will continue heading to visit the town of Sepphoris to have a look at the magnificent mosaics of this Greco Roman town. We make our way to The Primacy of Peter, a church that is thought to be the place where Jesus prepared breakfast for His disciples (John 21). We visit Capernaum, where Franciscan archaeologists believe they have uncovered the house of Peter (Mark 1 and 2). Then on to Tabgha where Christians have long remembered the feeding of the multitude (Mark 6). We then drive through The Golan Heights towards the Church of Kursi and remember the miracle of the man possessed by a legion of demons, we’ll have a cruise on The Sea of Galilee in a wooden boat modeled after one from Jesus’ time (Matthew 14). We disembark within walking distance of our hotel.

• DAY 05 Tue . Jun . 25

  THE JORDAN RIVER / SEBASTIA /JACOB'S WELL

  This morning we reluctantly leave the Sea of Galilee and drive south to Beth Shean. We visit the mound of Beth Shean, hear the story of Saul and view the ruins of Roman Scythopolis. Then we drive through the Dotan Valley, where Joseph’s brothers threw him into a cistern, and pass Samaria, Ahab’s capital. At Nablus (Shechem), we visit the mound of the ancient city where Joshua renewed the covenant. We stop at nearby Jacob’s Well, site of Jesus’ conversation with a Samaritan woman. We then drive through the lovely valley of Bidan and down Wadi Fariah, the pass-through which Jacob (and probably his grandfather before him) entered the promised land. At Jericho, we visit the tell of this oldest city and view the traditional mountain of Jesus’ temptation. Ascending the Roman road along Wadi Qilt, we stop for a look at St. George’s Monastery. Finally, atop Mt. Scopus, we behold majestic Jerusalem.

• DAY 06 Wed . Jun . 26

  JERUSALEM / BETHLEHEM

  We start the day with an orientation to Jerusalem from the Mt. of Olives. We then follow the traditional Palm Sunday route to the church known as Dominus Flevit (“the Lord weeps”). After viewing the Golden Gate, we walk downhill to Gethsemane, where we take time to meditate on the Gospel text. Then we drive to Mt. Zion: to the grounds of a church called Peter in Gallicantu, which affords the best view of early Jerusalem from the west. (Here, the Assumptionist Fathers propose, was the house where the High Priest Caiaphas interrogated Jesus.) Driving south, we visit Solomon’s Pools, Jerusalem’s main source of water for almost 2000 years. Passing the monastery of Hortus Conclusus (“the sealed garden”) in Artas, we go to Shepherds’ Fields. We conclude the day with a visit to Bethlehem, walking through its alleys and markets to the Church of the Nativity.

• DAY 07 Thu . Jun . 27

  JERUSALEM OLD CITY & THE CITY OF DAVID

  This morning we transfer to Dung Gate where just inside, we take the time to examine the ruins near the south side of the Temple complex, which includes steps where we may be certain that Jesus taught, and He and his disciples walked. We then walk up to the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site. We view the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site of Islam, located on the traditional site of the ancient Temple Mount. We then walk to the nearby Western Wall Tunnel that enables us to examine the length of the outer Herodian Temple wall, mostly preserved in mint condition, including two stone blocks each weighing about 600 tons. The group will then walk back to Dung Gate and then down to the nearby City of David from the original settlement to the present day. Then descend into the ground to Hezekiah’s tunnel built somewhere near 700 B.C. As part of the tour, we can do the 40 minute walk in kneehigh water from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam. John 9 records the healing of the blind man by putting mud on his eyes and asking him to wash them away. Transfer back to the hotel for dinner and overnight

• DAY 8 Fri . Jun . 28

  THE RIFT VALLEY

  We drive to Bethany the town of Christ’s anointment and home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus. From there we drive through the Judean desert down into the Jordan Valley and head to the traditional Baptismal site at Qasr El Yehud. Driving south heading to the Dead Sea, we stop at Qumran. Here we view Cave # 4, which contained the greatest quantity of Dead Sea scrolls. We continue south to Masada. Ascend by cable car to the top, visiting Herod’s Mountain bunker and the last stronghold of the Jewish Revolt against Rome (66-73 AD). We then enter the nature reserve of Ein Gedi, rich in flora and fauna, and walk to a lovely waterfall. Here we can see several caves, one of which is possibly the cave that brings to mind the biblical reference 1 Samuel 24:1-3. We conclude our day floating in the Dead Sea (at minus 1390 feet, as low as you’re ever likely to get), before we head back to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

• DAY 9 Sat . Jun . 29

  CHRISTIAN JERUSALEM

  This morning we transfer to St. Stephen’s gate. We walk through the gate. Just inside the gate we find the Pools of Bethesda (John 5) and St. Anne’s Church, which has remarkable acoustics, and which has been perfectly preserved from the Crusader period. We then follow the Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) back as far as the Holy Sepulcher. From there we walk through the Arab Souks, past the Armenian Quarter and exit the Old City through the Mt Zion Gate to visit the Upper Room and King David’s Tomb on the grounds of Mt. Zion. From there we take the bus to the Garden Tomb where we end our tour with a special visit and having a private communion on its grounds. The balance of the day is free. In the evening we enjoy a Middle Eastern Farewell dinner at the hotel before driving to the airport for our flight home

• DAY 10 Sun . Jun . 30

  TRAVEL BACK TO THE U.S.A.

  Today we arrive into Washington Dulles with unforgettable memories of the Holy Land.