Day 1 - On the drive to Jerusalem, familiar names will catch your attention all along the way. Begin with a magnificent view over the Golden City from atop the Mount of Olives; then, walk through the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus spent the last moments before his arrest. Re-board your coach for the short drive to Mt. Zion, where you will visit the Room of the Last Supper. Enter the Old City via the Zion Gate for a walk through the Jewish Quarter and the Roman Cardo to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Emperor Constantine constructed a vast sanctuary here, on the site of Christ’s resurrection. Inside the church you will see the five last Stations of the Cross. After a pleasant lunch, drive to Bethlehem. There, you will visit the Church of Nativity built above the place where Christ is said to have been born. The actual Cave of the Nativity is a small crypt with a vaulted masonry roof. Poor Bethlehem families used the rocky hollows of the region as stables or dwellings, so the tradition that places the Nativity in a cave is not at odds with the story of the manger. After checking in and enjoying dinner at your hotel in Jerusalem, you’ll set off on a drive around the magnificently illuminated Old Town walls, stopping at the Dung Gate for a moonlit visit to the Western (or Wailing) Wall. This is the last vestige of the ramparts that surrounded the Holy Temple of the Jews built by King Solomon. Take time to touch the stones before returning to your hotel.
Day 2 – After an early breakfast drive to Masada Fortress, located in the Judean Desert and looming high above the Dead Sea’s desolated landscape. In King Herod’s days Masada was a luxurious refuge complete with magnificent palaces and excavated rock cisterns to provide water supplies. Around A.D. 73, after a prolonged Roman siege, nearly 1,000 members of the Jewish faith took their own lives rather than face a future of slavery. A cable car will take you to the summit for a walk around the site of this last stand. Among the fascinating landmarks are the casement wall, the Northern Palace, the synagogue, cisterns, the Western Palace and the Roman ramp. Back down on the desert floor, you will drive to a hotel on the shores of the Dead Sea to enjoy a buffet lunch in the lowest place on the surface of our planet. After lunch you'll have the opportunity to take an 'unsinkable' swim in the extremely salty, mineral rich water of the Dead Sea. In the early afternoon, you will drive south to the Arava Border Crossing and enter Jordan. Your coach will take you to your hotel near Petra in time for dinner at the hotel.
DAY 3 - After an early breakfast and hotel check-out, spend the morning hours exploring the magnificent site of Petra—a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The early hours of the day are the ideal time to see Petra, when the red rock displays its most vibrant colors. At the entrance, horses are available for the 10-minute walk to the Siq Canyon. The imposing and beautiful Siq is, in itself, one of the main attractions in Petra—it is a narrow passageway deeply incised into the rock and the walk through it takes about 30 minutes. The effort is rewarded by that awe-inspiring moment of first setting foot in Petra. Petra is an archaeological, anthropological, and geological phenomenon, with a history as colorful as the sandstone rock from which it was carved. The walk among the buildings and ruins is made easy by the endless sights and fascinating facts revealed along the way. Leaving Petra before noon, you will stop for a buffet lunch at a local restaurant; then, drive back to the Arava border crossing for a domestic flight back to Tel Aviv Airport where you will meet your transfer to your ship waiting at Ashdod Port.
Please note: Modest attire is required; knees, shoulders and midriffs must be covered. Pack in particular comfortable walking shoes , bathing suit, head cover from the sun, sunscreen lotion. You must bring your passport for the visit to Bethlehem. There is a strenuous walk into and out of the Petra site along an inclined path that includes slippery and unpaved surfaces, suitable only for participants who are physically fit. It is approximately a half-mile walk (each way) from the entrance to the site to the beginning of the Siq (canyon). From there, participants must walk 2 miles (each way) through the canyon all the way to the ruins. Temperatures are high -- easily 105° at Petra. Please realistically assess your physical fitness and ability prior to booking. Shade is limited; please dress accordingly. Bring water. While there are a limited number of carriages, camels and donkeys available at Petra for transportation (at your own expense), they are strictly on a first-come, first-served basis and their use is in no way encouraged as they are not insured. If you choose to take the horse-drawn carriage, you do so at your own risk and there will be no narration during the bumpy ride that ends at the Treasury building. Your carriage driver will schedule a meeting time with you in front of the Treasury Building for the return ride. Expect delays; 20 minutes late is not considered late in Jordan. Guests wishing to arrange for a carriage ride must do so directly with their guide and pay the guide, not the carriage driver. Not suitable for guests using a wheelchair or for those with mobility limitations. Even if you engage a carriage or service animal, you must still travel on foot over uneven and inclined terrain in order to completely view the site. No guest is obliged to stay with the guided tour; guests who they feel they cannot continue (taking into consideration the return walk) can leave the group and return to the entrance on their own. Important: visas for Jordan will be obtained by the tour operator one week prior to the tour and guests do not need to obtain visas in advance.