Itinerary

Day 1:  Depart on a transatlantic flight.

Day 2:   Arrival in Cairo, Egypt.

Day 3:  Cairo  Visit the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx.  These are some of the structures that the People of Israel built as slaves in Egypt. We then visit the famous Egyptian Museum where the treasures of King Tut Ein Khamon are exhibited.   We also visit the Citadel and Mohammed Ali Mosque offering a beautiful view of Cairo and the Nile.  Dinner and overnight in our hotel.

Day 4:  Cairo/Mt. Sinai  From Cairo we cross the Suez Canal into the Sinai desert.  We reach Mt. Sinai in the afternoon.  Very early next the morning we will climb the mountain. (Or watch the climbers from our hotel).

Day 7:  Capernaum / Tabgha / Mt. of Beatitudes / Magdala / Cana / Nazareth/ Jordan River   After breakfast, we drive to Capernaum to visit the ruins of an ancient synagogue and the Byzantine chapel at the site of Peter's House.  We then continue to Tabgha, the site of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fish, the Mount of Beatitudes, and Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene. After lunch we will travel to Megiddo, the multi-layered city. We continue to Cana where the first miracle of Jesus took place, and then to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation (built over Jesus’s home). Our last visit today will be to the Baptism site at the Jordan River. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight stay.

Day 8: Megiddo/ Mt. Carmel / Nazareth / Cana / Caesarea/ Jerusalem.  Today we visit Megiddo, the multi-layered city and then continue to Mt. Carmel to enjoy a panoramic view of beautiful Haifa on this mountain where Elija challenged the 400 false prophets.  Then we go to Caesarea, King Herod's personally-designed port city and the place where Paul was arrested and sent to Rome.  We proceed to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

Day 9: Dead Sea/ Masada/ Jerusalem. We drive to Masada, the palace-fort built by King Herod. Here, in 73 A.D., 960 Jewish zealots committed suicide rather than surrender to the Romans. The plateau is reached via a cable car ride with a spectacular view of the plains surrounding it.  We’ll also dip in the Dead Sea.  Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.
 

Day 10:  Jerusalem – The Old City.  We start at the Mount of Olives with a panoramic view of both the "old" and  "new" Jerusalem, where we visit the Chapel of the Ascension and follow the path down the Palm Sunday road to the Garden of Gethsemane and the nearby Church of All Nations. We then take a short drive through the Kidron Valley to reach Absalom's and Zachariah's Tomb.  We will enter the Old City of Jerusalem through the Dung Gate and then continue to Mount Zion (King David's tomb) and the site of the Last Supper.  Back to our hotel for dinner and overnight. In the afternoon we visit the Garden Tomb and Bethlehem.  Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 11:  Jerusalem: The new city  After breakfast we will visit the modern city of Jerusalem, the Israeli Parliament (Knesset), the Yad Va Shem Museum (the Holocaust Museum).  We will visit the Wailing Wall (the Western Wall) - the last remains of the Temple built by King Solomon and the Rabbi’s Tunnel.  Our day ends with dinner and overnight in our hotel in Jerusalem.

Day 12:   Early morning flight.  Arrival home in the U.S.A on the same day.

getting there

You must have a valid passport that expires no earlier than 6 months from the time of your last day in the country of your expedition. To apply for a new passport, or renewal, please visit the website below for information and application forms.

http://www.state.gov

Your trip costs cover the following:

• transportation to and from set locations within country

• housing and accommodations (double occupancy)

• breakfast and dinner, daily

• airfare from New York City to Cairo and return from Israel

The following are not included in trip costs:

• airfare to New York City (JFK) is not included

• daily lunches

• meals, transport, and lodging outside the regular itinerary

• bottled beverages, snacks

transportation

Airfare from NYC to Cairo and return from Israel is included.  Flights to NYC from your home city are not included.  The average cost from Texas to NYC runs between $200-$400.  We will work with you to arrange your airfare, but ultimately this is your responsibility.

lodging

Hotels will be 3 star or higher.  The included cost is based on double occupancy. If you want to room alone, single supplement is $450. Last person to join with no roommate may have to pay single supplement.

food

Food is prepared by local cooks and may include local cuisine.  Trip costs cover breakfast and dinner, lunch will be on your own and special food requests and dietary needs are up to the individual.

Dollars are accepted nearly everywhere in the world, however, it is best to not bring large amounts of currency into the country. Bringing more than $500-$1000 is discouraged. Money can be acquired at local ATMs within the country. Traveler’s cheques are HIGHLY discouraged due to the difficulty involved in cashing and their limited acceptance abroad.

total    $2800 + airfare to NYC

Cancellations and insurance: Your cancellation can affect the size of the group and costs. For this reason we must charge cancellation fees:

Up to 6 months prior to departure, the fee is $60;

between 6 - 3 months prior to departure, the fee is $150;

between 89 – 60 days prior to departure, the fee is $175;

between 59 – 30 days prior to departure, the fee is $225 plus the value of the non-refundable airline tickets

between 29 – 15 days prior to departure, the fee is $250 plus the value of the non-refundable airline tickets.

between 14 – 5 days prior to departure, 25% of the total cost, plus the value of the non-refundable airline tickets.
between 3 days to day of departure, 100% total cost of package, plus non-refundable airline tickets.
 

trip coordinator: Joél Malm

joelmalm@gmail.com