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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 – Jaffa – Netanya
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 the Holy Land. Drive through the modern city of Tel Aviv, founded 100 years ago on the Mediterranean shore. Next have a short tour of the ancient port city of Jaffa ("Joppa"), from where the prophet Jonah set sail, and where the "cedars of Lebanon", sent by the Phoenicians, arrived to be used in King Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. Travel north to your hotel for the night.
Dinner and overnight: Netanya. (D)
Day 3 - Monday: Caesarea Maritima – Mt. Carmel – Jezreel Valley – Megiddo/
Armageddon – Nazareth - Nazareth Village - Cana
Your first Israeli breakfast. Drive north along the fertile coastal plain. Stop in Caesarea Maritima, King Herod’s masterpiece city, built to impress the emperor in Rome as well as the local population. See the ancient theatre and hippodrome for horse and chariot races, as well as the Crusader city. Drive by Mount Carmel where the prophet Elijah defeated the pagan priests of Ba’al, and then through the beautiful and fertile Jezreel Valley ("Valley of Armageddon"). Explore the 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.” See the stables and gateway built by King Solomon nearly 3,000 years ago. Continue to Nazareth, the town where Jesus spent His childhood, for a visit to the Church of the Annunciation and also Mary’s Well. Then experience Day 3 – Continued:
Nazareth Village, a unique reconstruction of what first century Nazareth looked like on an actual ancient agricultural site. See the village of Cana where the first miracle of turning water into wine took place. Finally, arrive at your hotel on the Sea of Galilee.
Dinner and overnight: Tiberias. (B,D)
Day 4 - Tuesday: Sea of Galilee Boat Ride - Capernaum – Tabgha – Mt. Beatitudes –
Bethsaida – Jordan River Baptismal Site
Breakfast in the hotel. Start the day with a Boat Ride on the Sea of Galilee following by a visit to Capernaum, hometown of St Peter and also Jesus’ headquarters during His ministry in the Galilee. Next stop is at Tabgha, the site of the Multiplication of Loaves and Fishes, and nearby the place traditionally linked to Jesus telling Peter to become a “Fisher of Men”. Drive to Mount Beatitudes, where the Sermon on the Mount was delivered. Continue to the ancient city of Bethsaida, which although it was home to at least three of the Disciples and is mentioned in all four Gospels, was only discovered and identified in recent times. Walk along the paths of the first century town where Jesus also visited. End this amazing day at the Baptismal Site on the Jordan River, where the river meets the Sea of Galilee. (Baptismal service can be arranged).
Dinner and overnight: Tiberias. (B,D)
Day 5 - Wednesday: Golan Heights – Beit Shean – Jordan River Valley – Emmaus –
Jerusalem
Breakfast in the hotel. Drive up to the Golan Heights for the magnificent view of the Sea of Galilee from above and learn about the geopolitical issues in the region. Then drive to the ancient city of Beit Shean, an important centre throughout history, where the Philistines hung the heads of King Saul and his sons from the walls of the city, and later the capital of the Roman Decapolis. In the afternoon, drive south through the center of the country to the traditional site of Emmaus, where Jesus appeared to the Disciples after the Resurrection. From here begin to "ascend" to the Holy City of Jerusalem, driving through the beautiful Judean Mountains. Arrive at your hotel in Jerusalem.
Dinner and overnight: Jerusalem. (B,D)
Day 6 - Thursday: Jerusalem Old City – Southern Wall Stairs – Western ("Wailing")
Wall – Cardo – Bethesda Pool – Church of St. Anne – Via Dolorosa –
Church of the Holy Sepulchre – Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum
Breakfast in the hotel. Today promises to be one of the highlights of your Pilgrimage to Israel. Begin your exploration of ancient Jerusalem by touring the Southern Wall excavations of the Temple Mount, and walking on the stairs where Jesus taught, that led into the Temple. Then visit the Western Wall, remnant of the foundation of the Second Temple from the time of Jesus, and holiest site of Judaism. Walk along the Cardo, the main road of Roman/Byzantine Jerusalem, beautifully restored for some modern-day shopping. See Bethesda Pool where Jesus healed the lame man, and the Church of St. Anne. Follow 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. Walk through the bazaar area. Then to modern Jerusalem for a visit to Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum, the national memorial to the 6 million Jews killed during World War II.
Dinner and overnight: Jerusalem. (B,D)
Day 7 - Friday: Bethlehem – Church of the Nativity – Mount of Olives –
Gethsemane Garden – Garden Tomb
Start the day’s touring in Bethlehem, where you will see fields with sheep grazing, and it is easy to imagine how it must have been 2000 years ago. Visit the Church of the Nativity the traditional place of Jesus' Birth, and see the Birth Grotto. You will be able to shop for beautiful olive wood items that are a specialty of Christian artisans in Bethlehem. Return to Jerusalem and walk on the Mount of Olives, overlooking the Old City and the Temple Mount. Visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus hid from the Romans and was arrested. Near the garden, see the Church of All Nations (also called "Church of the Agony"). Some extra time will be available for shopping. At the end of the day, celebrate a Communion Service in the peaceful and meditative surroundings of the Garden Tomb, an alternative tradition of the Crucifixion and Burial of Jesus.
Dinner and overnight: Jerusalem. (B,D)
Day 8 - Saturday: Judean Desert – Dead Sea – View Caves at Qumran – Masada –
Swim in Dead Sea
Depart Jerusalem, driving through the Judean Desert on your way to the lowest point on earth, the Dead Sea, located some 400 metres below sea level. View the caves at Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered and talk about their significance. Ascend the rock of Masada by cable car, walk through palaces built by Herod the Great and see evidence of the heroic struggle and last stand of the Jews against the Roman 10th Legion nearly 2000 years ago. Stop at the Dead Sea and enjoy a “Swim” in the salty, mineral rich waters.
Dinner and overnight: Hotel on the Dead Sea. (B,D)
Day 9 - Sunday: Drive South – Mount Sodom – Arava Valley – Eilat – Red Sea Coast
and Port – Underwater Observatory and Museum
Breakfast in your hotel. From the Dead Sea drive south along the border with the Kingdom of Jordan, passing Mount Sodom (of Sodom and Gomorra fame), and following the mountains of Biblical Moab and Edom along the way on the far side of the Jordan River Valley. Continue along the Arava Valley to Eilat, Israel's southernmost city and port (King Solomon's as well), situated on the lovely Red Sea. Drive through this resort town and tour the Underwater Observatory and Museum in Eilat, where you can view the beautiful and exotic Red Sea fish and corals from an observatory built underwater on the reef.
Dinner and overnight: Eilat. (B,D)
Day 10 - Monday: Free Day in Eilat for swimming, snorkeling or seeing the sites
(Optional Tour to Petra Available)
Breakfast in your hotel. Day at leisure in Eilat to relax at the Red Sea resort and enjoy the various water activities. (Optional tour to Petra is available on this day
Dinner and overnight: Eilat. (B,D)
Day 11 - Tuesday: Arrive at Taba Crossing – Sinai Desert – St. Catherine
Morning arrival at Taba Border Crossing to Sinai, Egypt. Meet your Egyptian guide and driver, and drive into the heart of the Sinai Desert. This is where Moses and the Israelites wandered, and we are heading for Mt. Sinai (also called Mt. Moses), where legend has it that Moses received the 10 Commandments. We arrive in the village of St. Catherine’s where we will spend the night.
Dinner and overnight: St. Catherine. (B,D)
Day 12 – Wednesday: Climb Mt. Sinai – St. Catherine Monastery – Suez Canal – Cairo
For the adventurous and dedicated, wake-up call in the early hours of the morning for a once-in-a-lifetime climb to the top of Mt. Sinai. We watch sunrise from the summit, and marvel at the wilderness where the Israelites wandered for 40 years. After the climb down we return to our hotel for a well-earned breakfast, before visiting St. Catherine’s Monastery (if open, the monastery frequently closes to visitors without prior warning). This is one of the oldest monasteries, and has a very extensive and valuable library which unfortunately is “off limits” for tourists. We see the “Burning Bush” and the Church, before leaving St. Catherine. Travel west, we stop at the Suez Canal, and continue to the vast metropolis of Cairo.
Dinner and overnight: Cairo. (B,D)
Day 13 – Thursday: Egyptian Museum – Coptic Cairo – Ben Ezra Synagogue – Hanging
Church – Khan el Khalili Bazaar – Sound and Light Show at the Pyramids
We start the day with a visit to the Egyptian Museum. This famous museum houses a vast selection of ancient artefacts, amongst these are the treasures of Tut-Ankh-Amun. We continue to Coptic Cairo where we visit Ben Ezra Synagogue, this is where Moses was found in the bulrushes. We visit the Hanging Church, and learn about the Coptic Church and it’s long heritage. Continue to the bustling Khan-el-Khalili bazaar, a haven for shoppers and non-shoppers alike. In the evening, a Sound and Light show at the Pyramids.
Dinner and overnight: Cairo. (B,D)
Day 14 – Friday: Pyramids – Sphinx – Valley Temple –
Perfume factory - Dinner Nile Cruise
The morning is spent at leisure in Cairo. In the afternoon we drive to the Giza plateau, to see the giant Pyramids. We then stop to marvel at the Sphinx, before visiting Chephren’s Valley Temple. We then stop at a Perfume Factory, and we end our stay in Cairo with a farewell dinner – a Dinner Nile Cruise. During the cruise there will also be a folklore show. Late evening transfer to the airport, check in for the departure flight.. (B,D)
Day 15 – Saturday: Cairo – Johannesburg
Mid-morning arrival in Johannesburg. (B)
Please contact ITT for a quote.
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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