DAY 1 - Beirut - Tuesday Weekly : Mid May to Mid Sep (BL)
Upon landing in Beirut Our representative will be on hand to greet you, and to assist with entry formalities. Visas are issued upon arrival to citizens of the USA, Canada, the European Union, and several other nations. We’ll see you to your hotel. The remainder of the day is yours to relax, recuperate from your travel, stretch your legs, and make your first discoveries of Beirut. Our representative will be pleased to suggest a restaurant or an informal café, or a night club, depending on whether you prefer music into the wee hours, fine cuisine, or an authentic Arab meal ... you'll find it all in Beirut.

Day 2—Beirut, Sidon, Beiteddine, Deir El Kamar - Wednesday (BL)
After breakfast, we’ll call for you at your hotel and whisk you off toward the south. Our first stop is the port city of Sidon, an ancient Phoenician city that tells its story through a heritage of sandstone mosques, a medieval Crusader castle, an Ottoman palace, and a Roman theater. We’ll continue inland to Beiteddine, known for its intricate nineteenth-century palace where medieval armaments and Phoenician treasures are displayed. Just outside of town is Deir El Kamar, with its tile-roofed sandstone palaces, and center of tradition and the arts where you can stroll pleasant lanes and stop in at galleries.

Lunch is included today at the Baadaran Village with the locals: The village of Baadarane up in the Chouf mountains is known for its traditional Lebanese architecture from the period of the Emirs. Some say the origins of the name origins are Phoenician and translate Baadarane as “a rest station,” citing its role as a Roman army post in 20 B.C. The local tradition of looming is still in evidence here and visitors to the village can view Nazih, a local craftsman demonstrating his skill.

Day 3– Beirut, Ksara, Anjar, Baalbek, Bshareh- Thursday (BL)
We’re off in a different direction today, toward the Bekaa Valley. Ksara is the oldest winery in Lebanon, developed by French Jesuits in the nineteenth century following a long local tradition. We’ll continue to Anjar, a mountain-girt village where Armenians from Turkey found refuge in the last century, and developed their own Christian community. Farther on is Baalbek which, as Heliopolis, whose majestic Roman temples were a sonder of the ancient world. We’ll wander through and wonder at the ruins, before we continue to Bshareh.

Lunch is included today at Deir El Ahmar WADA village with the locals: Deir El Ahmar:
Visiting WADA, the Women's Association of Deir El Ahmar, in the Bekaa region , is an authentic rural experience. The local women are known for their culinary talents and offer lunch to visitor as well as and selling traditional products. Many farmers are happy to play host and open their homes for an authentic bed and breakfast featuring true Lebanese hospitality and traditions. The surrounding area has several unknown historical sites such as the Roman temple of Jupiter and Astarte. Visitors can also participate in seasonal farming activities.

Day 4 – Bshareh, Cedars, Gibran Museum, Qadisha, Byblos - Friday (B)
Bshareh is the home village of painter and writer Khalil Gibran. We’ll visit the museum dedicated to the life and work of the author of The Prophet. We’ll continue through countryside carpeted with Lebanon's famed cedars, used to make the ships that plied the seas in ancient times. We’ll traverse the Qadisha, or Holy Valley, its steep slopes perforated with cave chapels and monasteries cut from solid rock by monks, its peaks marked with some of the highest red-roofed villages in Lebanon. Finally, we’ll reach Byblos, where we stop for the night.

Picnic lunch is included today in Qadisha Valley.
The impressive Qadisha Valley, classified as an UN World Heritage Site, in Lebanon's northern region is one of Lebanon's best kept secrets. Inhabited since the 3rd millennium BC to the Roman period, the valley is scattered with cave chapels, hermitages and monasteries cut from rock. Since the Early Middle Ages generations of monks, and hermits found asylum here. At the bottom of this wild gorge runs the Qadisha River whose source is at the foot of the Cedars. Several walking trails lead through the valley along wild bushes, fir and pine trees to shady spots to enjoy a picnic.

Day 5– Byblos - Saturday (BL)
Byblos is one of the oldest inhabited cities anywhere, well worth the day we spend appreciating its many layers. Phoenician temples remain from thousands of years before the time of Christ, while a castle and the Church of St. John the Baptist bespeak the ebb and flow of the Crusades through the city. But Byblos is more than history. Its seaside location and backdrop of mountains make it a favorite locale for browsing, shopping, and lingering over a repast and beverages on terrace with views to ships, slopes, and treasured buildings.

Start our trip back to Beirut and your hotel. Seafood lunch is included today at a local restaurant, if you prefer other cuisine / dishes, please let's know in advance.

Day 6– Beirut - Sunday (BLD)
Our last full day includes a full tour of Beirut. Beirut gleams with well-preserved Ottoman buildings and rebuilt quarters with the latest in avant-garde architecture. We’ll see the central neighborhoods, the marina, and of course the National Museum with its treasures from times ancient to Ottoman. There will be time for last-minute shopping today in the many fine and surprising boutiques of the city, where Oriental wares and the latest western fashion are on offer.

We have researched some of the best local Beirut restaurant for your culinary pleasure (lunch included), and this is one of them: the Basha’s Shawarma! This popular Beirut is the best place in town to try out this tasty Middle Eastern specialty (the Shawerma), if you are vegetarian then we'll go for the excellent spinach pies. In the evening, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur for dinner and folk show.

Day 7– Amman- Monday (B)
We’ll call for you after breakfast, and see you to the airport to fly into Amman where our local rep. will be meeting you at the airport and assist with you visa for Jordan, then on to your hotel in Amman. Air fare is included Beirut Amman, in economy class with tax included.

Tuesday, Day 8 - Amman and Jerash (BLD)
Today is dedicated to exploring Amman, the capital of the Kingdom of Jordan, with its archeological and modern sites, and Ajlun and Jerash, the best preserved Roman City of the East. Lunch is included enroute. Evening dinner in Amman at a local restaurant.

Wednesday, Day 9 - Mount Nebo - Kerak - And Petra (BLD)
We drive south along the King's Highway, an ancient caravan route, to Madaba to visit the church containing the oldest known map of Palestine and the Holy Land. Continuing to Mount Nebo, we enjoy the panoramic view of the Promised Land the way Moses saw it for the first time. Further on, at Kerak, we tour the ruins of its romantic Crusaders' castle of Renaud de Chatillon, one of a line which stretched from Aqaba to Turkey. Finally, we arrive to PETRA. Lunch is included enroute. In the evening enjoy the visit to Petra by night, this is an awe-inspiring experience; to experience it at night by the light of 1,800 candles is truly an out-of-this-world experience! Walk through the Siq to the Khazneh following a candle-lit path and enjoy the haunting music of the Bedouin at the Treasury. Tours start at 8.30pm and finish at 10.00pm. Allow yourself plenty of time to walk through the Siq, you don't want to miss the show.

DAY 10 - PETRA Thursday (BD)
We'll spend the entire day at Petra, the stunning desert city hewn by the Nabateans from solid cliffs of pink and violet sandstone. Petra was known in the bible as Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812. You'll feel like Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark as you penetrate into the city through a narrow sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander among the Temple of the Winged Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the imposing Treasury. Petra has a lot to tell. The visit starts at the visitor’s center, where each person is assigned a Bedouin guided horse for the journey to the entrance of the lost city. After passing some tombs which are located outside the city, the visitor passes through the SIQ, an immense crack in the Nubian sandstone. It is a winding, one-kilometer-long fissure between overhanging cliffs that seem to meet more than 300 feet overhead. Near the end of the passage, the SIQ, with great style, makes one last turn and out of the gloom in towering brightness appears Petra’s most impressive monument, el Khazneh - The Treasury. This is one of the most elegant remains of antiquity, carved out of the solid rock from the side of the mountain, is nearly 140 feet high and 90 feet wide.

Beyond el Khazneh the visitor is surrounded on both sides by hundreds of Petra’s carved and built structures, soaring temples, elaborate royal tombs, a carved Roman theater, large and small houses, burial chambers and much more. The Victorian traveler and poet, Dean Burgon, gave Petra a description which holds to this day - “Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime, a rose-red city half as old as time.” After that, we will return to the hotel to get prepared for a Moonlight dinner served at a Bedouin camp. This evening we have a fantastic traditional dinner under the stars in a Bedouin camp, at a site that dates back more than 2,000 years.

DAY 11 - Petra - Dead Sea - Friday (BLD)
Breakfast at the hotel then off to the DEAD SEA / GALILEE
After breakfast continue northwards to Pella in the Jordan Valley. Visit Um Qais, Gedara of the Bible (Matthew 8:28-34) for a spectacular view of the Sea of Galilee, the Yarmouk River drive down to the lowest spot on Earth and experience floating in the waters of the Dead Sea and your resort such as the Mövenpick Dead Sea, the Ishtar Dead Sea Kempinski Resort for Deluxe category, or similar. Lunch is included enroute. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Day 12 - Jerusalem - Saturday (BD)
Drive to the border with Israel/ Palestine. Go through passport formalities, change vehicles and continue on to Jerusalem where we take you to your hotel, Expect one hour on the border to go through formalities and change cars from the Jordanian to the Israel. No visa requirement for Israel for specific nationalities as listed, when in doubt please call the Israeli consulate nearest you. private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Day 13 - Old City of Jerusalem, Bethlehem -Sunday(BD)
Enter the Old City, walking through the reconstructed Jewish Quarter. Visit the newly excavated Cardo and continue to the Western Wall, the only remaining portion of the Second Temple. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and through the colorful bazaars. Continue via Ramat Eshkol to Bethlehem, birthplace of King David. Visit Rachel's Tomb and the Church of the Nativity, site of Jesus' birth. Return to Jerusalem.

Today 's tour: private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Day 14 - Megiddo, Nazareth, Tiberias -Monday (BD)
Depart Jerusalem and drive to Nazareth to see the Church of the Annunciation. Drive to the Sea of Galilee and ride the waters to Tabgha. Visit Cana. Continue to Tiberias for a short tour. Visit Capernaum, on the Sea Of Galilee , to see the ruins of the Synagogue and Church of St. Peter. Stop at the renewed baptismal site on the Jordan River. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Today 's tour: private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur, private guide. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Tuesday, Day 15 - Jerusalem (BD)
Breakfast is always included daily. Jerusalem is yours today to explore as you wish. Dinner is included at the hotel.

Tuesday, Day 16 - Tel Aviv - Istanbul (B)
Transfer to the Airport for your flight to Istanbul, air fare is included in economy class with tax. As always our airport transfers are private basis, private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur. In ISTANBUL our local rep. meets your flight and escorts you to your hotel. Welcome fruit basket at your room, with our compliments.

DAY 17 -- ISTANBUL- Wednesday (BL)
We dive right into this fascinating city with visits to its top sights: Topkapi, the palace of the Sultans for centuries; Hagia Sophia, the greatest church in Christendom for a thousand years; the Blue Mosque, with its exquisite blue tiles; the Byzantine Hippodrome, scene of chariot races and gladiator combat; and the eerie Sunken Palace cistern beneath it. The remainder of the day at leisure to enjoy Istanbul as you wish.

DAY 18 - Bosphorus Cruise - The Grand Bazaar - Thursday (BL)
Istanbul's history was formed by the Bosphorus, the winding strait that separates Europe and Asia, connecting the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara. Now, as in ancient times, it is a maritime vital link between the countries bordering the Black Sea and those in the rest of the world. Today we take a leisurely cruise northward along this historic waterway. Along its shores are ranged palaces great and small-Topkapi, Dolmabahçe, Beylerbeyi, Küçüksu, Hünkar Iskelesi. Four great fortresses rise on the hills, reminding us that to control the Bosphorus was to control the destinies of nations.

The Bosphorus cruise is an afternoon one but it becomes a morning cruise for Oct-Apr season , our tour today will also include visits to the Navy's Museum showing some magnificent boats used by the Ottoman Sultans for their sailing across the Bosphorus , this is not to be missed , after a brief stop at Çamlica Hill lookout, we enjoy lunch at a local restaurant. Then go on a shopping spree at the labyrinth of the Grand Bazaar.

DAY 19 -Istanbul - Split - Croatia - Friday (B)
Breakfast is included at the hotel. Our local rep will assist you with the transfer to Istanbul airport for your flight to Croatia. Our local rep. meets you at Split Airport and assist with your transfer to the hotel. This is an interesting cruise itinerary around the Adriatic Sea and Croatia. A wonderful opportunity to make new friends from other countries, share the excitement, enjoyment and informality of this intimate Adriatic cruise experience.

DAY 20 , Saturday- Split- Board the Nikola Sailing Vessel (BL)
After breakfast at your hotel, we have arranged for a morning guided tour of Split covering the cities highlights, with lunch included at a charming local restaurant, before we head to the harbor to board the Sailing Yacht: Nikola.

DAY 21 , Sunday SPLIT – BRAC/OMIS - MAKARSKA ( BL)
A morning at leisure to enjoy the magnificent town of Split with its numerous archaeological, historical and cultural monuments. Depart for Makarska en route to the beautiful island of Brac, island of breath taking landscapes, peaceful beaches and crystal clear water. Arrival in Makarska at late afternoon. Breakfast and lunch are included on board. Feel free to venture ashore for dinner at any of the charming local restaurants of your choice on your own.

DAY 22 , Monday MAKARSKA – HVAR/LOVISTE - KORCULA ( BL)
After breakfast departure for Korcula Island with a stop en route for swimming and relaxing on east coast of island of Hvar or at Lovište on south coast of peninsula Pelješac . Lunch is on board before the late afternoon arrival to Korcula, the alleged birthplace of the famous explorer Marco Polo.
Breakfast and lunch are included on board. Feel free to venture ashore for dinner at any of the charming local restaurants of your choice on your own .

DAY 23 , Tuesday KORCULA – OLIPA - DUBROVNIK ( BL)
Morning departure from Korcula to Dubrovnik.
Stop will be made for swimming and relaxing at island of Olipa enjoying its crystal clear seawater and beautiful coast. Lunch is on board. Arrival to Dubrovnik in the afternoon (around 16.00 hrs).

Breakfast and lunch are included on board. Feel free to venture ashore for dinner at any of the charming local restaurants of your choice on your own.

DAY 24 , Wednesday DUBROVNIK – ELAPHITI ISLANDS - MLJET ( BL)
Late morning (around 10.00 hrs) departure from Dubrovnik to Mljet. Stop for swimming and relaxing will be made on one of the Elaphiti Islands. Lunch on board. Arrival to Pomena on the Island on Mljet in the afternoon (around 16.00 hrs). Pomena, once merely a small pier for fishing boats of the fishermen from Govedari. Pomena is today with its 100 square kilometer National Park the tourist center of the island of Mljet. Breakfast and lunch are included on board. Feel free to venture ashore for dinner at any of the charming local restaurants of your choice on your own.

DAY 25 , Thursday MLJET - HVAR ( BL)
Late morning (around 10.00 hrs) departure from Mljet to Hvar.
Stop will be made for swimming and relaxing on island of Scedro (weather dependable). Lunch on board. Arrival to Hvar town in the afternoon (around 16.00 hrs). Hvar is the town of a unique cultural and historical heritage but also an important tourist resort with a centuries-old tradition in tourism. Main attractions are pleasant climate, a lot of sunshine, natural beauties, various accommodation facilities, gastronomic offer, sports and recreational opportunities, etc .Breakfast and lunch are included on board. Feel free to venture ashore for dinner at any of the charming local restaurants of your choice on your own.

DAY 26 , Friday HVAR – BRAC - SPLIT ( BL)
Breakfast is included on board Morning departure (around 09.00 hrs) from Hvar to Split. Stop will be made for swimming and relaxing on the Island of Brac. Lunch on board. Arrival to Split in the afternoon.

DAY 27 , Saturday - Departure - SPLIT ( B)
Disembarkation after breakfast, and transfer to the airport. Bon Voyage. Happy to add extra days in Split upon request.

 

 

Rates are per person, in US$:

 

 

Included :

• Cruise aboard the MJ “Nikola” - Motor Sailing Yacht. Adriatic Paradise Cruise – Boarding Split or Dubrovnik.
  Our rate is based on Upper and Main Deck Cabins while on board your Adriatic Cruise, with breakfast and lunch included daily while on board your Adriatic Cruise. Cruising route is subject to change depending upon weather conditions. This cruise provides plenty of time for sunbathing, swimming and exploring interesting resorts, small bays and attractive Dalmatian towns.
• All airport transfers : Always on a private basis.
  
• Air fare in economy class with tax : Beirut - Amman and Tel Aviv - Istanbul - Split.
• Guided sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees.
• Meals as listed: cB: Continental breakfast, L: preset menu lunch, D: Dinner.
• Hotel accommodation as indicated, including all tax & service charges.
  For Lebanon only: Deluxe hotels are only in Beirut: Guests who prefer to stick to 5 stars all the way, then we will return every night to Beirut, and stay in such hotels as the Crowne Plaza or similar
• Local guides escorting the group at all times during sightseeing at all times in Israel, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon.
• Jordanian and Lebanese visa fee is included in our rate, visa is issued at the border for limited number of nationalities: American, Canadian, Australian, NZ, EU, and Japanese. It is your responsibility to ensure that you have valid passport.

 

Not included:

• Travel Insurance
• Gratuities to guide and driver : Suggested : $ 5 USD per person per day for the driver. $10 Per person per full day for the guide
• Air fare from/to your home country
• Any beverages. i.e. bottled water etc.
• Any services not mentioned above
• Turkish Visa Fee : $20 in cash upon arrival, for US citizens, or $45 for Canadians, or from any of the Turkish Consulates.
  
• Any visa fee when /if required for Croatia

 

 

 

 

 

• Compare with: Egypt, Dubai and Jordan in 19 days.
  
  
• Biblical Odyssey: A Grand 11 Day Tour of Egypt, Jordan, Palestine and Israel