Your pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on an overnight flight.

You will be welcomed at the Tel Aviv airport by our representative and transferred to your hotel in Tiberias to enjoy dinner before retiring for the night.

We start our day at the Yigal Alon Museum on Kibbutz Ginosar, where we see the wreck of a 2,000-year-old fishing boat from the time of Jesus that was found just off its coast. Worship as you sail across the Sea of Galilee. Visit Capernaum, center of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee, and visit the synagogue built on the site where Jesus taught (Matthew 4:13, 23). On the Mount of Beatitudes, contemplate the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7). Explore the Church of the Fish and the Loaves at Tabgha, traditional site of the feeding of the 5,000 (Luke 9:10-17). See the Chapel of the Primacy, where Peter professed his devotion three times to the risen Christ (John 21). In Magdala, once home to Mary Magdalene, visit a recently discovered first-century synagogue. Walk the streets of Bethsaida, one of the "cities of woe" mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 11 and where Jesus chose five of His disciples (Matt. 4: 18-21; John 1: 39-51). Return to your hotel in Tiberias.

Visit and renew your baptismal vows at the baptismal site of Qasr el Yahud, where tradition says Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. Just off the Roman road that Jesus “walked,” is the Wadi Qelt gorge, site of the Monastery of St. George. Journey to Jericho (considered the oldest city in the world) to visit the ruins of the ancient city conquered by Joshua (Josh. 6:1). From Jericho, in the distance you can see the traditional site of the Temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4:1). Visit Shiloh the newly refurbished and rebranded Tel of Shiloh, where the archeological remains of the Tabernacle Lie. This visit includes the newly finished visitor’s center, which includes a viewing station as well as an interactive multi-media presentation in which visitors can pick any number of historical guides to give explanations of different parts of the ancient site. Check in to your hotel near the Dead Sea.

Travel to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. End your day with the opportunity to take a dip in the mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea. We’ll journey to the oasis of Ein Gedi, & hike to the waterfall where David and his men sought refuge from Saul (1 Samuel 23). Enjoy a visit to Masada, the spectacular mountaintop fortress built by Herod that later became the final tragic stronghold of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans. Ride the cable car to the top to explore the fortress and look down upon the remains of the Roman camps and siege ramp below. Stop at the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, for an opportunity to take a quick dip in the mineral-laden waters. Return to your hotel in the Dead Sea area.

Start today in Beer Sheva, where Abraham lived and dug seven wells (meaning of the name Beer Sheva Gen 26:23). Visit Sde Boker and the historic house museum of the former Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben Gurion. Continue to Maktesh Ramon, home to the Ramon crater and the largest nature preserve in Israel. Check in to your hotel in Eilat.

Visit the Yotvata Dairy to learn about raising animals and dairy production in the Arava desert environment. After some ice cream, travel to Timna for a visit of the full-scale model of the Wildness Tabernacle described in the Book of Exodus. Journey back north to Bethlehem, visit the cave revered as Jesus’ birthplace and see the Church of the Nativity constructed over the site (Matthew 1:18-25). Gaze out over Shepherds’ Field before returning to Jerusalem.

Begin your day with a group picture taken from the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-12). Walk the Palm Sunday Road, along the way stop at the Chapel of Dominus Flevit where Jesus wept over the fate of Jerusalem. Pray in the Garden of Gethsemane and envision the scenes of the night before Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 26:36 - 44). Continue to Mount Zion to visit the House of the High Priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was questioned the night of His betrayal (Matthew 26:57). Meditate on the events of the Last Supper as you visit the traditional location of the Upper Room (Mark 14:12-26). After lunch, wander through the excavations of the City of David. Explore Hezekiah's Tunnel, an amazing engineering feat that was dug from either end, the ends met in the middle! (Note: Those who are claustrophobic may want to meet the group at the other end of the tunnel!). Visit the Pool of Siloam, recently uncovered at the foot of the City.

Visit the Gan Bonei Yerushaliym Garden of the Builders of Jerusalem to view the remains of walls from several different periods of ancient Israelite history. Explore ancient Jerusalem at the Teaching Steps and the Western Wall. View the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle (John 5:1-18). Sing a hymn in the Church of St. Anne and experience its rich acoustics. Visit Herod’s Antonia Fortress, where Jesus appeared before Pontius Pilate (Luke 23:1) and follow in Christ’s steps on the Via Dolorosa (“the Way of the Cross”). At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, take time to reflect on His sacrificial love. Visit the Garden Tomb for a time of reflection and communion.

Return to the USA