Your pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on an overnight flight.

Once you arrive, you will be welcomed at the Tel Aviv airport by our representative and transferred to your hotel in Netanya to enjoy dinner and your overnight stay.

Visit the Roman aqueduct and theatre at Caesarea, a center of early Christianity (Acts 10) and where Paul was imprisoned for two years (Acts 23:33). View Mount Carmel and recall Elijah’s dramatic victory over the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18). Follow an ancient caravan route through the Jezreel Valley to Tel Megiddo, an exciting archeological dig with layers of twenty different cities built on top of each other. Conclude your day in Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home (Matt. 2:23). Your overnight stay is in the Galilee area.

Pass through the Valley of the Doves and see Mount Arbel (Isaiah 9:2) on your way towards the Sea of Galilee. This was a major pathway in the time of Christ. He and his disciples passed through this valley as they walked through Galilee. In Magdala, once home to Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:1-3), visit a recently discovered first-century synagogue. Enjoy lunch together before crossing the waters of the Sea of Galilee on a very special boat ride, complete with an onboard worship service. At Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, see the 2,000-year-old “ancient boat,” a rare example of the kind of boat in which Jesus might have sailed. Visit Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, and visit the synagogue built on the site where Jesus taught (Matt. 4:13, 23). On the Mount of Beatitudes, contemplate the text of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus preached there (Matt. 5-7). Explore the Church of the Loaves and Fish at Tabgha, the traditional site of the feeding of the 5,000 (Luke 9:10-17). Celebrate baptism at the Yardenit Baptismal site in a special service. Yardenit is where the Jordan River exits the Sea of Galilee on its journey southward (Matt. 3). Your overnight stay is in the Galilee area.

Head to Jericho to visit the ruins of the ancient city Joshua conquered (Josh. 6:20). Off in the distance, you can see the traditional site of the Temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4:1). Stop in Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947 by a Bedouin shepherd. Travel South to Jerusalem. Take a group picture from theMount of Olives, walk the Palm Sunday Road, pray in the Garden of Gethsemane, and envision the scenes of the night before Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 26:36 - 44). Continue to Mount Zion to visit the House of the High Priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was questioned on the night of His betrayal (Matthew 26:57). Meditate on the events of the Last Supper as you visit the traditional location of the Upper Room (Mark 14:12-26). Check into your hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and your overnight stay.

In Bethlehem, gaze out over Shepherds’ Field and visit the cave revered as Jesus’ birthplace (Luke 2:1-20). Visit the Church of the Nativity, built above the cave and considered the world’s oldest functioning church (Luke 2). In Jerusalem, visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial, with its poignant exhibits honoring the lives lost during the Holocaust. Enjoy the Western Wall Tunnel tour. You will go along the Great Bridge Route in the tunnel to see the newest excavations and get a glimpse of the city in biblical times. Return to your hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and your overnight stay.

Begin your day wandering through the excavations of the City of David. Explore Hezekiah’s Tunnel, an amazing engineering feat that was dug from either end and met in the middle (Note: Those who are claustrophobic may want to meet the group at the other end of the tunnel!). Walk the Cardo, the ancient main street of the Old City. Visit the Pool of Siloam, recently uncovered at the foot of the city. Walk the Via Dolorosa, which marks Christ’s path to the cross. Sing at St. Anne’s Crusader Church. At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, take time to reflect on His sacrificial love. Return to your hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and your overnight stay.

Enjoy a visit to Masada, the spectacular mountaintop fortress built by Herod that later became the final tragic stronghold of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans. Ride the cable car to the top to explore the fortress and look down upon the remains of the Roman camps and siege ramp below. On the way to Jerusalem, stop at the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, for an opportunity to take a quick dip in the mineral-laden waters. Return to your hotel in Jerusalem for dinner and your overnight stay.

View the Temple Mount and its excavations. Visit the Davidson Center for a tour of the Temple in Jesus’ day. Stand on the Teaching Steps where Jesus once taught his disciples at the Temple. Explore the Israel Museum and its first-century model of the City of Jerusalem. Another highlight is the museum’s Shrine of the Book exhibit showcasing the Dead Sea Scroll book of Isaiah. Visit the Garden Tomb for a time of reflection and communion. Prepare for your return flight tonight after enjoying a farewell dinner.

This morning, you will journey across the Allenby Bridge on your way to Jerash, one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world. Stroll through the oval piazza and wander along colonnaded streets etched by the wheels of ancient chariots. Stand in the grand theatre where an onstage whisper can be heard in the top row. At Tel Mar Elias, see what remains of Tishbi, the town believed to be Elijah’s home (2 Kings 17:1). Continue to Amman to check in for dinner and your overnight stay.

Begin your journey south towards Petra today. Stop in Madaba, the City of Mosaics, to visit the Church of Saint George with its sixth-century, Byzantine mosaic map showing Jerusalem and other holy sites. Continue to Mount Nebo, where Moses caught a glimpse of the Promised Land (Deut. 34). On a clear day, you can see all the way across the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea to the rooftops of Jerusalem and Bethlehem. End your day at the shore of the Dead Sea and check into your hotel.

Explore the city of Petra. Its entrance passes through a long, narrow gorge known as the Siq and can only be accessed by carriage, horseback, or on foot. Once inside the city, marvel at the intricate detail of a city that was cut into the cliff sides of rose-colored rock. Return to your hotel at the Dead Sea for dinner and your overnight stay.

Stop at Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the traditional place where John the Baptist baptized Jesus. Several baptismal pools dating back to Byzantine times can be seen here. Return to your hotel for a free afternoon at the Dead Sea and enjoy the resort before dinner and your overnight stay.

Enjoy a free morning at your hotel. Travel to Amman and prepare for your return flight home.

Return to the USA.