Israel, Jordan, Turkey and Egypt - 13 Days

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Day 1 – EN ROUTE TO ISTANBUL, TURKEY

Depart the USA for an overseas flight. Enjoy hot dinner and entertainment aboard the airplane.

Day 2 – ISTANBUL, TURKEY to CAIRO, EGYPT

Arrive to Istanbul at around noon. You will need to obtain an entrance visa near the passport control counters. Your tour guide will meet you at Istanbul Airport, after customs and baggage claim with a `JERUSALEM TOURS` sign. Drive to Istanbul city center to visit the Hippodrome Square where ancient chariot races took place, the Blue Mosque with its six minarets, decorated by beautiful Iznik tiles and the famous St. Sophia Church built in the 6th century, once it was the largest Christian Church in the world. Lunch stop at the Storks Restaurant, overlooking to the Golden Horn and the Marmara Sea. After lunch visit the Underground Cistern Basilica which was used as the water storage during the Byzantine and Ottoman periods. You will enjoy seeing the head of the Medusa, several fishes swimming in the water and listening to the classical music usually played in the Cistern. Shopping opportunity at the Grand Bazaar area .You will be transferred back to the airport for your flight to Cairo. Arrive late night / early morning. Overnight in Cairo (L)

Day 3 – CAIRO

Tour the Egyptian Museum: Your guide will escort you on a fascinating tour of 7,000 years of Egyptian history with a visit to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. The Museum houses the world’s greatest collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts, including 12 rooms filled with golden treasures from the world-famous tomb of the boy-king Tutenkhamun. Islamic Cairo: Take a fascinating tour of Islamic Cairo, including the beautiful and graceful Mohamed Ali Mosque and the ancient Citadel, a spectacular medieval fortress perched on a hill above the city. Originally built by Salah El-Din in 1176 to fortify the city against the Crusaders, the Citadel was modified and enlarged over the centuries by subsequent rulers and today is a complex of three mosques and four museums. Khan El-Khalili Bazaar: Proceed to the fascinating Khan El-Khalili Bazaar – reputed to be the largest bazaar in the Middle East. Tonight’s dinner is on the Nile Scarabe - Cairo’s nicest cruising restaurant. Admire the lights and sights of Cairo by night as you cruise gently down the river for two hours and enjoy your Buffet meal. After dinner, you will be entertained by a spectacular mix of Egyptian folkloric music and dancing, and an expert oriental belly dancer. After dinner back to the hotel for overnight. (B, D)

Day 4 – CAIRO: Sakkara, Memphis Pyramids and Sphinx

Visit to Sakkara: Experience Egypt’s long and rich history in our exciting double tour to the city of Memphis and the Necropolis of Sakkara where you will see the famous Step Pyramid of King Zoser, the first free-standing stone structure in the world. Your Egyptologist will guide you to some tombs belonging to the nobles of the past. They show the beauty and excellence of Ancient Egyptian art on their walls and give an insight in the daily life of Ancient Egypt. At the site of Memphis, you will see the ancient capital that once stood as a flourishing metropolis during the time of the Pharaohs. The place is thickly surrounded by lush palm groves and bushes, isolating the site of the old city from modern civilization. Pyramids of Giza: This afternoon, take an unforgettable tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza – a highlight of any trip to Egypt. The only present-day survivors of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, they are among the world’s greatest tourist attractions and never lose their ability to inspire and overwhelm visitors. Sphinx: Enter the temple of the mysterious Sphinx, an ancient figure shrouded in legend and mystery. Dinner and Overnight Cairo. (B, D)

Day 5 – EN ROUTE TO EILAT, ISRAEL

Drive from Cairo via the Sinai Desert to Eilat, Israel. Cross the border at Taba and arrive in Eilat for a city tour. Continue to your hotel in Eilat for dinner and overnight. (B, D).

Day 6 – Day tour of PETRA, JORDAN

After breakfast, cross the border to Jordan and visit of Petra the famous Nabatean city, including a horse back ride along the Siq with a local tour guide. Enter the Canyon and see the famous Treasury Building carved in the canyon wall. This is the place where the Indiana Jones movie was done. Walking along the canyon you can see many houses carved in the stone and the different structures. Return to Israel to our hotel for dinner and overnight in Eilat (B, D)

Day 7 – EILAT to DEAD SEA

After Breakfast visit the Underwater Observatory and see the colorful fish of the Red Sea. Drive along the Arava road to Massada, the site of the Zealots last stand against the Romans, which was originally built as a magnificent palace for Herod the Great. At this great fortress we will visit the bathhouse, the storage rooms, the mosaics and the Byzantine Church. After descending by walking along the old Roman Ramp we will experience Bedouin hospitality with BBQ lunch and camel ride. Drive to your hotel at the Dead Sea for Dinner and overnight. (B, L, D)

Day 8 – DEAD SEA To the GALILEE

We will enjoy the morning swimming or more precise floating in the Dead sea, which is the lowest point on earth and the saltiest body of water. After an Israeli breakfast, we will leave the hotel and drive north along the Dead sea shores, pass Ein Gedi and visit Qumran, where the scrolls of the bible where found in 1947. Pass by Jericho and drive north to Beit Shean. Visit this largest archeological site in Israel. We will explore the ancient Roman City with the Amphitheater and reconstructed streets. Arrive to the Sea of Galilee for Dinner and overnight at our hotel. We finish the day with a Baptismal service at Yardenit. (B, L, D)

Day 9 – GALILEE

Wake up to a beautiful morning in the area where Jesus spent three years of his ministry. Today we will dedicate our time to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. After breakfast, we will drive around the Sea of Galilee to visit Capernaum, 'the Town of Jesus', walk along the ruins of this Biblical Village, see the Synagogue where Jesus preached and the house of Peter's mother-in-law. Drive up to a visit of ancient Khorazim. Continue to Mount of the Beatitudes, where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. We will hike from Mt Beatitudes to Tabgha. Visit of the beautiful mosaic floor at Tabgha - the site of the miracle of the multiplication. We will sail on the Sea of Galilee in a replica of a fishing boat. Afterwards we will have the famous St. Peter's fish in a restaurant on the lake shore. Continue to visit Nazareth and Cana and return to our hotel for Dinner and overnight in Tiberias. (B, L, D)

Day 10 – GALILEE to JERUSALEM

Today we will be driving to Jerusalem via the famous highway, biblically known as the 'way of the sea'. We will drive to Mount Carmel and visit the Mukhraka, the site where the Prophet Elijah debated the 450 prophets of Baal. From here there is a breathtaking view over the whole Valley of Jezrael, better known as the Valley of Armageddon. After a complimentary Falafel Lunch at a Druze Village, visit Tel Megiddo, the mound that is built on over 20 layers of civilizations from Abraham time till today. On to Caesarea, where we will explore the ruins of the Roman and the Crusader City. We will see the reconstructed Roman city, the walls from the times of the Crusaders and the prison where St. Paul was held in captivity before being sent to Rome. This was also the place where the first gentile was converted to Christianity. As we leave the beautiful walls and moat, we will pass the remains of the Roman horse racing theater the Hippodrome. At the entrance to the Holy City of Jerusalem we will stop at a vista point and read the traditional blessing. Dinner and overnight. (B, L, D)

Day 11 – JERUSALEM

Today after breakfast, we will enter the Old City of Jerusalem and view Mt of Olives, walk to Garden of Gethsemane and the Western Wall. We continue to the famous Tunnels from the Hasmonai era and out to the Via Dolorosa and the Arab Market - the Shuk, with it's hundreds of stores selling many types of artifacts. We will visit the Holy Sepulchre - the largest Church in Jerusalem. On to Mt Zion to the Room of the Last Supper and the Jewish Quarter. We will finish the day with a special Communion service at Garden Tomb. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B, D)

Day 12 – JERUSALEM and BETHLEHEM

We will start the morning, after breakfast, by visiting Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial. Than visit the Israel Museum where the Dead Sea Scrolls can be seen and the Model of Jerusalem from Jesus era. The model is a scale down display of the Old City of Jerusalem and can give us a perspective to where all sites are located. We will also visit Chaiaphas’ House, where Jesus was kept in the dungeon. The afternoon will be dedicated to visiting the birth place of Jesus – Bethlehem (if it is open). We will cross the “border” and visit the Church of Nativity and the Shepherds' Fields. Special farewell Dinner at a restaurant and overnight in Jerusalem. (B, D)

Day 13 – RETURN to USA

Early morning transfer to the airport for your flight back home, breakfast served aboard the airplane. Arrive home. (B)