Israel
7/8-7/18
LEADER: CHERYL KONG
Tuesday, July 8th
Cross Aqaba-Eilat border
Eilat is Israel's southernmost city, a busy port and popular resort located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba.
Night in Eilat
Cross Aqaba-Eilat border
Eilat is Israel's southernmost city, a busy port and popular resort located at the northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba.
Night in Eilat
Wednesday July 9th
Red Sea (dive/rest)
The main attraction of Eilat is diving in the Red Sea (actually an inlet from the sea known as the Gulf of Eilat or Aqaba), one of the world's most spectacular underwater preserves. You can see brightly colored coral and fish and may see everything from a venomous lionfish to a moray eel to a shark to a sea turtle to a manta ray. Even if you're not a diver, you can enjoy the magnificent coral reef from the surface with a snorkel and mask.
Night in Eilat
Thursday, July 10th
Red Sea (dive/rest)
There are also plenty of activities outside the water, including rappelling on craggy cliffs of the desert mountains, hiking in the desert and mountain biking. About 17 miles (27 km.) north of Eilat is the Timna Valley National Park. This desert area is a great place for hiking, jeep tours and camel rides. It is the site of ancient copper mines said to be run by King Solomon.
Night in Eilat
Red Sea (dive/rest)
The main attraction of Eilat is diving in the Red Sea (actually an inlet from the sea known as the Gulf of Eilat or Aqaba), one of the world's most spectacular underwater preserves. You can see brightly colored coral and fish and may see everything from a venomous lionfish to a moray eel to a shark to a sea turtle to a manta ray. Even if you're not a diver, you can enjoy the magnificent coral reef from the surface with a snorkel and mask.
Night in Eilat
Thursday, July 10th
Red Sea (dive/rest)
There are also plenty of activities outside the water, including rappelling on craggy cliffs of the desert mountains, hiking in the desert and mountain biking. About 17 miles (27 km.) north of Eilat is the Timna Valley National Park. This desert area is a great place for hiking, jeep tours and camel rides. It is the site of ancient copper mines said to be run by King Solomon.
Night in Eilat
Friday, July 11th
Visit Masada, stay at Israel side of the Dead Sea
Drive through Israel to the Dead Sea Valley, the lowest place on earth. Rising high above the Judaean desert, Herod’s fortified palace of Masada, last redoubt of the Jewish rebellion against Roman occupation, is one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the Levant. A little to the north lies the oasis of Ein Gedi, where there is time to enjoy the botanical gardens or for a swim in the Dead Sea.
Night at Ein Gedi.
Visit Masada, stay at Israel side of the Dead Sea
Drive through Israel to the Dead Sea Valley, the lowest place on earth. Rising high above the Judaean desert, Herod’s fortified palace of Masada, last redoubt of the Jewish rebellion against Roman occupation, is one of the most impressive archaeological sites in the Levant. A little to the north lies the oasis of Ein Gedi, where there is time to enjoy the botanical gardens or for a swim in the Dead Sea.
Night at Ein Gedi.
Saturday, July 12th
Walking tour around Jerusalem (Sandeman's)
Jerusalem, the Golden City, the Eternal City, the Holy City. No other city means so much to so many people. Walk with us through 4000 years of history in the footsteps of kings, emperors and prophets. We will trace Jerusalem’s Roman high street and walk along the city walls overlooking the City of David. We will experience incredible rooftop views, walk down ancient, narrow winding streets and soak up the smells and sounds of the suq markets.
Night in Jerusalem
Walking tour around Jerusalem (Sandeman's)
Jerusalem, the Golden City, the Eternal City, the Holy City. No other city means so much to so many people. Walk with us through 4000 years of history in the footsteps of kings, emperors and prophets. We will trace Jerusalem’s Roman high street and walk along the city walls overlooking the City of David. We will experience incredible rooftop views, walk down ancient, narrow winding streets and soak up the smells and sounds of the suq markets.
Night in Jerusalem
Sunday, July 13th
Jerusalem Holy City & Mount of Olives tour (Sandeman's) Holy City Tour: What makes Jerusalem the spiritual center of the world for Jews, Muslims and Christians alike? Join our expert guides on this 4-hour walking tour to understand Jerusalem’s 4,000-year-old past and visit the sites caught in the story that has included centuries of peace and worship, as well as controversy, bloodshed and war. On this tour we take you through security to the Temple Mount, also known as Mount Moriah or the Noble Sanctuary. We hear of the beginnings of Israel, the site of Abraham’s sacrifice and where King Solomon’s famous first temple was raised. Visit the golden Dome of the Rock shrine, marking the site where the prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven, and enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where, for over 1,500 years, a church has stood on the rocky hill of Calvary – the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.
Mount of Olives: The Mount of Olives has been an important burial place since Canaanite times. Kingdoms and empires have come and gone and left their marks on this legendary hill. Today it is a hugely popular vantage point with simply breathtaking views of the holy sites of Jerusalem’s Old City. Pilgrims are drawn to site’s cultural importance, in particular its association with Jesus’ last week on Earth and where the End of Days was described to the disciples. For Jews and Muslims alike, the Mount of Olives is where the gates of heaven will open up on Judgment Day. Our tour takes in these profound ideas as well as allowing the time to enjoy the views and hidden treasures scattered around the hill – and of course, those famous olive trees! The tour finishes at Mary’s Tomb, a short walk from the Lion’s Gate of the Old Town or a bus stop leading to the Wailing Wall.
Jerusalem Holy City & Mount of Olives tour (Sandeman's) Holy City Tour: What makes Jerusalem the spiritual center of the world for Jews, Muslims and Christians alike? Join our expert guides on this 4-hour walking tour to understand Jerusalem’s 4,000-year-old past and visit the sites caught in the story that has included centuries of peace and worship, as well as controversy, bloodshed and war. On this tour we take you through security to the Temple Mount, also known as Mount Moriah or the Noble Sanctuary. We hear of the beginnings of Israel, the site of Abraham’s sacrifice and where King Solomon’s famous first temple was raised. Visit the golden Dome of the Rock shrine, marking the site where the prophet Mohammed ascended to heaven, and enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where, for over 1,500 years, a church has stood on the rocky hill of Calvary – the site of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.
Mount of Olives: The Mount of Olives has been an important burial place since Canaanite times. Kingdoms and empires have come and gone and left their marks on this legendary hill. Today it is a hugely popular vantage point with simply breathtaking views of the holy sites of Jerusalem’s Old City. Pilgrims are drawn to site’s cultural importance, in particular its association with Jesus’ last week on Earth and where the End of Days was described to the disciples. For Jews and Muslims alike, the Mount of Olives is where the gates of heaven will open up on Judgment Day. Our tour takes in these profound ideas as well as allowing the time to enjoy the views and hidden treasures scattered around the hill – and of course, those famous olive trees! The tour finishes at Mary’s Tomb, a short walk from the Lion’s Gate of the Old Town or a bus stop leading to the Wailing Wall.
Monday, July 14th
Israel Museum, Yad Vashem (Holocaust Memorial), Knesset
Visit the excellent Israel Museum. This incorporates, among other collections, the Shrine of the Book which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and the outstanding archaeological collection. Visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum, and Knesset. Free time is an alternative.
Night in Jerusalem
Israel Museum, Yad Vashem (Holocaust Memorial), Knesset
Visit the excellent Israel Museum. This incorporates, among other collections, the Shrine of the Book which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls and the outstanding archaeological collection. Visit to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum, and Knesset. Free time is an alternative.
Night in Jerusalem
Tuesday, July 15th
Stay in a Kibbutz (Shaar Hagolan); Sea of Galilee, Tzefat
Visit first the archaeological site of Tell Hazor, and then ascend the Galilean highlands to the mediaeval synagogues and cobbled streets of the town of Tzefat. The churches of the Heptapegon are locations of Jesus’s ministry where pilgrims from all over the world share the sites. See the remains of the fishing village of Capernaum, Jesus’s most permanent residence and site of a 5th-century synagogue. Take a boat on the Sea of Galilee, and overnight at a Kibbutz.
Night in Tiberias
Stay in a Kibbutz (Shaar Hagolan); Sea of Galilee, Tzefat
Visit first the archaeological site of Tell Hazor, and then ascend the Galilean highlands to the mediaeval synagogues and cobbled streets of the town of Tzefat. The churches of the Heptapegon are locations of Jesus’s ministry where pilgrims from all over the world share the sites. See the remains of the fishing village of Capernaum, Jesus’s most permanent residence and site of a 5th-century synagogue. Take a boat on the Sea of Galilee, and overnight at a Kibbutz.
Night in Tiberias
Wednesday, July 16th
Visit Mt Carmel and Caesarea en route to Tel Aviv
Akko (Acre) was the principal city of the Crusaders, though the vaulted halls surviving from that period lie below an enthralling maze of narrow streets, Ottoman khans and modern suqs. Drive beside the Mount Carmel range to Caesarea, founded by Herod the Great and capital of Judaea for over 600 years. Once the largest city of the eastern Mediterranean, remains include the Herodian theatre, Byzantine residential quarters and a Crusader church.
Night in Tiberias
Visit Mt Carmel and Caesarea en route to Tel Aviv
Akko (Acre) was the principal city of the Crusaders, though the vaulted halls surviving from that period lie below an enthralling maze of narrow streets, Ottoman khans and modern suqs. Drive beside the Mount Carmel range to Caesarea, founded by Herod the Great and capital of Judaea for over 600 years. Once the largest city of the eastern Mediterranean, remains include the Herodian theatre, Byzantine residential quarters and a Crusader church.
Night in Tiberias
Thursday, July 17th
Beach and city sights (potential company visits) Tel Aviv began as an English-style garden city suburb of Jaffa, sprouted a Bauhaus extension (the ‘White City’, a unesco Heritage Site) and grew remorselessly in the later 20th century. The Museum of Art has Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, the Eretz Israel Museum incorporates the Tell Qasile excavations and an outstanding collection of ancient and mediaeval glass.
Night in Tel Aviv
Beach and city sights (potential company visits) Tel Aviv began as an English-style garden city suburb of Jaffa, sprouted a Bauhaus extension (the ‘White City’, a unesco Heritage Site) and grew remorselessly in the later 20th century. The Museum of Art has Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, the Eretz Israel Museum incorporates the Tell Qasile excavations and an outstanding collection of ancient and mediaeval glass.
Night in Tel Aviv
Friday, July 18th
Explore Old Jaffa
Jaffa is one of the oldest inhabited places in the world, destroyed and rebuilt dozens of times in its four millenia long life. Some of the biggest empires in history have ruled Jaffa and left their mark, from the Romans to the British. The ‘Bride of Palestine’ has been reinvented many times: the Egyptian city, the backwater Ottoman town, the heart of a cosmopolitan Levant, the epicentre of the Arab Revolt and a symbol of Jewish-Arab co-existence. This 2 hour tour is short on walking but packed full of legends and drama. Let the Ministry of Tourism licensed guides with whom we work take you through the most beautiful streets and squares of Old Jaffa and show you the stories beyond the breathtaking views.
Night in Tel Aviv
Explore Old Jaffa
Jaffa is one of the oldest inhabited places in the world, destroyed and rebuilt dozens of times in its four millenia long life. Some of the biggest empires in history have ruled Jaffa and left their mark, from the Romans to the British. The ‘Bride of Palestine’ has been reinvented many times: the Egyptian city, the backwater Ottoman town, the heart of a cosmopolitan Levant, the epicentre of the Arab Revolt and a symbol of Jewish-Arab co-existence. This 2 hour tour is short on walking but packed full of legends and drama. Let the Ministry of Tourism licensed guides with whom we work take you through the most beautiful streets and squares of Old Jaffa and show you the stories beyond the breathtaking views.
Night in Tel Aviv
Saturday, July 19th
Travel to Turkey
Travel to Turkey