Israel Expedition

1. Day01

   Monday, January 10

   Depart the U.S.

   The day has arrived and we depart the U.S. on an overnight journey to Israel.

   Meals in flight. Overnight in flight.

   

2. Day02

   Tuesday, January 11

   Arrive in Israel

   Today we arrive in Israel at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. Time permitting, we visit the ancient town of Jaffa where Peter had his vision on the rooftop of the house of Simon the Tanner.

   Dinner included. Overnight Tel Aviv area. Daniel Herzliya or similar.

   

3. Day03

   Wednesday, January 12

   Caesarea Maritima, Mount Carmel, Megiddo, Nazareth

   Today we travel towards Caesarea Maritima (included), where we will have a brief visit to this magnificent city with Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader ruins. Here we will elaborate on the story of the baptism of Cornelius, the first gentile convert to Christianity, and on the travels of Paul, those events that led Caesarea Maritima to become a springboard of the Gospel’s spread to the West. We continue to Mount Carmel (included) and consider the contest between the Prophet Elijah and the false prophets of Baal, discussing the reasons why the Prophet chose that place for the contest, and the lessons we learn from the story. We visit Tel Megiddo, from where we will take in a view of the Valley of Armageddon. We make our way to Nazareth where we will climb the Mount of Precipice, the brow of the hill on which the city was built. There we will reflect on the rejection of Jesus by his family and friends in Nazareth. We depart for the Sea of Galilee passing Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle.

   Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Caesar or similar.

   

4. Day04

   Thursday, January 13

   Boat Ride, Boat Museum, Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Tabgha, Peter’s Primacy, Magdala

   After a buffet breakfast, we will visit the ancient boat museum containing a recently-discovered 2000-year-old fishing boat (included). We will then sail on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of that boat (included). We visit the Mt. of Beatitudes and discuss the Sermon on the Mount, and Capernaum (included), Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. We drive to Tabgha and see the Primacy of Peter where Jesus appeared to the disciples for the third time after the resurrection. Finally, we visit Magdala (included), the hometown of Mary Magdalene.

   Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Caesar or similar.

   

5. Day05

   Friday, January 14

   Tel Dan, Banias, Golan Heights

   We begin our day at Tel Dan (included), where we walk to the head of the springs that form the main source of the River Jordan. We see the high place of the city, featuring the Israelite 4 horn altar dating back to the time of King Jeroboam I and King Ahab, and the city gates. We proceed to Caesarea Philippi (included), where Peter made his famous confession. As we traverse the rugged terrain of the Golan Heights, we’ll be treated to panoramic views of the landscape, including Paul’s legendary route to Damascus. This region is marked by its tumultuous history and recent conflicts between Israel and Syria.

   Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Caesar or similar.

6. Day06

   Saturday, January 15

   Beth Shean, Bet Arabah, Jericho

   This morning we leave the Sea of Galilee area heading south. We stop to visit Beth Shean (included), or Scythopolis as it was called by the Romans. Scripture tells us that King Saul was defeated by the Philistines and died on nearby Mount Gilboa. When the Philistines found Saul’s body, they fastened it to the wall of Beth Shean. Later, during Jesus’ time, Scythopolis was a member of the Decapolis, a group of ten cities sharing Greek culture and government, mentioned in the Gospels. We continue traveling south to Bet Arabah where John the Baptist was baptizing on the Jordan River. We will visit the Tel of Jericho (included) with its ancient ruins, pointing out what possibly could be the foundations of the ramparts that Joshua and the Israelites brought down.

   Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Olive Tree or similar.

   

7. Day07

   Sunday, January 16

   Temple Mount, Wailing Wall, Western Wall Tunnels, Bethlehem, Shepherds’ Field

   After a buffet breakfast we will ascend the Temple Mount, discussing its connection to both the Old and New Testaments. Visit the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and Judaism’s holiest site. We will also experience the Western Wall Tunnels (included). We travel to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. We begin with a visit to the Shepherds’ Field, where the angels appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of Jesus. These fields are also the setting of some of the events of the Book of Ruth. We will then travel to the Church of the Nativity and view the actual place where, according to ancient tradition, Jesus was born.

   Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Olive Tree or similar.

   

8. Day08

   Monday, January 17

   Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Dead Sea Swim

   We begin our day visiting Masada (entrance & cable car included), the fortress built by King Herod the Great and made famous by the Zealots in 73/74 AD with their standoff against the Romans. We visit the fortress and see the ruins that are considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We continue to Ein Gedi (lookout / parking included), the oasis in the desert where the meeting between David and King Saul took place and where many of the psalms were written by David. We visit Qumran (included), the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a Bedouin boy back in 1947. There we will see the caves and other buildings where the Essenes, the group of Jews who wrote the scrolls, lived. Finally, you will have the opportunity to experience floating on the Dead Sea (access to the beach included).

   Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Olive Tree or similar.

   

9. Day09

   Tuesday, January 18

   Mount of Olives, Upper Room, Jewish Quarter, Davidson Center, Israel Museum

   We begin our day with an orientation over the holy city from the Mount of Olives, pointing out important locations within the Old City, connecting them with Biblical stories and prophecies about the return of Jesus. We will then walk down the Palm Sunday Procession Road to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus agonized on the night before his crucifixion. We visit the Upper Room, the traditional place of the Last Supper. We walk through the Jewish Quarter and visit the Southern Wall Excavations (included) where ruins of the retaining walls of the Temple Mount are still visible. We gather at the teaching steps, the main entrance to the Temple where Rabbis met and taught their disciples. We travel to the Israel Museum (included), where we will visit the Second Temple Period Model of Jerusalem, a 1:50 scaled model of the city from the 1st century AD, followed by a visit to the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are on exhibit, in addition to the archaeological section where many artifacts are displayed. We will pay special attention to those items that relate to Bible history.

   Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Olive Tree or similar.

   

10. Day10

    Wednesday, January 19

    Garden of Gethsemane, Gallicantu, St. Anne’s, Pools of Bethesda, Ecce Homo, Via Dolorosa, Holy Sepulcher, Garden Tomb

    This morning we visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus agonized on the night before his crucifixion. Then we move on to the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas (included), where we will see a pit where Jesus may have been kept as he awaited his crucifixion. We visit St. Anne’s Church (included), from the Crusader-era, as well as the nearby Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place. We then visit the Antonia Fortress (included), where Jesus was condemned to die by Pontius Pilate. We walk from the Judgement Pavement along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. After lunch, we will visit the Garden Tomb (donation included), where we will worship together and celebrate communion. Your flight home may depart late tonight or the following day.

    Breakfast and dinner included. If an overnight is required, overnight Jerusalem. Olive Tree or similar.

    

11. Day11

    Thursday, January 20

    Return Home

    Your flight home may depart the previous night or today. If today and time allows, breakfast is included today. Either way, later today we will arrive back home.

    Breakfast included if time allows.

More from our travelers →

• How much walking is there?Expect about 2 to 3 miles of walking on a typical touring day, with uneven stone streets and steps in Jerusalem’s Old City, a steep walk down the Palm Sunday Road to Gethsemane, and some climbing at Tel Dan and Mount Precipice. Arrival, flight and departure days have very little walking, and we travel between cities by motor coach.
• Traveling alone?You can have a room to yourself, with a single supplement of $1,150, or share a room. If you would like to share, we will do our best to match you with a traveler of the same gender and a similar age. If no match is found, the single supplement applies.
• What will I spend beyond the price?Lunches, drinks beyond the basics with meals, porterage at airports, Israel’s ETA travel authorization (about $8), travel insurance if you choose it, a 3% fee if you pay by card, and your own shopping. A typical lunch costs about $15 to $20. Tips are at your discretion: as a guide, $8 to $10 per person per day for your guide, $5 to $7 for your driver, $1 for porters each time they help with your luggage, and $2 per meal for wait staff; these amounts may rise by 2028. We recommend paying for most things by credit card: cards are accepted almost everywhere you will go, and credit card purchases usually come with protection that cash does not. We suggest bringing a couple hundred U.S. dollars in cash for emergencies and small purchases. When a card machine or ATM asks whether to pay in dollars or in the local currency (shekels in Israel), choose the local currency; it is almost always cheaper.
• What if I need to cancel?Cancel in writing. Up to October 12, 2027 (90 days before departure), everything you have paid is returned except $200. After that date, the $450 deposit and any costs we cannot recover are kept. Travel insurance may cover a cancellation, depending on the reason.
• Who is going?This expedition is organized for Calvary Community Church and led by Pastor Dave Tebay.

More answers in our Traveler Support Center, or call us at (877) 234-3002.

• Los Angeles (LAX)Included
• I plan to book my own flights−$1,350