Your pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on an overnight flight to Tel Aviv. Meals served in flight.

Welcome to Israel! Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport and be transferred to your hotel for check-in, dinner, and a good night’s sleep.

After a delicious buffet breakfast, travel to Caesarea by the Sea on the Mediterranean coastline. It was here that Cornelius the Centurion and his household were saved and baptized, and this is also where Paul made his defense before Festus and King Agrippa prior to his final journey to Rome. Look across the Valley of Jezreel to the heights of Mount Carmel, where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal. Travel the ancient caravan route to Tel Megiddo, where the ruins of twenty different cities are built on top of each other. View Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus, from Mount Precipice, the place where an angry mob tried to throw Jesus to His death. Recall Jesus’ first miracle as you pass through Cana. Check into your Galilee hotel for dinner and overnight.

Drive along the shores of the Sea of Galilee to the recently excavated site of Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene. Explore the 2,000-year-old remains of Capernaum and stand in the ancient synagogue built where our Lord ministered. Visit the peaceful Mount of Beatitudes that overlooks the Sea of Galilee. On these hills, Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. Stop at Tabgha, where the feeding of the 5,000 is remembered at the Church of the Loaves and Fish. Enjoy a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and appreciate the special place this lake had in Jesus’ ministry. End the day with a stop at the Jordan River for a time of spiritual blessing where you can remember or renew your baptism.

We travel north and stop at the ruins of Chorazin, one of the three cities cursed by the Lord. Discover the Northern Territory, including the Golan Heights. Stop at Tel Dan, one of ancient Israel’s boundary markers – “From Dan to Beersheba.” Visit Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus traveled with His disciples and where nearby Peter made his great confession of faith to Jesus, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Finally, visit the overlook of the Valley of Tears, where a severely outnumbered Israel defense force stopped the Syrian invasion of the Golan Heights in the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

Start the day in Beit Shean, a city continuously inhabited for over 5,000 years. Here, Saul and his sons’ bodies were hung from the walls of the city after their defeat on Mount Gilboa. The uncovered ruins date back to the Greek / Roman city that was part of the Decapolis of Jesus’ day. See colonnaded streets with marble sidewalks, Roman public baths, and a theater. Visit Gideon’s Spring (Ein Harod), where God showed Gideon how to choose his army of 300 by observing how they drank the water. Travel through the Jordan River Valley, the route often taken by Jesus and other Galileans as they traveled to and from Jerusalem. Stop at Qumran, the site of the Dead Sea Scrolls discovery, to learn about the mysterious community of the Essenes who once lived on the shores of the Dead Sea. Parallel the ancient Roman road as you pass through the Judean Wilderness to view the Valley of the Shadow. From here, you can see St. George’s Monastery across the gorge. Arrive in the capital city of Jerusalem and check into your hotel before enjoying dinner and overnight.

Stand on the Mount of Olives as Jesus did and enjoy a remarkable view of Jerusalem’s “Golden City.” View the Chapel of the Ascension, commemorating how Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives forty days after His resurrection. Enter the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus went to pray after the Last Supper and then was arrested. Cross the border into Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. Visit the Church of the Nativity, the oldest continuously functioning church in the world. See the cave where tradition holds Jesus was born, and look out on Shepherds’ Field, where angels spread the Good News. Also, visit the Herodion, the fortified palace and final resting place of Herod the Great.

Enjoy a visit to the intriguing 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. Journey to the oasis of Ein Gedi and hike to the waterfall where David and his men sought refuge from Saul. On our return 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.

This morning, stand atop the Temple Mount, once home to the Jewish Temple (conditions permitting). Pray alongside the Jewish faithful at the Western Wall, then take a step back in time into the Rabbi’s Tunnel, where foundation stones and other stonework survive from the Second Temple! Walk the Jewish Quarter and take time to visit the Cardo, a 2,000-year-old market with shops old and new. See the Wohl Archaeological Museum and the rediscovered the Herodion Quarter lying several meters beneath street level. Among the excavation is the Palatial Mansion, which shows signs of fire damage, with its mosaic floors and ritual baths. Explore the Southern Wall Excavations, including the Hulda Steps and the many mikvahs at the foot of the steps. Walk the museum and grounds of Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial, with its poignant exhibits honoring the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust.

Note: Gain a better understanding of Jerusalem at the time of Christ by looking at the first-century model of the City of Jerusalem, now housed at the Israel Museum. Also, visit the Shrine of the Book exhibit, which displays the Dead Sea Scroll book of Isaiah, If time permits.

Visit the City of David Excavations and Hezekiah’s Tunnel along with the Pool of Siloam. Stand in the Upper Room, revered as the place of the Last Supper. From here, you can walk across the street and visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, as well as some of the ancient rooms of the house, which belonged to Caiaphas, the High Priest. Many believe that Jesus was held overnight here before His crucifixion. Enter the Old City via the Lion’s Gate and view the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle. Explore the Old City before continuing to the Garden Tomb and Gordon’s Calvary, where you can celebrate the empty grave and our risen Savior! Enjoy a final dinner together and continue to the airport for the return journey.

(Visit the Valley of Elah where David defeated Goliath against all odds. - If time permits.)

Return home with a transformed faith and memories to last a lifetime!