Spiritual Pilgrimage
​(flexible & tentative) Itinerary

We have created an a full 13-day itinerary including holy and fun sites in both Israel and Jordan (and back to Jerusalem).
13 days is $4037 + flight.
10-day mini-trip (no Jordan) is 3187 + flight.
All Price details and itinerary options can be found here. LINK
Reminder for Jordan add-on travelers ONLY: (separate envelopes may help).  all amounts are subject to change without prior notice
Entry visa to Jordan: US $ 57 per person 
Departure tax: US $ 15 per person 
Israel Exit Border tax: $62 per person 

FRIDAY March 17--Board your Friday overnight flight to Tel Aviv. and fly fly fly.

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SATURDAY March 18--Arrive in Tel Aviv between 2:35 pm-7:05 pm, go through passport control (stop at the kiosks on the mezzanine ahead of the lines), grab your luggage, and meet Kim and your Israeli guide on the ground floor Aroma Coffee Shop (to your right when exiting into the main lobby). We will get you settled with exchanging dollars for shekels or using the ATM. Then we'll load up our gear onto the bus and head to the coastal city of Tel Aviv (new location) (Night 1 at the Metropolitan Hotel) right on the Beachfront Promenade, have dinner and crash for the evening to recuperate from that long flight. 

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SUNDAY March 19--Awake feeling refreshed and enjoy a breakfast buffet and yummy Israeli coffee. Today will begin by driving to the Ancient Port of Caesarea and the Roman Aqueduct before we head over to Mount Carmel and see where God and Elijah defeated the "prophets" of Ba'al and take in a view of the Valley of Armageddon. Then drive down into Tel Megiddo National Park. We will continue through Nazareth with a quick stop in (one of) Jesus' hometown. Then descend into the Galilee region. And check into our hotel for the next three nights, a family run Ron Beach Hotel, right on the water of the Sea of Galilee. We'll have dinner together on site and you'll have a free evening or a team meeting to begin to process all that you've experienced so far.

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Check here for latest trip updates:
1-25-23. This group is now closed. 

Jordan add on

$910.00

adding Jordan for Sours :)

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Final balance of $1573 for full itinerary or $687 for mini-trip is due Jan 15th. If you are just joining us, you may pay in full or split into two payments. Checks should be mailed to
Ruth Israel Initiative
9 B Chatham Court
Pelham, AL 3524 
(It's 9 b as in boy, not 98)

march_17-27__30_2023_kirks_grand_junction_itinerary_file_77926.xlsx
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File Type:	xlsx

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Please check out the preparation items posted under the B-4 YOU GO tab above. 
Pricing, Options, and what to expect can be found HERE. 

MONDAY March 20--Christian Sites Day. Enjoy a breakfast buffet at our hotel. Load up the bus and drive off on our great adventure for the day. Order will depend on what time we can get tickets for our boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. ​Mount of Beatitudes, Jesus Boat museum and boat ride on the Galilee, St Peter's Primacy spot, Capernaum,  Magdela for tour and contemplation, Jordan River Baptism at Yardinit. A fish lunch is included today, likely at the En Gev Kibbutz, where you can also take a look around at a functional kibbutz. Back to Ron Beach Hotel for dinner. In the evening you can take a wander through town to the Boardwalk on your own.

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TUESDAY March 21-- Golan Heights Day. Breakfast at 7, load up bus by 8. (Big driving & adventure day). Drive north to the border with Syria at Mount Hermon and Mount Bental. Time of intercession on the border, and coffee or lunch there, depending on time. Then drive back south past some ancient volcanos(!) to Caesarea Philippi ("Who do you say that I am?" site). With time, we will hike over to the Banias waterfall and stair-hike out (you can ride bus to waterfall instead and wait for us while enjoying a made-in-front-of-you Druze snack of a hot pita and cheese if you're not feeling hike-ish today). Then we drive to Kfar Blum for a little kayak rafting trip down the Jordan River. And return to the Ron Beach Hotel for dinner and rest.

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WEDNESDAY March 22 -​Last morning to try early personal devotions on the Sea of Galilee, and breakfast, then check out. Driving south we stop at Bet She'an, then a walk (or swim) at  Gan Ha Slosha (the 3 pools/3 gardens), then a stop at Gideon's Spring. We will continue on toward Jerusalem, past Jericho and stop at  St. George's Monastery (video) (a.k.a. Valley of the Shadow of Death, see pic.) for an overview of a monastery carved into the cliff maybe meet some Bedouins selling their wares. Enter into Jerusalem and check into our Hotel, the Lady Stern Hotel. There should be some free time before dinner at the hotel.

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THURSDAY March 23-- Jerusalem Day!--Awake early and enjoy another wonderful breakfast. Early morning Orientation Tour walking on top of the Old City walls of Jerusalem (the ramparts walk) and explore David's Tower, on our way to Zion Gate, with intercession time on the Armenian and Jewish side toward the Western Wall Plaza. We'll stop at the Cardo for lunch options, then visit the top of the Mount of Olives and walk down to the Garden of Gethsemane for some contemplation time and then ride over to the empty Garden Tomb ​to celebrate the resurrection. Then back to the hotel for dinner.

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FRIDAY March 24--Today we start early (most things close around 2-3 pm today to prepare for celebrating the Shabbat rest & why yesterday was so full.) at the City of David  (active archaeological dig video)  to explore the refreshing Gihon Spring still flowing through Hezekiah’s Tunnel  (we're walking through it, so water shoes, shorts, and a flashlight are needed, tall people consider wearing a ball cap to let the bill run into the ceiling before your head does in some short spaces.) Then we will enjoy a glimpse into the future plans for the third temple at the Temple Institute. After another lunch array of options at the Cardo, we'll head toward Zion Gate and walk over to the "upper room" and David's Tomb and we will also see Caiaphas's house where Jesus was held overnight in the cistern. We will have some afternoon free time, then a delightful Shabbat dinner with wine at our hotel. 

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SATURDAY-SHABBAT March 25--Dead Sea Day! Bring your suit, towel, and water shoes if you're ready to brave the chill of the Dead Sea in Spring for a unique float. On our way out of Jerusalem we will drive by Bethlehem for a view. Our first stop will be Qumron, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Then hike up Ein Gedi ​, an oasis preserve in the desert wilderness. We can stop at the pools along the way. Then we head to Herod's desert fortress of  Masada (video), with its massive history for the Jewish people. We can stop at one of the Dead Sea beaches for your dip. Then we drive back to Jerusalem for our dinner and rest. 

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SUNDAY March 26 -- Final day for mini-itinerary. We will start near the Western Wall for the Davidson Center Archeological Park and the Southern Steps. Have your morning prayer time at the Western Wall (Kotel) before we venture underground in the Rabbinical Tunnels. We will come out of the tunnels in the Arab quarter and walk just a little to Saint Anne's Church and the  Pool of Bethesda. We'll take the Via Delarosa back and find some lunch in the Arab Quarter. Then head back out the Lion Gate for a ride over to the world's premiere Holocaust Memorial, Yad Vashem, for a two-hour visit and walk through history of World War II's effect on the Jewish people. We will ride back to our hotel for dinner and a little re-entry preparation as a team.

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MONDAY March 27​--Those departing with the B-mini-version of our trip will awake early to load the bus for the airport. Be dropped off and continue through security and board the early AM flight home. Fly all day,  and yet arrive home sometime in the later afternoon evening on the same day!
Those staying for the full trip will get a little sleep while the driver takes the early, early run to the airport, as we pack up and prepare to crossover to Jordan. We will check out mid-morning, ride to the Allenby Bridge border crossing, and be handed off to a new bus, driver, and guide for our Jordanian Journey. We will drive about 3 hours south toward our hotel (The Old Village Resort)  near Petra. We'll stop along the way at Madaba and Mt Nebo. Dinner will be at our hotel.

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TUESDAY March 28th--Early wake up in Petra to go view the remarkable Rose City of Ancient Petra. We'll wander through to see it all and have a horseback ride at one point during the day. In the afternoon we will head over to Wadi Rum, known as the "Valley of the Moon" because of the terrain,  where we'll enjoy a 2-hour Jeep tour in this wild and raw atmosphere. Then drive back for a 2nd night at The Old Village Resort. 

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WEDNESDAY March 29th--In the morning we will enjoy a mid-morning check out of our hotel and drive from Petra back up to the Allenby Bridge crossing and then we will cross over and be met by a new driver and bus to take us back to Israel to a the Shani Hotel very near Ben Yahuda Street shopping area for coffee, ice cream, shopping of all sorts or just wandering around the area, sit in a café and people watch. We will have dinner at our hotel. Repack/organize and get ready for a super early morning departure.

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THURSDAY March 30th--Check out early and leave for the airport for a morning flight. Fly fly fly and arrive home in the afternoon or evening this same day. (Flight details will be added once flights are purchased, approximately May or June 2022).

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Our Guide: Valerie Kantor
Qualified Israeli tour guide with over 35 years' experience as a professional midwife and registered nurse in Southern Africa, Israel and the UK. Possessing good interpersonal and communication skills and a passion for sharing knowledge and experience gained in diverse cultures and contexts provide a well-rounded approach to leading tour groups in Israel.