Highlights of Israel & Jordan

Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport, Tel Aviv, where you will be met by a local representative and transferred to your accommodation. As touring begins tomorrow, you are free to arrive on any flight. Spend the remainder of the day at leisure, settling in or exploring Tel Aviv’s coastal atmosphere. Overnight in Tel Aviv.

 

Meals included:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Meet your tour guide in the morning and depart Tel Aviv for Masada, Israel’s most renowned archaeological site. Ascend by cable car to explore this extraordinary desert fortress, once the final stronghold of the Jewish zealots in their revolt against Rome. Visit Herod’s palaces, ancient storerooms, cisterns, the synagogue and other excavations, while enjoying sweeping views across the Judean Desert and the shimmering Dead Sea below. Continue down to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, where you can experience floating effortlessly in the mineral-rich waters or apply the therapeutic black mud. Travel past the oasis of Ein Gedi and through the Judean Desert, gradually ascending towards the historic city of Jerusalem. Overnight in Jerusalem.

 

Meals included:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Begin the day at Yad Vashem, Israel’s official memorial to the victims of the Holocaust, located at the foot of Mount Herzl. Continue to the charming village of Ein Karem, traditionally regarded as the birthplace of John the Baptist. Travel onwards to Bethlehem to visit Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, one of Christianity’s most sacred sites. Return to Jerusalem and visit the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book, home to the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, followed by the impressive model of Jerusalem as it appeared during the Second Temple period. Overnight in Jerusalem.

 

Meals included:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Enter the Old City to visit the Western Wall and view the Temple Mount, the historic location of the Second Temple. Walk the Via Dolorosa, following the traditional path of the Passion, leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which houses both the site of the Crucifixion and the Tomb of the Resurrection. Continue to Mount Zion to see the traditional Tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. From the Mount of Olives, enjoy a panoramic view over Jerusalem, a city sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Visit the Garden of Gethsemane, associated with the betrayal of Jesus. End the day at Mahane Yehuda Market, a lively maze of stalls, flavours and colours offering an authentic slice of Jerusalem life. Overnight in Jerusalem.

 

Meals included:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Depart Jerusalem and travel north, passing by Jericho, often cited as the oldest city in the world. Continue through the Jordan Valley to Beit She’an, one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the region, where colonnaded streets, theatres and ancient bathhouses paint a vivid picture of life in antiquity. Ascend into the Golan Heights, a region of dramatic scenery and rolling vineyards. Visit a local winery for a tour and tasting, learning how the Golan has become one of Israel’s most celebrated wine-producing areas. Travel past Druze villages and former Syrian fortifications, taking in views towards Mount Hermon. Descend into the Hula Valley before reaching Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee, a city rich in Jewish history and tradition. Overnight in Tiberias.

 

Meals included:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Follow the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, visiting the remains of its ancient synagogue. Continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, the traditional location of the Sermon on the Mount, and to Tabgha, associated with the miracle of the loaves and fishes. If available, you may take an optional boat ride across the Sea of Galilee, offering a tranquil experience in a landscape unchanged for millennia (extra fee). Continue to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation and other important Christian sites before returning to Tiberias. Overnight in Tiberias.

 

Meals included:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Travel west through the Galilee hills to Acre (Akko), once a major Crusader stronghold. Explore its medieval fortifications and atmospheric old city. Continue to Haifa, ascending Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of the Baha'i Shrine, its spectacular Persian Gardens and the sweeping curve of Haifa Bay. Follow the Mediterranean coastline south to Caesarea to visit the Roman Theatre and the Crusader fortress, part of Herod the Great’s impressive harbour city. End the day with a short city tour of Tel Aviv and the ancient port of Jaffa. Overnight in Tel Aviv.

 

Meals included:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Travel from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to the Sheikh Hussein border crossing to enter Jordan. Proceed to Jerash, one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the Middle East, known for its colonnaded avenues, temples, theatres and monumental gateways. Continue to Amman for a panoramic city tour of the Jordanian capital before settling into your hotel. Overnight in Amman.

 

Meals included:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

After an early breakfast, travel south along the King’s Highway to Wadi Musa, the modern settlement beside Petra. Begin your exploration by riding on horseback to the entrance of the Siq, the narrow gorge that leads into the ancient city. Continue on foot as the sandstone walls rise dramatically around you, finally revealing the iconic Treasury as you emerge into the open. Explore Petra’s remarkable monuments including royal tombs, obelisks, the theatre and the High Place of Sacrifice, with sweeping views across this extraordinary archaeological site. Return to Wadi Musa at the end of the visit. Overnight in Petra.

 

Meals included:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

Travel north to Madaba to visit the Byzantine church famed for its ancient mosaic map — the oldest surviving depiction of the Holy Land. Continue to Mount Nebo, where Moses is said to have viewed the Promised Land. On a clear day, you can see across the Jordan Valley to Jericho and the Dead Sea. Proceed to the border to re-enter Israel and continue to Tel Aviv. Overnight in Tel Aviv.

 

Meals included:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner

After breakfast, transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for your flight home.

 

Meals included:

• Breakfast
• Lunch
• Dinner