The Holy Land & Egypt

Today we embark on our journey to the Holy Land. We prepare ourselves for a life-changing experience. Get some rest on the overnight flight. Meals are served onboard.

Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, make your way to the baggage claim area and collect your luggage. Proceed to Arrival Hall, where your tour guide and/or driver will greet you. Transfer to your hotel in Galilee to check-in and enjoy dinner.

Following breakfast, we will drive to northern Haifa to celebrate Mass in Stella Maris, a Carmelite Monastery. The monastery is located above the cave where Elijah, the prophet, once lived. We continue to Mount Carmel, the place where the prophet Elijah was hiding from the queen Jezebel. After that we drive to Cana where you will visit the Franciscan Wedding Church. Couples will have the opportunity to participate in a ceremony for renewal of their wedding vows. We then continue to Nazareth to visit the Church of the Annunciation where the Archangel Gabriel announced the Birth of Christ. With its two floors, it is considered the largest basilica in the Middle East. In the vicinity of that church is the Church of St. Joseph, which, according to tradition, was the place where the Holy Family lived. The current church was built over a Crusader church in 1914.

We will visit the Church of the Transfiguration that is located on Mt. Tabor, according to the Gospel account of the Transfiguration of the Lord. Holy Mass is celebrated there on Mt. Tabor. After that we drive to the Golan Heights where we visit Caesarea Philippi. We remember there the great confession of St. Peter that Jesus is the Son of the Living God. Then we drive to Lake Tiberius (the Sea of Galilee). We visit the Mount of Beatitudes where Jesus proclaimed the Sermon on the Mount, continue to the church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish, and to Capernaum which is well known as the town of Jesus. Before the end of the day we will enjoy a boat ride on the lake. Overnight in Galilee.

Driving through the Jordan Valley with its fertile land we reach the oldest city in the world, Jericho. Visit the Mt. of Temptations, and celebrate a Holy Mass in the Good Shepherd Church, the place where Jesus fasted forty days in the desert and was tempted by the devil. In Jericho, see the sycamore tree where we remember the story of Zacchaeus. After that we go to the traditional baptismal site on the Jordan River where we can renew our baptismal vows. Then we will have the possibility to float on the water in the Dead Sea. On our way to Bethlehem we will visit Bethany, the home of the siblings Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, as well as that of Simon the Leper and the site of the reputed Tomb of Lazarus.

We start the day by visiting the Mount of Olives. The Church of Pater Noster is the place where we remember Jesus teaching the disciples how to pray. Then we go on foot to view the Old City of Jerusalem. Walk down the Palm Sunday route, passing the Tombs of the Prophets, the Jewish Cemeteries to Dominus Flevit and there celebrate a Mass. The teardrop-shaped church reminds us of Jesus crying over Jerusalem. Then we continue to the Church of All Nations also known as the Church of the Agony or Gethsemane. According to tradition this is the place where Jesus had his agony before he was arrested and given into the hands of the Romans. The Garden of Gethsemane still has some old olive trees that might go back to the time of Jesus. The Church of All Nations still holds the rock where Jesus prayed. Then driving some minutes around the Old City we reach Mount Zion. There we visit the church of Dormition Abbey, the site of the Assumption of Mary. In the crypt of the church we can see the statue of Our Lady in a sleeping position. Just three minutes’ walk away we find the Cenacle, the Upper Room, where we remember the Last Supper of our Lord, the place of the New Covenant. Close by is the Tomb of David. The tomb that was built by the Crusaders as an honorary tomb was the holiest place for the Jews until 1967. Continue to the Church of St. Peter in Galicanto where we remember the crying of Peter after he denied Jesus. Of interest are the dungeons under the church, which are a good example of Roman prisons. Overnight in Bethlehem.

We start the day by going through the Lions Gate that is marked with two panthers on each side of the gate. St Ann’s Church and the Pools of Bethesda are only some meters away. That is the place where we remember the healing of the cripple who was there for 38 years and the birth of Mary. Walk through the Way of the Cross – that believers have walked at least since the 14th Century – to remember the Passion of Our Lord. We finish at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, which is one of the holiest places in Christianity, and visit the Holy Tomb, with a Mass at the church. After Jerusalem, we continue on our way to the town in the Judean Hills called Ein Karim. The place of the Visitation, where Our Lady visited Elisabeth and the Church of John the Baptist, the place where he was born, are the main attractions of the city. Continue to the shepherds’ fields where we remember the Angel of God giving the good news to the shepherds. Follow the path of the shepherds to the birthplace of Our Lord. The Church of the Nativity is considered to be one of the oldest churches in the world. The church is standing tall above the cave where Jesus was born. The cave of St. Jerome where he translated the Bible is also worth a visit. Overnight in Bethlehem.

This morning we head south to cross the border between Israel & Egypt (this will take us around 6 hours from Bethlehem – driving time, plus passing through borders and checking our visas). We continue to our hotel in St. Catherine, near Mt. Sinai, for dinner and overnight.

After breakfast we visit Saint Catherine Monastery, which is set beneath Mt. Sinai, where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments. Saint Catherine Monastery has been one of the world’s great centers of religious pilgrimage for over fifteen centuries. Within its imposing walls it rests as a citadel like no other, incredibly rich in important religious and historical structures. Among its treasures is a library of ancient manuscripts and icons second only to the Vatican. Continue our way to Cairo for a dinner and overnight (5:30 Hours).

Today we visit the Egyptian Museum. This is a place of true discovery and without a doubt is one of the greatest collections of all time. Over 250,000 genuine artifacts are presented, including an exhibit dedicated to the Tut-Ankh-Amon collection of treasures, gold, and jewelry, as it was enclosed in his tomb for over 3,500 years before it was excavated. We then visit the great Pyramids – Cheops, Chephren & Mykerinos. Cheops is the most colossal ever built. Next is a close-up look at the Sphinx. Dinner and overnight in Cairo.

This morning we start our day by visiting the Citadel and Mohamed Ali mosque. We then visit Abu Sergha Church. Later we travel to Khan Bazaars. The Khan El-Khalili is one of the most interesting bazaars, not only in Egypt but also in the whole Middle East.

A very early morning departure for the Cairo Airport for our flight back Home.