Baptist Journey to the Holy Land
Day 1. Haifa
Arrival at Ben Gurion Airport. Met by a Diesenhaus representative and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Haifa.
Day 2. Haifa / Acre / Galilee
After breakfast visit the Persian Gardens at the Bahai Temple.Continue via the Druze villages, Daliyat el Carmel and Usifiya to the Church of Stell Maris (a Carmelite Monastery) with the cave of the Prophet Elijah. Visit the Monastery of the Muhraka, where Elijah fought with the Baal priests. From the roof of this Monastery, we have a beautiful view of the Jezreel Plain. Proceed to Acre to visit the old city with the city walls, the Knights’ Halls and the Harbor. Through the Galilee proceed to Tiberias for overnight.
Day 3. Galilee
After breakfast boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus walked on the water. The ride will end at Ginosar, where we shall visit the Ancient Boat from the time of Jesus that was found nearby. Continue to Capernaum, center of Jesus’ Ministry. Located here are the ruins of an ancient synagogue and the site of Peter’s house. Proceed to Tabgha, the site of the Miracle of the Loaves and Fish and see the mosaic from the 5th century Byzantine basilica. Drive to Mount Beatitudes, site of the “Sermon on the Mount.” Take some time for meditation. Travel through the Upper Galilee to Banias Springs (Caesarea Philippe) where Peter made his confession of faith. Overnight Tiberias.
Day 4. Galilee
Proceed to Nazareth, visiting the Church of Annunciation and Mary’s Well. Drive on to Cana in the Galilee, site of the First Miracle. Proceed to Megido, named also Armageddon – the place where the last battle of mankind is due to take place (the Apocalypse of St. John) – where we shall visit the Museum and this 5,000 year old city with the Gates from the times of King Solomon, the old Canaanite temples and the water tunnel from the time of King Ahab,. On to Yardenit on the shores of the Jordan River and renew Baptismal promises. Proceed to Tiberias. Overnight.
Day 5. Beit Shean/Jerico / Jerusalem
After breakfast, drive to the ancient town of Beit Shean with its new excavations of the Roman and Byzantine periods. Proceed to Jerico the lowest and oldest city of the world. Visit its Tell and take the cable car to the Mount of temptations. After the visits, proceed through the Hills of Judea to Jerusalem. Overnight.
Day 6. Jerusalem – the Old City
Begin the day’s tour on the Mount of Olives for a breathtaking view of the entire city. Walk down the traditional Palm Sunday route to the Church of All Nations and the Garden of Gethsemane. Drive via the Kidron Valley to Mt. Zion and visit the Room of the Last Supper and David’s Tomb. Visit Saint Peter in Galicantus. Continue by foot in the Walled City. In the Jewish Quarter see the Cardo and Western Wall. Enjoy the panoramic view of the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount. In the Christian Quarter visit St. Ann’s Crusader Church, Ecce Homo (Lithostrotos), Antonia Fortress and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. End the day with a communion service in the Garden Tomb (Gordon’s Calvary). Overnight.
Day 7. Jerusalem – the New City / Bethlehem *
Tour the New city of Jerusalem, beginning at the Holyland Hotel and see the scale model of ancient Jerusalem in the time of the Second Temple. Continue to the Yad Vashem Memorial to the Holocaust and the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum where the Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed. Proceed to Manger square in Bethlehem * to visit the Church of the Nativity and the milk grotto. Return to the hotel. Overnight.
Day 8. Abu Gosh / Emmaus (Latrun) / Jerusalem
After breakfast, drive to Abu Gosh, the biblical Kiryat Ye’arim, from where King David brought the Holy Shrine back to Jerusalem. Proceed to Beit Shemesh and the Elah Valley, where David fought with Goliath. Return to Jerusalem via Ein Karem and visit John the Baptist church. Return to the hotel. Overnight.
Day 9. Massada / Dead Sea
After breakfast drive via the Good Samaritan Inn to the mountain fortress of Massada, stronghold of the Jews in the war against the Romans. Ascend to the fortress by cable car to visit the palaces of Herod the Great with its Roman baths and pools. Descend for a possible “dip” and “float” in the salty water of the Dead Sea, the worlds lowest place. On the way back to Jerusalem, stop in Qumran – the city of the Essens – where the Dead Sea scrolls were found in a cave by a shepherd. Overnight in Jerusalem.
Day 10.
Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for departure flight.
* Visit subject to availability.
This is a sample itinerary we could use to help plan a tour for your group.
For more information, please go to: http://africanamericanjourneys.com/form-your-own-group-travel-free