Day 1: USA/CAIRO
Overnight flight to Cairo.
Day 2: Cairo
Arrive at Cairo airport, meet your guide and receive assistance through customs. Transfer to your hotel in Cairo for dinner and an overnight stay.
Day 3: Cairo/Aswan - CRUISE
Transfer to the airport for a short flight to Aswan; where you will transfer to the cruise ship. The cruising program will include visits to Felucca, Elephantine Island, the Botanical Gardena and a view of the Agha Khan: Lunch, dinner and overnight on the Cruise Ship.
Day 4: CRUISE – Aswan - Kom-Ombo - Edfu
After breakfast visit Aswan sites including the High Dam; the unfinished obelisk and the Temple of Philae. Return to the ship for lunch. After lunch sail to Kom Ombo; visit the Temple of Kom-Ombo, dedicated for gods Sobek and Haroeris; then sail on to Edfu. Dinner and overnight: Cruise Ship
Day 5: CRUISE - Edfu - Esna - Luxor
After breakfast visit Temple of Edfu, dedicated to the god Horus; lunch on board ship while sailing to Esna. Cross Esna lock and sail to Luxor. Dinner and overnight: Cruise Ship
Day 6: Luxor/Cairo
After breakfast disembark from the cruise. Visit the west bank including the two Colossi of Memnon, Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari, and the Valley of the Kings. Evening visit to Karnak and the Luxor Temples. Evening flight to Cairo; transfer to hotel. Dinner and overnight: Hotel in Cairo
Day 7: Cairo
After breakfast visit one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world – The Pyramids; the pyramid for Khufu (Greek Cheops) is the largest at 451 feet tall and was built in 2570 B.C.; the second largest pyramid is Khafre’s (Chephren), son of Khufu and the smallest is the grandson Menkaure (Mycerinus). We’ll see the Valley Temple where the pharaohs were first laid out for their funeral before entering the tombs; the Sphinx with its lion body and face of Khufu will be there before the pyramids. Afternoon visit the Egyptian Museum viewing the artifacts of ancient kingdoms including the treasures from King Tutankhamen’s Tomb; the unusual Amenhotep IV and more. Dinner and overnight: Hotel in Cairo.
Day 8: Cairo/Dead Sea
After breakfast, travel across the border from Egypt to Israel. Meet your guide and driver in Israel and drive north along the Arava to your hotel at the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth. Dinner and overnight: Hotel at the Dead Sea.
Day 9: Qumran – Jordan Valley - Tiberias
After breakfast drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Qumran where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Continue north, pass Jericho, the ancient Canaanite city destroyed by the power of the God. It is the oldest inhabited city in the world. Parts of the ancient city walls have been uncovered. Continue along the Jordan Valley to Tiberias. Dinner and overnight: Hotel in Tiberias
Day 10: Galilee – Capernaum – Mt. of Beatitudes – Jordan River
This morning cross the Sea of Galilee by boat to Capernaum, home of St. Peter, and visit the ruins of the ancient synagogue. Continue to Tabgha, the site of the multiplication of loaves and fishes. On to the Mt. of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. We will also take time to visit the baptismal site at the Jordan River, where baptism may be celebrated. Dinner and overnight: Hotel in Tiberias
Day 11: Galilee – Cana - Mount Carmel – Caesarea - Jerusalem
After breakfast drive via Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed His first miracle: turning jars of water into wine (John 21-11). Drive through the Jezreel Valley into the mountains of the Galilee, pass Nazareth, the childhood home of Jesus. Continue to Mount Carmel and the Mukhraka, where Elijah faced the prophets of the Baal and brought down the fire of God (1 Kings 18), which provides a magnificent panorama of Carmel, the Mountains of Samaria, Gilboa, Gilad and the entire Jezreel Valley below. On to Caesarea, built by King Herod the Great in 99 B.C. You will see the Roman Theater and Aqueduct and the Herodian Port. End the day in Jerusalem and enjoy a view of the city before checking into our hotel. Dinner and overnight: Hotel in Jerusalem
Day 12: Mt. of Olives – Garden of Gethsemane – Chapel of the Ascension – Bethlehem
The Bible will become a three dimensional book as life-changing experiences of the next several days begin to unfold. Our day will begin with our now familiar, delicious buffet breakfast. Then the remarkable journey back in time begins. We will see olive trees on the Mt. of Olives (LK 19 & 12; Sam. 15) that date to the time of Christ. We will stand on the top of the Mt. of Olives where the Lord ascended into heaven (Acts 1), and take time to pray at the Garden of Gethsemane (Jn. 18). This afternoon, we also visit the Upper Room. We will then visit Bethlehem (LK 2), birthplace of Jesus. Continue to the Israel Museum which hosts the Holy Land Walk-Around Model and the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are kept. On to Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Museum. End the day at the Martin Luther King Memorial, the only one outside of the United States. Dinner and overnight: Hotel in Jerusalem
Day 13: Jerusalem – Old City
Today will be an extraordinary day of sightseeing. We can touch part of Herod’s Temple at the Western Wall. We will walk up to the original Temple Mount platform where King Herod's Temple stood, and view the Dome of the Rock. Walk through the Old City, and visit the Pools of Bethesda (Jn. 5). View the shops and the unique way of life that these ancient customs and lifestyles have maintained. Proceed to Pilate's Judgment Hall in the Fortress of Antonia, where we will walk through some of the ancient rooms. Walk along the Via Dolorosa; visit the Ethiopian Coptic Church, proving the African presence for centuries. Final stop of the day will give us the opportunity to serve the agony of Christ’s crucifixion at Gordon's Calvary and experience the exhilaration and reality of the resurrection at the Garden Tomb. Return to our hotel. Farewell dinner. Overnight: Hotel in Jerusalem
Day 14: Jerusalem – TEL AVIV/USAEarly morning transfer to the airport for your flight back home. Arrive in the USA the same day.
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