Your day-by-day itinerary is a partial list of your tour. The itinerary below is subject to change as needed at any time to accomplish everything we can in each area we visit. We will have local guides who will make sure we see the very best in the time we have. Glenn Rawson will not be doing the Egypt or Jordan portion of the tour. Since he is not a licensed Egyptian or Jordanian guide he is not allowed to teach in either country. We have wonderful local guides who will be with us during our time in Egypt and Jordan. In Israel, you do not have to be a licensed guide to teach on-site. Glenn Rawson will do all of his teachings inside of Israel so you won’t miss out on any of his lectures.
Day 1: October 10: Fly to Cairo, Egypt
Today everyone will fly on our international flight to Cairo, Egypt.
Day 2: October 11: Cairo
We arrive into Cairo late this evening. After clearing customs in Cairo, Egypt we will transfer to our hotel. (Transfers are included if you booked our group airfare or your flight arrives on or before and departs on or after our group flights.)
Day 3: October 12: Cairo
We will have a late morning departure today since we had such a late arrival into Cairo. We will tour the Cairo Museum, which houses the greatest collection of Egyptian artifacts anywhere in the world, including King Tut’s Treasures. We will then transfer back to our hotel and overnight.
Day 4: October 13: Cairo – Abu Simbel – Aswan
This morning we will fly to the UNESCO World Heritage site, Abu Simbel. Where we will see the impressive Abu Simbel temples, which consist of the Great Temple, dedicated to Ramesses II, and the Small Temple, dedicated to his wife Queen Nefertari. Then we will fly to Aswan. Upon arrival, we will transfer to our Nile River cruise ship.
Day 5: October 14:Aswan – Kom Ombo – Edfu – Luxor
This morning you will take a boat ride to the Philae Islands with its temple dedicated to Isis. Then we will sail on the Nile to theKom Ombo and Edfu Temples.
Day 6: October 15: Luxor
Luxor is more impressive than Cairo and the Pyramids! You will marvel at its sheer grandeur and its monumental architecture and excellent state of preservation. This morning we will visit the Valley of the Kings, the site of the tombs of the Pharaohs. In the afternoon we will visit the best ruins in Egypt –Karnack! We will also visit Luxor Temple before returning to your cruise ship.
Day 7: October 16: Cairo
This afternoon we will fly to Cairo. Upon arrival in Cairo, we will transfer to our hotel.
Day 8: October 17: Cairo – Amman
Today we will finish touring Cairo. We will visit the Pyramids, built over four thousand years ago and is the only remaining wonder of the ancient world. We will then see the Sphinx. After our tour, we will transfer to the Cairo Airport for our flight to Amman, Jordan. This flight is not included in the tour price but is required to purchase from Fun For Less Tours. The price is $349.Upon arrival in Amman, we will transfer to the hotel.
Day 9: October 18: Petra
This morning we will travel to Petra, the newly voted “Wonder of the World. “We will walk down the narrow canyon to the breathtaking view of the Treasury, Petra’s most famous landmark. You will have time to visit this fascinating city carved from the cliffs of the canyon and experience some of the best ruins found anywhere in the world. We will then head back to Amman to overnight.
Day 10: October 19: Amman – Galilee
This morning we will cross into Israel. After the border crossing, we will make a quick photo stop of the Qumran Caves, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Rising above the desert floor is Herod the Great’s fortress of Masada which we will visit via cable car. During the Jewish revolt in 70 C.E., Masada’s defenders committed suicide rather than be taken prisoner by the Romans. We also plan to swim in the Dead Sea. After we will drive to Galilee where we will be staying for the next 3 nights.
Day 11: October 20: Galilee
Our journey today takes us north of the Sea of Galilee. We begin by visiting Capernaum where so many wonderful events and teachings of the Savior took place. We then stop at the Mount of Beatitudes where we will ponder the great truths delivered by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Driving to the far north of Israel to Tel Dan. Here Jeroboam erected a golden calf for the Israelites to worship, marking the beginning of a road that would end with the “lost ten tribes.” The restored walls and gates give us an excellent idea of the fortifications Joshua would have faced as he conquered the land. We will visit Banias, known as Caesarea Philippi in the days of Jesus where he asked his disciples, “Whom do ye say that I am?” At the end of the day, we will return to our hotel in Galilee.Our day would not be complete without a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we can discuss Jesus walking on the water and stilling the storm.
Day 12: October 21: Nazareth – Galilee
Today we will drive to the top of Mt Carmel where Elijah had his historic confrontation with the priests of Baal with its dramatic conclusion. We travel on to Nazareth, home of the Savior for thirty years of his life. We will visit Mount Precipice, which has a sweeping view of the Jezreel Valley from Nazareth dominated by Mt. Tabor where we will discuss the transfiguration of the Savior. We will also visit today the Arbel Cliff for a fantastic overview of the Sea of Galilee.
Day 13: October 22: Caesarea – Bethlehem – Jerusalem
This morning we will head to the Mediterranean Sea where our focus shifts now to the Apostles Peter and Paul as we discover Caesarea. Here the Roman centurion, Cornelius, became the first gentile convert to Christianity and Paul related his account of his vision on the road to Damascus to King Agrippa. We will visit the picturesque old Roman aqueduct and let you wade in the Mediterranean Sea. We conclude our visit to Caesarea at the Roman theatre and hippodrome where chariot races were held. We will then visit Bethlehem where we will remember the wondrous account of the Savior’s birth as recorded in Mathew and Luke and retold each Christmas. We will walk through the Church of the Nativity and sing Christmas Carols. We will have time to shop in the best Olive Wood store in Israel, Nissan Brother in Bethlehem.
Day 14: October 23: Jerusalem
Our attention today is drawn to the Old City of Jerusalem. We will explore the ruins located south of the Temple Mount where you can walk the sidewalks and stairs of Jesus’ time. We will climb the Temple Mount where both Solomon’s and Herod’s temples once stood and where the magnificent Dome of the Rock and Al Aksa Mosques now stand. We will stop at the Western Wall, the most sacred site for the Jewish faith. You can write a prayer on a piece of paper and place it into the cracks of the wall as millions have done before you. We will then travel to the new city of Jerusalem and visit the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are located, and the Model City, a reproduction of Jerusalem at the time of Jesus. The day will end at your hotel in Jerusalem.
Day 15: October 24: Jerusalem – Beit Lehi
We will walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel, built over 2500 years ago to secure the water supply of Jerusalem during the Assyrian siege. You will need a flashlight for the tunnel. At its end, we find the Pool of Siloam where the man born blind washed as instructed by Jesus and came away seeing. We will then head to Beit Lehi to experience an archeological dig firsthand. Our visit to Beit Lehi includes beautiful early Christian mosaics, oil presses, a mikvah (a ritual bath) and the recently discovered columbary where doves were raised by the thousands for sacrifice at the Temple. There is also a New Testament period stable which will give you one of the best settings for the birth of the Savior. We will also stop at the Valley of Elah where David fought Goliath on our way back to Jerusalem.
Day 16: October 25: Jerusalem
Today we reach the spiritual pinnacle of our pilgrimage as we retrace the footsteps of our Savior during the last hours of his life and feel the deep appreciation these places create for the sacrifice of the Son of God. We begin on Mt. Zion at the traditional site of the Upper Room where the Last Supper was shared with devoted apostles. We visit St. Peter in Gallicantu, the possible site of the co*ck’s crowing, and the Palace of Caiaphas where Jesus was tried. From there we descend into the Kidron Valley to visit Gethsemane, the Garden of the Savior’s deepest prayers. In the afternoon we will enter the Old City and continue the last hours of the Savior’s life. We will visit The Church of St Anne where the Pools of Bethesda were located. Here Jesus commanded the impotent man to take up his bed and walk. We visit the Convent of the Sisters of Zion, the location of the Antonia Fortress where Pilate tried the Savior. Our highlight day concludes at Golgotha and the Garden Tomb where we will have time to ponder the Resurrection and final triumph of Christ. Late this evening we will transfer to the Tel Aviv airport to fly back to the US. (There is no hotel included this night). (Transfers are included if you booked our group airfare or your flight arrives on or before and departs on or after our group flights.)
Day 17: October 26: Fly Home
This morning we will fly back to the US.
