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

You will be welcomed at the Tel Aviv airport by our representative and transferred to your hotel to enjoy dinner before retiring for the night.

Worship as you sail across the Sea of Galilee. Visit Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee, and visit the synagogue built on the site where Jesus taught (Matthew 4:13, 23). On the Mount of Beatitudes, contemplate the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 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). See the Chapel of the Primacy, where Peter professed his devotion three times to the risen Christ (John 21). Recall Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist at the Jordan River.

Visit Caesarea, a center of the early Christians where an angel visited Cornelius, the first Gentile believer (Acts 10), and where Paul was imprisoned for two years before appealing to Caesar. Look out over Tel Megiddo (Armageddon) to view one of Israel's most important archaeological sites. Drive through Cana, the site of Jesus’ first miracle, before continuing on to Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home (Matthew 2:23). Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today, we leave Galilee and begin our journey up to Jerusalem. Visit Harod (Gideon’s Spring), the site where the Lord showed Gideon whom he should choose for his army of 300 to fight the Midianites (Judges 7). We will also stop at Beth Shean, one of the ten cities of the Decapolis, where the bodies of Saul and his sons were hung from the city walls after the defeat on Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31). We will drive past the outskirts of Jericho the site of the city conquered by Joshua (Joshua 6:1, 2, 20). In the distance, we will see the traditional site of the Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11). Ascend the hills of the Judean Wilderness on our way up to the city of Jerusalem, where we will take a moment to view and reflect on its history before checking into our hotel for dinner and a good night’s sleep.

Begin your day with a group picture taken from the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-12). 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 your journey through the Old City to the Cardo. View the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle (John 5:1-18). Sing a hymn in the Church of St. Anne and experience its rich acoustics. Visit Herod’s Antonia Fortress, where Jesus appeared before Pontius Pilate (Luke 23:1), and follow in Christ’s steps on the Via Dolorosa (“the Way of the Cross”). At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, take time to reflect on His sacrificial love.

Explore ancient Jerusalem at the Teaching Steps and the Western Wall. Continue to Mount Zion to visit the House of the High Priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was questioned 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). In Bethlehem, visit the cave revered as Jesus’ birthplace and see the Church of the Nativity constructed over the site (Matthew 1:18-25). Gaze out over Shepherds’ Field before returning to Jerusalem.

Today, you have free time to explore on your own or you may choose to visit Masada and the Dead Sea (additional charge). Ascend by cable car to Masada, Herod’s legendary mountaintop fortress, which became the last desperate stronghold of the Jewish Zealots against the Romans. You can still look down on the remains of the Roman camps and the siege ramp below. Continue to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. End your day with a dip in the salt and mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea

Visit Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist. Explore the poignant exhibits of Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial. Visit the Garden Tomb for a time of reflection and communion. You will start your journey back home by traveling to the airport in Tel Aviv. If you decide to join the Jordan extension, you will cross the Allenby Bridge to Jordan. Then, head to your hotel for dinner and spend the night there.

Return to the USA or Enjoy an Extension