DAY 2 - JERASH & AJLOUN Wednesday (B)
We start with a late morning tour of Jerash (the Gerasa of antiquity),
the best preserved city of Roman times, visiting its theaters, temples,
churches and colonnaded streets. Then we continue to Ajloun to tour
the 12th-century Saracen castle built by one of Saladin's lieutenants
in the campaign against the Crusaders. We return to Amman and overnight.
DAY 3 - MADABA & KERAK Thursday (BD)
We drive southward along the King's Way to Petra, visiting Madaba with
the oldest map of the Holy Land, and its Mosaic School, Mt. Nebo and
the traditional burial site of Moses overlooking the Dead Sea and the
Jordan Valley. We continue our drive through the magnificent scenery
of Wadi Mujib to Kerak to visit the famous Krak des Chevaliers Crusader
castle, after which we settle in ahd dine at our Petra hotel.
DAY 4 - PETRA Friday (BD)
Today we spend getting to know Petra, the city carved into the rose-red
Sharah Mountains by the Nabateans and lost to civilization until this
century. We walk through the Siq, the narrow and winding fissure between
the cliffs sandstone to reach the Treasury, made famous in the miton
picture "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." We also visit
the Roman Theater, the Courts, Qasr Bint Pharaoun, the Temple of the
Winged Lion and other monuments. You may wish to climb up to the Monastery
as well. We return to our Petra hotel for dinner and the night.
DAY 5 - WADI RUM Saturday (BD)
We tour the picturesque desert country of Wadi Rum Desert, with a short
ride in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, to see its awesome moon-like landscape,
where the movie "Lawrence of Arabia" was filmed. Following
the Desert Highway, we return to Amman for dinner and the night.
DAY 6 - TIBERIAS - Sunday (B)
Today we cross the Jordan River at the King Hussein /Allenby Bridge.
Our Jordanian staff bids you goodbye, and our local rep. on the Israeli/Plaestinian
side greets you and helps with border formalities, after which we drive
to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee. We settle into our hotel, and enjoy
dinner.
DAY 7 - GALILEE & GOLAN - Monday (B)
Clamber into a jeep, because today we take a special drive in the Galilee.
Afterwards we board our motor coach and head north through the Valley
of Genazaret to the ancient Galilee Synagogue in Capernaum, where Jesus
preached. Then it's up into the Golan Heights and the dramatic landscape
of Upper Galilee to Safed, the ancient hilltop town which has been the
cradle of mystical Jewish theology for centuries. Driving west, we reach
Akko (Acre), the fortified Crusader town on the shores of the Mediterranean.
Finally, we drive to Haifa for a view of the Technion university campus
on our way to our hotel, where we settle in and have dinner.
DAY 8 - HAIFA, BEIT SHEAN & JERICHO - Tuesday (B)
The impressive domed Bahai Temple is our first goal this morning (Haifa
is the world headquarters of the peaceable Bahai faith). We continue
to Beit Shearim to view the remnants of an ancient Jewish village, then
on to Beit Alpha to see its famous mosaic, and to Beit Shean to visit
the remains of the major Roman city there. Following the Jordan River
valley, we reach Jericho, perhaps the world's oldest city. We visit
the ruins of the great walls brought down by Joshua's trumpets, then
drive up to Jerusalem to dinner and our hotel.
DAY 9 - ANCIENT JERUSALEM - Wednesday (B)
During our introductory tour of the Old City, we visit the Western
Wall, Dome of the Rock, Via Dolorosa, Church of the Holy Sepulcher,
the Roman Cardo and the ancient Burnt House. We then pay a visit to
Mt. Zion and King David's Tomb, followed by the short drive to Bethlehem
to visit Rachel's Tomb and the Church of the Nativity, after which we
return to Jerusalem for dinner and a good night's sleep.
DAY 10 - MODERN JERUSALEM - Thursday (B)
Today we spend all day exploring modern Jerusalem, including the Knesset,
Chagall Windows, Yad Vashem, Mount Herzl, the scale model of Jerusalem,
and the Israel Museum with its Shrine of the Book, housing the Dead
Sea Scrolls.
DAY 11 -FREE in JERUSALEM - Friday (B)
Today explore Jerusalem on your own with guidebook in hand.
DAY 12 - DEPARTURE - Sunday (B)
Transfer to Tel Aviv International Airport, and assistance with departure
formalities.
RATES per
person
| |
Modest
First Class
Hotels |
| Triple |
US$
3499.00 |
| Double |
US$
3676.00 |
| Single |
US$
4510.00 |
