Holy Land Tour with Pastor Jeff & Laurie Baxter

Overview

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1: Depart USA

• Board your overnight flight to Israel from Denver, Colorado.  Aloft, we will have dinner, time to sleep, breakfast, and the opportunity to praise the Lord for His beautiful creation from the vantage point of 35,000 feet!

Day 2: Tel Aviv, Israel

1 night Dan Panorama, Tel Aviv or similar. Dinner.

• Arrive in Tel Aviv
• Meet your Tour Director
• Check-in at your hotel

Full Day Itinerary: Arrive at Tel Aviv (Ben Gurion) airport.   After arriving at Ben Gurion airport we begin our Biblical journey. We will spend the night in Tel Aviv, where we will experience our first Israeli dinner and a walk by the Mediterranean Sea.

Day 3: Jaffa, Caesarea, Megiddo, Mt. Carmel, Nazareth & Tiberias  

2 nights Nof Ginossar Kibbutz or similar. Breakfast & dinner.

• Caesarea Maritima - Roman Capital of Judea
• Mt. Carmel – Elijah / False Gods
• Visit excavations of the port city of Caesarea
• Tel Megiddo (Biblical Armageddon), with excavations of 20 layers of civilization
• Nazareth - visit Mary’s Well
• Magdala (Synagogue) 

Full Day Itinerary: We begin with a visit to the port city of Caesarea and then travel to Mt. Carmel where Elijah had a showdown with the prophets of Baal.  We will visit the ruins of Megiddo, an important Old Testament site.  We will drive through Nazareth on our way to Mt. Arbel for a panoramic view of the Sea of Galilee.   Continue to Nazareth Village, a remarkable representation of a 1st century farming village that depicts life in the region during the time of Jesus. Take a walking tour of the village and then enjoy a delicious lunch of foods common during bible times. Then, visit one of the newest and most exciting archaeological finds in recent years. Under the Sisters of Nazareth Convent, archaeologists have unearthed a courtyard house which might just have been the home where Jesus was raised.  Then on to our Kibbutz on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, for dinner and overnight. 

Day 4: Capernaum, Mt. of Beatitudes

Breakfast & dinner.

• Boat ride across the Sea of Galilee
• Capernaum, where Jesus lived during his years of ministry in the Galilee
• Mount of Beatitudes, site of the sermon of the Mount
• 1st Century Galilee Boat - "Jesus Boat"

Full Day Itinerary: 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 Mount of Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount. Later, we visit Korazin Synagogue.  Today we will also view the 1st century "Jesus Boat", found by members of the Kibbutz after a drought in 1985 caused the water level in the Sea of Galilee to fall, exposing this ancient boat.  Buried in a mud bank for almost two millenia, it is the only ancient boat to be recovered from the Sea of Galilee.    

Day 5: Yardenit, Jordan River, Beit She’an, Jericho & Jerusalem

5 nights Leonardo Plaza, Jerusalem. Breakfast & dinner.

Full Day Itinerary: Begin your day at Yardenit, a special site on the Jordan River, for a Baptism service. Continue to Beit She’an, an ancient city which has been extensively excavated and is considered the best preserved Roman-Byzantine city in Israel, with beautiful, colonnaded streets, bath houses, and magnificent mosaics. Travel south through the Jordan Valley to Jericho, the oldest known city in the world. It is near Jericho that Jesus was baptized by John. Brief stop for a visit of Dead Sea (time permitting).  Begin the ascent to Jerusalem and the highlight of your visit to Israel.  On arrival, check in to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Masada, Ein Gedi, Jerusalem

Breakfast & dinner.

• Visit Masada, the last stand against the Romans
• Enjoy a hike through Ein Gedi Nature Reserve to David’s Waterfall
• Qumran Caves

Full Day Itinerary: Ascend this morning by cable car to the fortress of Masada, where Jewish defenders made their last stand against Rome in AD 73. Continue along the shore of the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi, David’s waterfall and a wonderful nature center.

Day 7: Old City Jerusalem

Breakfast & dinner.

• Tour of Old City Jerusalem
• Temple Mount
• Palm Sunday Path
• Garden of Gethsamane
• Via Dolorosa
• Judgement Hall of Pilate
• Sisters of Notre Dame de Sion
• Western Wall
• Davidson Center & the Southern Temple Mount

Full Day Itinerary: Today, walk the Palm Sunday path to Dominus Flevit Chapel, and visit the ancient olive trees in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Enter the Old City within the walls and walk the Via Dolorosa, the agonizing route Jesus walked with the cross on the way to Golgotha.

Tour the Jewish Quarter including a visit the Western Wall, the most sacred spot in Jewish religious and national consciousness, by virtue of its proximity to the Western Wall of the Holy of Holies in the Temple. Each step takes us further into Jerusalem's history.  Dinner and overnight.

Day 8: New City of Jerusalem and Bethlehem

Breakfast & dinner.

• Mount Zion & site of the Upper Room
• House of Caipha
• Yad Vashem, Memorial of the Holocaust
• Bethlehem
• Garden Tomb (Communion)

Full Day Itinerary: Begin your day with a visit to Mount Zion and the site of the Upper Room.  Continue with visits to the House of Caipha and Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center and memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. This unique museum is also a center for education and research into themes that touch today’s world, as well as a historical account of the genocide perpetrated by the Nazis against Jews and many others during WWII. 

This afternoon, drive to Bethlehem, the biblical birthplace of Jesus, located about six miles south of Jerusalem.  Visit the important sites around Manger Square, then return to Jerusalem and your hotel.

Day 9: Jerusalem

Breakfast & dinner.

• Full day free at leisure
• Farewell dinner

Full Day Itinerary: Enjoy your last free day in Jerusalem on your own.   Enjoy a farewell dinner with your fellow travelers.  Overnight at hotel.  

Day 10: USA

• Early morning transfer to Ben Gurion Airport to board your return flight home. Your fascinating journey comes to an end as you arrive in the USA later today. 

Trip Details

• What should I know before I go? We've compiled a comprehensive checklist, including information on how to pay your balance due, flights & transfers, packing & luggage, and more.
• Do I need a visa or other documents? Are there any entry requirements? Please review the visa & entry requirements.
• Can I make changes to my trip? Want to upgrade your seats? Something else? Just ask!
• Can I bring my kids? Are there any age restrictions? To book this package, you must be 21 or older. Your traveling companions must be 8 or older at time of travel.
• Should I purchase travel insurance? Yes! We recommend you purchase travel insurance to help protect you and your travel investment against the unexpected. For your convenience, we offer a plan provided by Travelex Insurance Services.
• What's the fine print? Review the terms & conditions for this package.
• What should I know about Israel? Check out our guide for practical travel tips, the best time to go, videos, and more.