Departure from Vancouver to Tel Aviv.

Arrive in Tel Aviv. You will be assisted at the airport to meet your guide and driver. Drive to Jaffa (Yafo), which affords us a breathtaking view of the city of Tel Aviv. At this picturesque port city of winding alleys, art galleries and craft boutiques, King Solomon had the cedars of Lebanon rafted for the building of the First Temple in Jerusalem. You will view the spot of the House of Simon the Tanner. Transfer to Jerusalem to our hotel for check-in. The balance of the day will be at leisure to enjoy Jerusalem or just relax and catch up on jet lag. Welcome dinner and overnight at the Hotel.

Drive to the Mt. of Olives with an outstanding view of the Old City and surrounding area. Enjoy a morning teaching with the entire city of Jerusalem as backdrop. Descend the Mount and visit the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of all Nations. Drive along the Kidron Valley to Mt. Zion. Enter the Old City of Jerusalem through the Zion Gate and visit the Jewish quarter and walk along the Roman/Byzantine Street called the Cardo. Visit the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, view the Temple Mount, and see the Dome of the Rock. Visit to the newly excavated City of David, see the Pool of Siloam, and the Hezekiah Tunnel. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to visit the Pools of Bethesda and St. Anne’s Church. We pass through the colourful bazaars, alleyways and marketplaces and reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a brief visit before returning to our hotel.

We start the day at the Garden Tomb with a communion service. We continue to the New City of Jerusalem by visiting Yad Vashem the deeply moving museum and memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. Tour the complex and walk along the Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles where trees have been planted to commemorate many Christians who helped save lives of Jews during World War II. Continue to the Israel Museum and tour the Shrine of the Book which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls–some of the oldest biblical manuscripts ever discovered. Visit the Model of Jerusalem to see Jerusalem from the time of Jesus. Continue to Bethlehem where you will visit the Church of the Nativity, which marks the birthplace of Jesus and is the oldest church in the world. View Shepherds Field before returning to Jerusalem. Those who would rather spend a few hours shopping in the old city of Jerusalem can select to not visit Bethlehem. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel.

Today is a fun day. We drive to the lowest spot on earth, the Dead Sea, that is over 1300 feet below sea level. Our route will take us down the Judean Wilderness along the shores of the Dead Sea. Stop at Qumran, where a young shepherd boy discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, the oldest scriptures of the Bible ever found. Visit the remains of the Essene community, the ones who wrote the scrolls. Continue to Masada and ascend the cable car to King Herod’s fortress and palaces which was the scene of the last hold out of the Jewish resistance to the Romans in 70AD before the band committed suicide to avoid capture. Continue to Ein Gedi for an opportunity to float in the therapeutic waters of the Dead Sea. Return to Jerusalem.

We depart Jerusalem and descend through the Judean Wilderness bypassing the oldest city in the western world, Jericho. Drive through the Jordan Valley to the ancient archaeological site of Beth Shean where you will discover insights about life 2000 years ago. Then, we will proceed, via the town of Cana, to the Nazareth Village, which depicts an authentic Galilean village from the time of Jesus. We will visit the archaeological dig of Bethsaida and continue to Tiberias, stopping at Yardanit to see the Jordan River and the baptismal spot today for pilgrims who want to be baptized in the Jordan. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Our tour begins with a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee. This will be an unforgettable time of worship and sharing. We will then view an ancient boat from the time of Jesus. Drive to Capernaum, centre of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and the town “from whence came “Matthew, Simon, Andrew, James and John. Visit the ancient synagogue and view the site of the house of Peter. We visit Tabaha, the site of the multiplication of loaves and fishes and the feeding of the five thousand, The Mt. of Beatitudes, the place of the “Sermon on the Mount”. Our day will end with a visit to the village of Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene and a synagogue from the time of Jesus. After dinner an evening teaching in the hotel.

Drive up the Golan Heights to the Banias at the foot of Mount Hermon, the spot of Caesarea Philippi, the most northern limit of Jesus’ ministry. We will visit the tribe of Dan where Abraham entered the Promised Land. Our visit to the Golan will provide great insight into recent history with the wars of 1967 and 1973. Return to Tiberius via the east side of the Sea of Galilee stopping at Kursi where the demons entered the swine that drowned in the Sea of Galilee. We will return early enough for those who want to spend a couple of hours shopping in the flourishing town of Tiberias. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

We drive to Megiddo, one of King Solomon’s walled cities. It is also associated with Armageddon as related in the Book of Revelation. We will visit the archaeological excavations from 20 periods of time and walk through the water tunnel built by King Ahab in the 10th century BC. Continue to Mt. Carmel where you will see a magnificent view towards the Mediterranean Sea. Mt Carmel is the spot where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20). Continue south along the Mediterranean coast to Caesarea Maritima, capital of the Roman Procurators of Judea. We will visit the remains of the aqueduct, theatre, hippodrome, and Crusaders city. History abounds in Caesarea: Herod built the city, Pontius Pilate had his base here, Cornelius lived and was baptized here (Acts 10), and Paul embarked for Tarsus from here (Acts 9:30), and Philip preached here (Acts 8:40). We finish the day in Tel Aviv, the cultural city of Israel. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

You depart for your flight back home.