Welcome to Israel! On arrival, meet our representative for the transfer to your hotel in Tel Aviv.

Overnight.

After breakfast, meet your tour guide and drive south, passing Ashdod, Ashkelon and Beersheba, the capital of the Negev Desert. Continue via Arad to Masada, Israel’s foremost archaeological park. Ascend via cable-car for a thorough visit to gain an insight to the rituals, politics and culture of the people who inhabited this desert fortress, the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans.

Visit the excavations, Herod’s palaces, the synagogue, bathhouse, and cisterns, and enjoy the breathtaking view of the Roman camps and the Dead Sea. Descend to the lowest place on earth – the Dead Sea, to experience the mineral-rich black mud and to float in its salty waters. Passing by the oasis of Ein Gedi, proceed through the Judean Desert to Jerusalem.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Begin at the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book with the famous Dead Sea scrolls, then see the beautifully renovated model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem, dating back to the time of the Second Temple. Visit Yad Vashem the official memorial to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, established in 1953 at the foot of Mt. Hertzl.

Enjoy Ein Karem, a picturesque village in the outskirts of Jerusalem which has great significance in Christian traditions, since this is where according to tradition John the Baptist was born. Visit Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus at the Church of the Nativity and Manger Square. Return to Jerusalem.

Overnight.

Breakfast. See the Western Wall and the actual site of the Second Temple, the Temple Mount. Walk the Way of the Cross, the Via Dolorosa, to Calvary and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, housing both the traditional site of Crucifixion and the Tomb of the Resurrection.

Just outside the Old City is Mount Zion, with the traditional tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. Enjoy the spectacular panoramic view of Jerusalem – the holy city for each of the world’s three great religions – Christianity, Judaism and Islam, from the Mount of Olives. Visit the Garden of Gethsemane where Judas betrayed Jesus. In the heart of downtown Jerusalem, visit Mahane Yehuda to experience the flavors, aromas, colors, and the traders’ interaction with the crowds, at the largest open market in Israel.

Overnight.

Breakfast. Drive from Jerusalem to the Sheikh Hussein border crossing for procedures to enter Jordan. Proceed to Jerash, city of the Decapolis, about 45km north of Amman. Visit the amazing ancient Roman city with colonnaded streets, the baths and the hill of the top Temple. Drive to Amman for a panoramic tour including the Citadel and Roman Amphitheatre.

Overnight.

After breakfast drive to Mount Nebo, from where Moses viewed the Promised Land. See the Jordan Valley, Jericho, and the Dead Sea. Continue along the Desert Highway to Wadi Musa, the modern village of Petra. Enter the site of Petra and walk, or ride on horseback, to the “Siq” (Canyon). Walk through the “Siq” to the red rock city, the ancient capital of the Nabateans from 3rd Century BC to 2nd Century AD. Visit the most interesting carved monuments such as the Treasury (El Khazneh – a tomb of a Nabatean king) the field of tombs, obelisks and the altar from which you can view the whole rock city. Return to Wadi Musa (Petra).

Overnight.

After breakfast drive south to the towering mountains and rock formations of Wadi Rum, which mesmerized Lawrence of Arabia. Drive through stunning landscapes on a desert jeep safari, visiting the Lawrence Spring and Khazali Canyon. Drive north to Madaba to visit the ruins of the Byzantine church with its ancient mosaic floor map, the oldest surviving original cartographic depiction of the mosaic map of the Holy Land and Jerusalem. Continue to Amman.

Overnight.

After breakfast, drive to the border. Cross the Jordan River and drive back to Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or Ben Gurion Airport for your departing flight.

End of Tour.