Today, we depart Los Angeles on LY6 at 2:00 PM, our nonstop flight to Tel Aviv.

Upon arrival in Tel Aviv at 1:45 PM, we will be welcomed and accompanied throughout our visit to the Holy Land. We will board our bus and proceed to Netanya on the Mediterranean Sea, where we will check into our hotel and stay overnight.

This morning, we will travel to Caesarea, the capital of the Roman procurators of Judea, to visit the Roman port, Crusader’s Moat, Roman theater, and aqueduct. We will continue to Muhraka on Mount Carmel, where Elijah challenged Baal’s priests. In the afternoon, we proceed to Megiddo to explore excavations that have uncovered 20 civilizations. Continuing, we will visit Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus, where we will stop at a lookout to view the entire valley. We then proceed to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight at our hotel.

This morning, we enjoy a relaxing boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, arriving at Nof Ginosar to see the New Testament boat discovered beneath the sea and watching an informational video. We then continue our tour with visits to Capernaum, the Primacy of Peter, and the Mount of Beatitudes. In the afternoon, we will visit Kursi, the traditional site of Jesus’ miracle at Gadarenes/Gergesa, where he healed the madman and drove demons into a herd of pigs. Our last stop today is the Jordan River, where we will have the opportunity to be baptized before transferring to our hotel in Tiberias for dinner and overnight.

This morning, we travel along the Rift Valley, parallel to the Jordan River, following the route Jesus most frequently took to Jerusalem. We visit Bet Shean at the foot of Mount Gilboa, where King Saul was slain, and see evidence of Egyptian, Roman, and Byzantine occupations, including the ancient Tel, Roman Theater, and church mosaics. We then head to Jacob’s Well, where Jesus met the Samaritan woman. Continuing through the hill country, we pass by Bethel and Shiloh. Upon arrival in Jerusalem, we enjoy a panoramic view of the Holy City before heading to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

We begin the day at the Chapel of Ascension and Paternoster, followed by a visit to the Mount of Olives for an orientation view of Jerusalem, where we will take a group photograph. We then walk the traditional Passion Walk, stopping at Dominus Flevit (“Our Lord Wept”). After viewing the Golden Gate, we walk downhill to Gethsemane, where we will have time for meditation in the private garden and visit the Church of All Nations. We then drive south to Bethlehem, passing Rachel’s Tomb, and visit one of the possible sites of Shepherds’ Field. Continuing into Bethlehem, we walk through the restored old town to the Church of the Nativity, visit the manger, and see the cave of St. Jerome. We then return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

Today, we travel to Masada and ascend by cable car to the magnificent ruins of the fortress where, from 70 to 73 AD, Jewish defenders made their last stand against Rome. We explore the remains of storehouses, cisterns, and a sixth-century Byzantine church. Continuing along the Dead Sea, 1,300 feet below sea level—the lowest point on Earth—we visit Ein Gedi, then proceed to Qumran to see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. We will have a stop at the Dead Sea for those who wish to swim. Our journey continues to Jericho, the world’s oldest city, where we visit the excavated Tel and view the lush green Jordan Valley, Elisha’s Spring, and the Mount of Temptation. We return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast, we transfer to the Dung Gate to visit the Western Wall and view the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque. To the north, we see the Pools of Bethesda (John 5) and St. Anne’s Church. We then pass by Pilate’s Judgment Hall, the Chapel of Flagellation, Lithostrotos, and the Arch of Ecce Homo (“Behold the Man”). We follow the Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) through the bazaars to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. From there, we walk from the Christian Quarter through the Arab Souks along the Cardo Maximo and past the Armenian Quarter. Continuing to Mount Zion, we visit the Upper Room and the Tomb of King David, followed by a stop at the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, which offers the best view of early Jerusalem from the west. We conclude our day with a special visit and communion service at the Garden Tomb. We enjoy a farewell dinner in the evening before transferring to the airport for our return flight home.

We depart Tel Aviv on nonstop flight LY5 at 12:45 AM, arriving in Los Angeles at 6:00 AM.