Day by Day Travel Itinerary

• DAY 01 Thu . Jul . 08

  DEPARTURE

  Today we depart for our flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.

• DAY 02 Fri . Jul . 09

  ARRIVAL TEL AVIV

  We arrive in Tel Aviv this afternoon and proceed through passport control where our Wilcox World Travel and Tours representative will meet us at the baggage claim area.  After we pick up our luggage, the representative will lead us to the airport exit where we will meet our guide, board our bus and begin our tour of the Holy Land. We start by driving north to the coast of Sharon where the baptism of the Gentiles began at Caesarea Maritima (Acts 10).  We include the sunken harbor, the hippodrome, the theatre and the Roman aqueduct. Then we drive to Muhraka (“burnt offering”) on Mt. Carmel, with a panorama of the Plain of Jezreel (Esdraelon) (I Kings 18, the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal). Then we cross over to the Arbel cliff for a magnificent view over the Sea of Galilee and the sites of Jesus’ mission (Matthew 4). We continue to our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and the next three overnights.

• DAY 03 Sat . Jul . 10

  TIBERIAS / A DAY ON THE SEA OF GALILEE

  We drive up the Golan Heights for a panorama of the lake from the east. Then we cross over to the Mount of Beatitudes (Matthew 5-7). Those who wish may walk down the hill to the lake, meeting the group at Tabgha where Christians have long remembered the first feeding of the multitude (Mark 6) and nearby, the breakfast of John 21. Then it is on to Capernaum, where Franciscan archaeologists believe they have uncovered the house of Peter (Mark 1 and 2).  After lunch we will take a cruise on the lake in a wooden boat modeled on one from Jesus’ time (Matthew 14). We end the day with a visit to the modern baptismal site at the point where the Jordan River flows out of the lake.

• DAY 04 Sun . Jul . 11

  UPPER GALILEE AND TIBERIAS, THE SOURCES OF THE JORDAN

  After breakfast, we make a brief stop at Hazor, the largest Canaanite city, for a view of Mount Hermon and its surroundings. We then drive to Dan where we combine a nature walk beside the Upper Jordan River with views of the ancient ruins, including the Israelite high place that supported a golden calf (I Kings 12). A short drive then takes us to the spring of Caesarea Philippi (Banias), where Peter confessed his recognition of Jesus as Christ (Matthew 16). Here we will visit the stunning remains of a first-century AD palace belonging to Agrippa II. We drive around Mt. Hermon for a glimpse of Damascus, 45 miles away, then head back over the Golan Heights to our hotel on the Sea of Galilee.

• DAY 05 Mon . Jul . 12

  BETH SHEAN / JERICHO / BETHANY BEYOND THE JORDAN

  Today we visit the mound of Beth Shean, hearing the story of Saul and viewing the ruins of Roman Scythopolis.  Driving south through the Jordan Valley, we get to Jericho. At Jericho, we visit the tell of this oldest city and view the traditional mountain of Jesus' temptation. Here you can also have the opportunity to visit the traditional Baptismal site at Bethany beyond the Jordan at Qasr El Yehud. Tonight we arrive in Jerusalem where we overnight for the next three nights.

• DAY 06 Tue . Jul . 13

  EIN GEDI / QUMRAN / DEAD SEA / JERUSALEM

  Today we Journey south to Ein Gedi where David waited in the Desert. After our hike we journey to nearby Qumran where the shepherd boy discovered the Dead Sea scrolls and we view the caves from our teaching site. After our visit we drive to the nearby Dead Sea where we can swim and relax before returning to Jerusalem.

• DAY 07 Wed . Jul . 14

  JERUSALEM / BETHLEHEM

  First this this morning we visit Yad VaShem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, dedicated to the six million Jews who lost their lives before and during the World War II. Also, memorials have been placed to the many Gentiles who helped the Jews during this period, risking their lives to do so.  Next we have 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 08 Thu . Jul . 15

  JERUSALEM / TEL AVIV AIRPORT

  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. Just to the north 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 the possibility of having a private communion on its grounds.  This evening we’ll enjoy a Middle Eastern farewell dinner at the Ambassador Hotel in Jerusalem, before we drive to the airport for our late evening check in for our flight home.

• DAY 09 Fri . Jul . 16

  USA

  Today we arrive back in the USA on our flight from Tel Aviv.