The Holy Land

Head to the seaside district of Yafo, the cradle of tel Aviv, whose history was traced back to a 1800 BCE settlement on a coastal rocky ridge, with a natural harbor from which Jonah set sail (Jonah 1:3).

Walk through

Enjoy the ride along the coastal plain as you head north.

Walk through the excavated city that King Herod the Great built roughly between c. 20 BC and 10 BC, and which he named in honor of his patron, Caesar Augustus. See the enormous Roman Theater, the ancient port, and the Crusader fortress.

Step onto the ancient site associated with the Battle of Armageddon. Excavations have revealed 26 layers dating back to 3500 BCE. Devastated many times through history, Megiddo has come to represent the last battle between Good and Evil that's mentioned in the Book of Revelation. See it as it was in the time of King Solomon.

Travel up Har HaKarmel, a mountain range called el-Muhraqa in Arabic.

Stop in Muhraqa, a sacred site where the Prophet Elijah challenged the Prophets of Baal. Take in the panoramic view of the Valley of Jezreel, Samaria, and the coast.

Proceed to Israel's third-largest city.

Set out for Galilee, the region that was home to Jesus for the first thirty years of his life.

Stop in the largest city of Galilee, where Jesus spent His boyhood.

View the Grotto of the Virgin, site of the Angel Gabriel's apparition to the Virgin Mary, as you visit the Basilica of the Annunciation.

Continue to the town of Kafr Kanna, identified by Christians as the biblical town of Cana.

Visit the church built on the site of Jesus' first miracle, when He turned water into wine.

Proceed to a fishing village that dates back to the time of the Second Temple and is associated with Jesus' ministry in Galilee.

This tour will have you walking in footsteps thousands of years old on your way to the remains of a synagogue built on the foundations of a 1st century synagogue where Jesus taught (Mark 1:21).

Walk into the church built over the excavated site of a first century house believed to have been the house of "Simon, called Peter," which served as a meeting place of early Christians.

Drive on to the shores of the Sea of Galilee and to the city that was named Tveria in honor of the Roman emperor Tiberius.

Journey down the Jordan Valley, past the Roman relics of Beth Shean.

View caves where, in 1947, a Bedouin shepherd boy discovered the first manuscripts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. They were written between the third century BCE and 68 CE, when the site was destroyed by the Romans.

Continue to the Holy City, which recently celebrated 3,000 years of history since its establishment by King David as the capital of his kingdom.

Travel to the Judean desert's natural fortress of Masada, which has been described as a site of majestic beauty and as one of the greatest symbols of the ancient kingdom of Israel.

Ride up to the Herodian fortress built on top of an isolated rocky promontory. There, in 74 CE, 960 Jewish rebels withstood three months of siege by 15,000 Roman soldiers, and in the end chose death over surrender.

Your walk back down the hill twill take you along the path known as the Roman Ramp.

See the excavated ruins of palaces and baths, of an ancient synagogue and of as a chapel built by Byzantine monks.

Continue to the lowest place on earth.

Wade in Yam Hamelach (the Sea of Salt), where water evaporates faster than it can be replenished by the River Jordan. It's salty, so you'll float easily! And you may reap health benefits as both water and mud are hailed for their healing properties. This sea isn't really dead: despite the elevated salt level, minute forms of life are sustained by freshwater springs on the seafloor.

Today, discover the fertile valley of Elah where, for centuries, shepherds have watched over their flocks, and farmers have grown crops and tended vineyards, as they do to this day.

Most good things must come to an end. In a few days you have traversed thousands of years, seen the holiest of sites in the land that fostered the world's three monotheistic faiths, and walked alongside members of diverse groups who all belong to the People of the Book. You'll arrive home later today, eager to share your discoveries with family and friends.