Leave the United States on an overnight flight to Tel Aviv.

Arrival in Ben Gurion Airport, near the modern city of Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest city. Meet and assist through customs by Immanuel Tours representative. Drive to the Renaissance hotel in Tel-Aviv for check-in, dinner & overnight.

After breakfast, sailing in a replica of an ancient boat, you will have a time of worship on the Sea of Galilee. Docking at Nof Ginnosar you will see a boat of antiquity dating to the time of Christ 2,000 years old, the “Jesus Boat.” The rest of your touring day will be spent tracing the steps of Jesus through the Galilee region as you visit the Mt. of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Tabgha and the ancient fisherman’s landing called the “Primacy of Peter.” You will enjoy lunch and have an opportunity to eat “St. Peter’s fish,” tilapia caught fresh out of the waters of the Galilee. Near the end of the touring day you will be offered the opportunity to be baptized in the Jordan River. Dinner & overnight at the Leonardo Plaza Hotel in Tiberias.

The beautiful northern mountains of Israel await you today. A city gate from the time of Abraham can be seen at Tel Dan, along with an altar from the days of Israel’s divided kingdom. You will also walk through an incredible nature reserve at Dan and see the beginnings of the Dan River which join with other streams to form the Jordan River. The water is crystal clear and pure. There is a gorgeous waterfall there as the headwaters of the Jordan River cascade into a beautiful mountain stream. Your next stop will be the site of the Apostle Peter’s confession of Christ at Caesarea Philippi, where you see the second source of the Jordan River at Banias. Israel’s incredible history from 1948 until the present will be explained like never before as you stand upon the heights of the extant volcano peak. You can see the Golan Heights spanning from the Northern border to the Sea of Galilee and learn about the strategic importance this region has played and will continue to play to the nation of Israel. Dinner & overnight at the Leonardo Plaza Hotel in Tiberias.

This morning you leave the beautiful Sea of Galilee, drive to visit the excavations of Beit Shean, the capital city of the Decapolis that the Romans rebuilt in 63 A.D., and renamed Scythopolis. From there we drive through the Jordan Valley, via Jericho and arrive to Ein Gedi, David’s hideout from Saul. This is a beautiful Nature Reserve where you can casually stroll to see the Oasis of King David and watch for the Ibex and Hyrax, known in our English Bibles as the Rock Badger or Coney. Drive to the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, for early afternoon arrival to your hotel. Enjoy the different SPA facilities of the hotel and you will have the opportunity to float in the Dead Sea. Dinner & overnight at the David Sea Resort and Spa Hotel.

Leave the hotel after breakfast, drive to the ancient fortress of Masada. This mighty fortress was the last stronghold and stand of the zealots against Rome, on the edge of the barren Negev Desert. Masada is a symbol of courage and perseverance for the Jewish people, where 960 Jewish defenders organized their last resistance to the Roman conquerors and took their own lives rather than surrender into slavery. Continue to Qumran – the center of the Essenes. Qumran is the home of the ancient caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Continue onward to Jerusalem, traveling the same route the ancient pilgrims would have taken as they made their journey to Jerusalem for the great feasts of Israel. Today you finally arrive in the City of God, the City of David and the ancient and modern capital of Israel, Jerusalem. You will continue to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, Manger Square, and the Shepherd’s Fields. After this incredible afternoon visiting the place of Christ’s birth, you check in to the Dan Jerusalem Hotel for dinner and overnight.

We drive this morning to the New City of Jerusalem, to the Israel Museum to view the Dead Sea Scrolls and the incredible model of the city of Jerusalem. From there we continue to the site that every visitor to Israel must see, Yad Vashem or the Holocaust Museum. This is Israel’s memorial to the 6 million Jews who were put to death by Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime of Germany during the days of WWII. This is a moving experience that includes a visit to the children’s museum in memory of the 2 million children who were sent to their deaths at the hands of the Nazis. Drive to visit Mt. Zion where we shall stop to see the Upper Room, the Tomb of King David and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu which is built over the Palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest, who imprisoned Jesus and interrogated him before his trial before the Roman Governor (Lk. 22:54). Return to the Dan Jerusalem Hotel for dinner & overnight.

This morning we start the day at the Mt. of Olives for an introduction to Jerusalem. Ascend the mountains of Jerusalem from Scopus to the Mt. of Olives for an outstanding and breath-taking view of the city across the Kidron Valley to the Eastern Gate. From the top of the Mount there is a magnificent view over all of ancient and modern Jerusalem, the center of the biblical world. We visit the holy shrines on the Mount and walk on down the “Palm Sunday Road” visiting the Chapel of Dominus Flevit (Jesus wept) enroute to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations where Christ prayed on the night of his betrayal (Lk. 22:40-46). Next, we shall enter within the old walled city of Jerusalem and walk in the footsteps of our Lord as he bore the burden of our sins to the Cross at Golgotha. We visit the Pools of Bethesda and walk on along the Via Dolorosa, following the 14 Stations of the Cross from Pilate’s Judgement Hall to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Return to the Dan Jerusalem Hotel for dinner & overnight.

This morning you rise early to visit the most sacred place on earth, Mt. Moriah. You will visit the Temple Mount and the centuries old “Dome of the Rock” built 688 – 691 A.D., On to the Western Wall, the last standing remnant of the ancient Temple. You will also tour the incredible Rabbinical Tunnels. Visit the Davidson Center, see the Robinson’s Arch and the ancient Southern Steps. Then you shall visit the “City of David” the archaeological site where you can go through Hezekiah’s Tunnel and see the Pool of Siloam where Jesus restored the sight of the man born blind. Continue to visit the Jewish Quarter, walk through the ancient Roman Cardo and the old Hurba synagogue. End of the way you return to the Dan Jerusalem Hotel for dinner & overnight

This morning you drive to the Biblical Land of Samaria to visit Ancient Shiloh, where the Ark of the Covenant was located for more than 300 years. Return to Jerusalem. You will complete your tour of Israel on the last afternoon at Calvary and the Garden Tomb. Drive to Abu Gosh to enjoy a farewell dinner before driving to the airport for your departure flight back home.

Feb 26, Tue: Eilat Check out from the hotel after breakfast, drive south to Eilat. Stop at Timna for visit of The Reconstructed Tabernacle. Continue to Eilat, check in to the Herods Palace hotel for dinner & overnight.

Feb 27, Wed: Free day in Eilat/Optional Day Trip to Petra For those who decided to take the Petra day tour – After breakfast, drive to the south border with Jordan to cross for a full day Petra tour, lunch included. End of the day return to the border to cross back to Israel. Return to the Herods Palace Hotel for dinner & overnight. Those who decided to stay in Eilat – Enjoy a free day in this resort city, which has a lot to offer to the tourist. Breakfast & dinner included in the hotel.

Feb 28, Thu: Eilat – Tel-Aviv – Ben Gurion airport After breakfast, check out from the hotel and start your journey to Tel-Aviv and then to Ben Gurion airport. On the way visit (if time permits) the Ramon Visitor’s Center, David Ben Gurion’s Desert House in Sde Boker and Tel Sheva. On to the Renaissance hotel in Tel-Aviv to freshen up after the long drive from Eilat and before the long flight back home. After dinner drive to Ben Gurion airport and check in to your homebound flight.