Israel Expedition

1. Day01

   Thursday, November 18

   Depart the U.S.

   The day has arrived and we board our transfer at Calvary Chapel Palm City and begin our journey to the airport. Upon arrival we check in for our flight and begin our overnight journey to Israel.

   Meals in flight. Overnight in flight.

   

2. Day02

   Friday, November 19

   Arrive in Israel, Joppa

   We arrive in Israel at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. We meet our guide (expected to be Kenny), who will remain with us throughout our time in Israel, and board our coach bus. Time permitting, we visit Joppa, where Peter had his vision on the rooftop of the house of Simon the Tanner. We transfer to our hotel and spend the remainder of the day at leisure.

   Dinner included. Overnight Tel Aviv area. Leonardo Plaza City Tower or similar.

   

3. Day03

   Saturday, November 20

   Caesarea Maritima, Mount Carmel, Megiddo, Magdala

   This morning after breakfast we head to Caesarea Maritima (included), where we visit this magnificent ancient city, including the Roman Amphitheatre, hippodrome, and an ancient aqueduct. We move on to Mt. Carmel (included), where Elijah confronted Baal and his prophets. Then on to the Jezreel Valley, to Tel Megiddo (included), from where we will take in views of the Armageddon Battlefield of Revelation 16. We continue to the Sea of Galilee area and visit Magdala (included), the hometown of Mary Magdalene, which boasts the remains of a First Century synagogue.

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

   

4. Day04

   Sunday, November 21

   Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Golan Heights, Yardenit

   This morning we travel to Tel Dan (included), which is the site of headwaters of the Jordan River and of an important ancient city, and nearby Caesarea Philippi (included), where Peter made his famous confession of Christ. We will drive through the Golan Heights, an area which was captured by Israel from Syria during the Six-Day War. We will pass by Nimrod’s Castle (crusader-era) as well as Mount Hermon, which marked the northern boundary of the Promised Land conquered by Joshua. We conclude the day at the Yardenit Baptismal site on the Jordan River, where there will be an opportunity to be baptized in the same river as was Jesus (please note that Yardenit charges approximately 20 USD to rent baptismal gowns and for access to the changing rooms).

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

   

5. Day05

   Monday, November 22

   Boat Ride, Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Nazareth Village

   We begin our day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee (included). We visit the Mount of Beatitudes, a potential site for Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. We visit Capernaum (included), where we see the remains of the village, including the synagogue and the house where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. We drive to Nazareth, the hometown of Jesus, where we visit Nazareth Village (included), a re-creation of life in Nazareth at the time of Jesus, and enjoy lunch together (included). We return to the Sea of Galilee area, passing Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle.

   Breakfast, lunch and dinner included. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Nof Ginosar or similar.

   

6. Day06

   Tuesday, November 23

   Beth Shean, Gideon’s Spring, Qasr al Yahud, Southern Steps

   Today we leave the Sea of Galilee area heading south. We visit Beth Shean (included), or Scythopolis, as it was called by the Romans. We move on to Gideon’s Spring (included), where Gideon chose 300 men for battle. We continue traveling south until we come to Qasr al Yahud on the Jordan River, the area where the Israelites entered the Promised Land and where Jesus was baptized. We continue to Jerusalem and visit the Davidson Center and the Southern Steps (included), where we walk on the very stones walked upon by Jesus as he made his way to the temple.

   Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Grand Court or similar.

7. Day07

   Wednesday, November 24

   Temple Mount, Western Wall, Western Wall Tunnels, St. Anne’s, Pool of Bethesda, Jewish Quarter, Herodian Mansion, City of David

   This morning we ascend the Temple Mount, where the first and second Jewish Temples once stood. We see the Western Wall, a portion of the Temple’s Western retaining Wall, and Judaism’s holiest site. We also experience the Western Wall tunnels (included). We visit St. Anne’s and we see the nearby Pool of Bethesda (included), where, John 5 recounts, Jesus healed a disabled man. We visit Jerusalem’s Jewish Quarter, including the Herodian Mansion (included). At the City of David (included) we visit Jeremiah’s Cistern, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, and the Pool of Siloam.

   Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Grand Court or similar.

   

8. Day08

   Thursday, November 25

   Yad Vashem, Israel Museum, Elah Valley, Beth Shemesh, Philistine Country, Shepherds’ Field, View of Bethlehem

   This morning we visit Yad Vashem (included), Israel’s Holocaust Museum, along with the Israel Museum (included) where we see an impressive model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. We travel to the Elah Valley, the site of David’s confrontation with Goliath. We visit Beth Shemesh and Philistine Country before making our way to the Shepherds’ Field, where the birth of Jesus was announced to the shepherds and where some of the events from the book of Ruth took place. We take in a view of Bethlehem before returning to Jerusalem.

   Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Grand Court or similar.

9. Day09

   Friday, November 26

   Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Dead Sea

   After breakfast, we begin our day visiting Masada (included), the fortress built by King Herod the Great. We see the ruins that are considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We continue to Ein Gedi (lookout / parking fee 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. This afternoon we visit Qumran (included), the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a Bedouin boy in 1947. There we will see the caves and other buildings where the Essenes, the group of Jews who wrote the scrolls, lived. We will visit the Dead Sea, and take some time to float (time and conditions permitting, access to the beach included).

   Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Grand Court or similar.

   

10. Day10

    Saturday, November 27

    Mount of Olives, Palm Sunday Road, Garden of Gethsemane, Upper Room, Gallicantu, Antonia Fortress, Garden Tomb

    We begin our day on the Mount of Olives, where we take in an incredible view of Jerusalem, Mount Moriah, and the Dome of the Rock. We walk along the Palm Sunday Road, stopping at Dominus Flevit. We will visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus agonized on the night before his crucifixion. On Mount Zion we visit the Cenacle, the traditional site of the Last Supper, and Gallicantu (included), where Peter denied Christ three times. We continue to the Old City and visit the Antonia Fortress (included), which has been identified as the site of Jesus’ trial. We end our tour with a visit to the Garden Tomb (donation included), where we share in the Lord’s Supper together.

    Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Grand Court or similar.

    

11. Day11

    Sunday, November 28

    Return Home

    Today we head to the airport and begin our journey home. If time allows, breakfast is included today. Later today we will arrive back in the U.S., where we will board our transfer and drive back to Calvary Chapel Palm City.

    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 and the City of David, a downhill walk on the Palm Sunday Road, and some climbing at Tel Dan and Megiddo. 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 $1,299, 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 (one lunch, at Nazareth Village, is included), drinks beyond the basics with meals, porterage at airports, Israel’s ETA travel authorization (about $8), about $20 at Yardenit if you rent a baptismal gown, 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 for hotel and restaurant staff are already included. Tips for your guide, driver and porters are at your discretion: as a guide, $8 to $10 per person per day for your guide, $5 to $7 for your driver, and $1 for porters each time they help with your luggage. 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 August 20, 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 Chapel Palm City and led by Pastor Josh Luecht.

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

• Miami (MIA)Included
• I plan to book my own flights−$1,400