10-day Israel Trip, with travel days
Cost: $2850 each, land only (20-24 people, if we get 25 people on the team or more, everyone's price comes down to $2700.) On the ground: 7 nights, 8 days, plus 2 travel days.
The locations where we stop will remain flexible throughout our time together as no location stop can be guaranteed, thus is the nature of international travel and Israeli traffic.
Day 1 (Saturday, June 20, 2026) Travel Day
Your group flight departs at [TBA in Aug/Sept 2025]. (You may of course purchase your own flight and meet us in Tel Aviv, time TBA). Meet your group at the airport to check in together for your group flight. You need to arrive at RNO and begin to check in a FULL three hours ahead of boarding, to make sure your luggage and security all goes smoothly! Likely a layover on the East Coast and maybe Europe too. Day 2 (Sunday, June 21) Arrival Day! Fly and fly, and finally arrive in Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport (hopefully around 3:30 pm). Go through Foreign Entry Customs, grab your luggage, exchange any cash you want or use an ATM, then trickle through to meet Kim and our guide in the group meet up point to the far-right corner of the Entry Lobby. (Tables and chairs with space for piles of luggage, and near a rest room.) We'll load up and ride our bus (a/c & Wi-Fi, but no bathroom) Straight to Jerusalem! (about an hour's drive once we are on the highway). Dinner will be available in the hotel and then get some restorative rest. Prima Park Hotel for 4 nights. Day 3 (Monday, June 22) Jerusalem Orientation Day After a bountiful Israeli breakfast with rich Israeli coffee and juices, we will start with a bang: first stop is the Western Wall for personal prayer. Then we head underground to explore the Rabbinical tunnels for an underground tour of Jerusalem. We will continue from the end of this tour to the Pool of Bethesda (no water for swimming anymore). We will take time to sing some worship in the beautiful acoustics of Saint Anne's Church. You can explore and see thousands of years of layers of civilization here! We will walk part of the Via Delarosa Street on our way to find lunch options in the Arab Quarter. Then we head out of Lion Gate and have a moment to view the Golden Gate/Gate Beautiful on our walk down and back up to the Garden of Gethsemane. We will see the olive trees, have time for contemplation and visit the beautiful Church of the Prayer of All Nations on site. The bus will come pick us up and drive us back to the hotel for the night. Day 4 (Tuesday, June 23) After breakfast our first stop will be a visit to the Garden Tomb where we will have communion and worship together and get to step inside the empty tomb! From there we will ride over to Caiaphas's house to stand in the cistern where Jesus may have been held prisoner before his crucifixion. See Zion Gate in the Armenian Quarter, visit a replica Upper Room for some "Come, Holy Spirit" time and perhaps stop by King David's tomb (not much to see, but to say you were there). Then we have a highlight adventure in the City of David (active archaeological dig video) We will watch a quick 3D movie about tunnel engineering before we change into our water shoes & submerge into a 533-meter underground tunnel containing the Gihon Spring (up to 2.5 feet deep) in Hezekiah’s Tunnel. It's very close quarters (as small as 16 inches wide in some places & definitely watch your head!) for~ 1 KM, and completely dark so bring a flashlight or headlamp! If you’re claustrophobic or just need a break, you’re welcome to grab an ice cream or coffee and chill or talk to some locals on the shaded patio and wait. We will come out at the Pool of Siloam and take a bus back up to the entrance of the City of David to pick up anyone as needed. After dinner back at our hotel, we will wrap up the day with a group reflection on our two days activities with the Trinity and each other so far! Day 5 (Wednesday, June 24) We start our day on TOP of the Old City Ramparts (walls) to walk around part of the city from a new vantage point. Because of many steep and uneven stairs, there is an option to walk at street level for this 45 mins and meet us. When coming down from the walls we will go to a Geological Park near the Western Wall where you'll sit on the Southern Steps where Jesus and the disciples taught. We will walk up to the ancient Cardo for lunch and some modern art and shopping. The afternoon will have options. From 2-5:30 pm, individuals can choose to ride the bus over to Yad Vashem, the world's premier Holocaust Memorial for a couple of hours (3-5), have more shopping time at Ben Yahuda Street, stay at the hotel, or wander until you find a little cafe to people watch. Dinner will be back at the hotel. Day 6 (Thursday, June 25) Transfer South toward The Dead Sea Today after an early breakfast, we check out, load the bus for our long drive. But before we leave Jerusalem, there's one more highlight adventure! We will stop at the Temple Mount Sifting Project to practice some real archeology by washing rubble from the Temple Mount and looking for signs of civilization past! (don't worry training is involved and all buckets get reviewed by a professional). We stop for some teaching and iconic family pics (relaxed) at the Mount of Olives' view of the city. Back on the bus we make our way toward the Dead Sea. As we ride along the Dead Sea coastal road to Ein Gedi where David hid from King Saul and hike up to David’s waterfall. Bring wet/dry sandals for hiking and a bathing suit because you can climb into any number of enticing blue pools or waterfalls and the desert air will dry you off before you return to the bus! We will have the afternoon free to enjoy the resort, the spa if you choose to book an appointment, the Dead Sea and pools. Dinner will be a feast of a buffet, and you can try everything! David Dead Sea Resort and Spa (1 night) Day 7 (Friday June 26) North to the Galilee Don't miss a stunning sunrise over the Jordanian mountains across the Dead Sea (Biblical Mountains of Moab) with an in-room instant coffee (better in Israel than the US). After an incredible Israeli breakfast feast, we pack up and start at Qumron, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947. Along the way we will stop at Bet She'an, where once David went in to remove the bodies of King Saul and his sons, later this Roman Baths spa-city became a haven for the Christian community until it collapsed and was frozen in time by an 8th century earthquake. As we approach the Galilee city of Tiberias, we will pause at an arm of the Jordan River for an optional baptism ($15 includes a towel, gown and access to hot showers, changing rooms). Then we continue toward our hotel in time for dinner. This hotel is new to me, but the pics look fun! Ohalo Manor Hotel for 2 nights. Day 8 (Saturday, June 27) Christian Sites around the Sea of Galilee Day Another delightful breakfast buffet! Then we will visit some Jesus-Biblical sites around the Galilee today. Today's itinerary is flexible as all sites are fairly close together, and their order will depend on the time the boat pilot is able to accommodate us. We'll stop at the Jesus Boat Museum and take a 50 minute "cruise" on the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum to see Peter's home near a 300-B.C. Synagogue. We will spend time at the Mount of Beatitudes overlooking the Galilee region. and visit St Peter's Primacy, the church site near the sea where Jesus restored Peter's soul over breakfast while talking about sheep. Lunch today is covered. We will eat at a touristy sit-down restaurant where you'll have a choice of entrees. After dinner at the hotel, we will have another team reflection time as we unpack all our experiences with the Lord in the Land! Day 9 (Sunday, June 28) Finale Day & Transfer to Airport We pack up everything in the bus, check out and head to our first contemplative time today, at Magdela, the hometown of Mary Magdalene and a 2009-discovery of a 1st-century synagogue where Jesus would have preached! We will drive by Nazareth and through the Valley of Armageddon on our way to Megiddo National Park to explore some ancient ruins that will come back into prominence at the "end of the story" God is writing in the Earth. Our last big stop is the ancient Port of Caesarea Maritima. Our dinner will be a picnic (vegetarian or meat options) on the Mediterranean Sea beach at the Ancient Roman Aqueduct as the sun starts to set. Then say la hitraot ("see you later") to Israel on our way to the airport. The bus and guide will drop off our group at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. Then board your flight home. Departing at 11:15 or TBA. There will be a second dinner offered on your flight, if you have room to eat again by then. Day 10 (Monday, June 29) Travel Day Today will be super long as you fly west with the night. You should arrive back home via a layover or two by Monday evening, California time, carrying memories and pictures galore and new and deepening relationships with the Lord God of Israel and friends from your church family! (Parents, we do recommend if at all possible, taking Tuesday afternoon off work after 1:30 or 2pm when jet lag will hit pretty hard, as this itinerary and flight are exhausting!) All the Details You Really
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