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Day 1 - Saturday: Johannesburg – Cairo
Evening departure from Johannesburg with Egypt Air. Dinner will be served on board. (D)
Day 2 – Sunday: Cairo - Tel Aviv – Negev Desert - Bedouin Hospitality – Camel Rides
Light breakfast on board prior to landing in Cairo, check in for flight to Tel Aviv. Mid-morning arrival in Tel Aviv. On arrival at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, you will meet your driver and guide who will be with you for the duration of your tour in Israel. Drive south into the Negev Desert to a Bedouin encampment, and enjoy camel rides in the desert, and traditional Bedouin hospitality and dinner.
Dinner and overnight: Bedouin Encampment. (B,D)
Day 3 - Monday: Mount Sodom – Dead Sea – “Flour Cave” – Masada – Swim – Ein Gedi Reserve – Judean Desert – Jerusalem
Breakfast at the encampment. Drive to Mount Sodom (of Sodom and Gomorra fame) near the Dead Sea for a hike in the Flour Cave, named for the white chalk dust that will cover you from top to toe, enjoying every minute. Hike up the “snake path” to Masada and tour through palaces built by Herod the Great. See evidence of the heroic struggle and last stand of the Jews against the Roman 10th Legion nearly 2000 years ago (in summer this will be in the early morning). Then head for a “Swim” (really a float) in the salty mineral waters of the Dead Sea. Hike to David’s Spring in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, where David hid in one of the many caves from King Saul who was seeking to kill him. Drive through the Judean Desert to Jerusalem.
Dinner and overnight: Jerusalem. (B,D)
Day 4 - Tuesday: Jerusalem – Mount of Olives – Dominus Flevit – Garden of
Gethsemane - Old City – Western Wall – Southern Wall – Via Dolorosa – Church of the Holy Sepulchre
We begin our exploration of the Holy City by walking along the Mount of Olives and enjoying a panoramic view of the Old City. Walk down the mountain to the Church of Dominus Flevit, where Jesus “wept” over the future of Jerusalem, and then to the peaceful and spiritual Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus hid and was captured by the Romans, with its 2,000 year old olive trees and the Church of the Agony (also called the Church of All Nations). Enter the Old City and visit the Western ("Wailing") Wall, remnant of the foundation of the Second Temple from the time of Jesus, and holiest site of Judaism. Tour the Southern Wall Excavations and walk on the stairs where Jesus taught, that led into the Temple. Then walk along the Via Dolorosa ("Way of the Agonies") the path Jesus walked to the Crucifixion, leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Calvary and Burial of Jesus.
Dinner and overnight: Jerusalem. (B,D)
Day 5 - Wednesday: Bethlehem – Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum – Walk on the Jerusalem Old City Ramparts
Today travel to Bethlehem, place of Jesus' Birth, and visit the Basilica of the Nativity and the Birth Grotto. Here you will see fields with sheep grazing and it is easy to imagine how it must have been 2000 years ago. Return to Jerusalem for a visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, the national memorial to the 6 million Jews killed during World War II. See the new museum and the Children’s Memorial. Then to the Old City for a special experience, a Walk on the Old City Ramparts, an exciting hike around the ancient walls, with close-up views of Jaffa Gate, the Jerusalem Citadel, the Armenian Christian Quarter, the Temple Mount and much more.
Dinner and overnight: Jerusalem. (B,D)
Day 6 - Thursday: Judean Desert – Beit Shean – Sachne Park and Springs – Mount Tabor – Sea of Galilee – Tiberias
Cross the Judean Desert, and drive north along the Jordan River Valley, passing by the modern city of Jericho and the Mount of Temptation. Visit the ancient city of Beit Shean, an important centre throughout history, and later the capital of the Roman Decapolis. Hike to the top of the ancient “tel” and tour the site. Visit Sachne Park and swim in the mineral springs. Continue to Mount Arbel, site of intense rebellion against the Romans 2,000 years ago, and enjoy a short hike and donkey ride. Continue to the Sea of Galilee and the modern city of Tiberias, originally founded by King Herod’s son Antipas in the first century, and to your hotel for the night.
Dinner and overnight: Tiberias. (B,D)
Day 7 - Friday: Caesarea Philippi/Banias Hike – Golan Heights – Mount Bental – Capernaum – Boat Ride and Swim in Sea of Galilee – Hike down Mt. Arbel (2 ½ hour hike) – Tiberias
Travel to the Upper Galilee and the fascinating park at Caesarea Philippi/Banias, and hike to Banias waterfall, part of the system of springs that forms the Jordan River. This site, with its Roman pagan ruins and beautiful pools under Mount Hermon, is the traditional place where Peter confessed his faith in Jesus. Continue up to the Golan Heights, biblical Bashan, to see the extraordinary view from Mt. Bental and learn about the geo-political issues in the area. Return to the Sea of Galilee, and visit the fascinating ancient city of Capernaum, which was Jesus’ headquarters during His ministry in the Galilee, including the house of St. Peter and the synagogue where Jesus taught. This is the ideal place to understand first hand the important events which took place in this area 2,000 years ago, including the Sermon on the Mount and the Miracle of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes. Enjoy a Boat Ride and a Swim in the Sea of Galilee. Return to hotel in Tiberias.
Dinner and overnight: Tiberias. (B,D)
Day 8 - Saturday: Kayaking on Jordan River – Nazareth Village with Biblical Meal – Megiddo/Armageddon – Mount Carmel – Mediterranean Coast
Enjoy Rafting/Kayaking on the Jordan River, and then travel west through the Galilee to Nazareth Village, and experience what first century Nazareth looked like on an actual ancient site in Nazareth, where Jesus spent His childhood. Enjoy a meal “from the time of Jesus.” Next tour the phenomenal site of Megiddo/ Armageddon, and discover why this tel (archaeological mound), which holds 5,000 years of accumulated cities, is viewed as the place for the “Cataclysm of the End of Days.” Walk through the stables and gateway built by King Solomon nearly 3,000 years ago, and hike down the underground water tunnel cut into the mountain by King Ahab to protect the spring from the Assyrian invaders. Drive through the fertile biblical Jezreel Valley and pass by Mount Carmel where the prophet Elijah defeated the pagan priests of Ba’al. Continue to the Mediterranean coast for the night.
Dinner and overnight: Netanya. (B,D)
Day 9 - Sunday: Tel Aviv – Cairo – Pyramids & Sphinx
Breakfast in the Youth Hostel. Morning transfer to airport for departure flight to Cairo arriving at mid-day. In the afternoon, a sightseeing tour of the majestic Pyramids and Sphinx at Giza. Time permitting, we may also stop at a Papyrus Factory or a Perfume Factory. Return to your hotel.
Dinner and overnight: Cairo. (B,D)
Day 10 – Monday: Cairo – Egyptian Museum – Dinner Nile Cruise
Morning at leisure in Cairo. In the afternoon we visit the Egyptian Museum which houses many ancient finds, such as the Tut-Ankh-Amun treasures. Time permitting we will stop at the bustling Khan el Khalili bazaar. We then board a Nile Cruiser for an unforgettable farewell dinner. Cruise the Nile, enjoy traditional food and there will also be a folklore performance. Drive to the airport, check in for your flight. (B,D)
Day 11 – Tuesday: Cairo – Johannesburg
Depart Cairo for Johannesburg.
Please note that all our Pilgrimage Packages have been created for groups of 20 or more passengers and as they do not operate with regular scheduled departures, cannot be booked by individual passengers unless they form part of a pre-arranged group.
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