SNEAK PEEK!
Focus Travel Club Presents
Holy Land - Israel & Jordan
An Exclusive 14 day Custom FTC Adventure
$7,995 per person double occupancy
May 5 - 18, 2020
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Included Features
• Overnight, Tel Aviv, Sea of Galilee (Tiberias), Jerusalem, Dead Sea, Petra & Amman
• Great Hotels, Sea View Rooms in Tel Aviv & Dead Sea, Lake view rooms in Tiberias
• Breakfast & Dinner Daily, a special lunch of Saint Peter’s Fish in the Sea of Galilee
• Sailing on an ancient-style wooden boat and visit Magiddo
• Tour the Western Wall Tunnel, Old City and walk along Via Dolorosa
• Visit the site where Dead Sea Scrolls were found
• Petra, Bedouin horse carriage ride to the famous Treasury
• Ascend Mount Nebo and visit Madaba
• Tour Manager throughout the program
• Roundtrip Air from Denver
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Day 1 - May 5, 2020: Overnight Flight from Denver to Tel Aviv
Our “Holy Land - Israel & Jordan” adventure begins as we board our jetliner. Time en route to enjoy the friendly service while we become acquainted with our fellow travelers and read up on the fascinating areas we will soon be visiting.
Day 2 - May 6, 2020: Arrive Tel Aviv (D)
Upon arrival in Tel Aviv, meet your local Tour Manager at baggage claim. Board your private, deluxe motorcoach for a transfer to your hotel.
Dinner at hotel tonight.
Overnight in Tel Aviv: Herods Hotel
Day 3 - May 7, 2020: Tel Aviv - Galilee (B,D) Breakfast at hotel
Depart this morning for Galilee. Travel the Plain of Sharon to Caesarea Maritime, an ancient Roman city now an archeological park located on the Mediterranean Sea and 60 miles from Jerusalem. Constructed by Herod the Great between 22 and 10 BC, Caesarea figures prominently in the religious history of the area. Herod built a great Roman temple here dedicated to Augustus. Half a century later, Peter and Paul visited the city (recorded in the new testament book of Acts). During you time here you will view the theatre, the Roman ruins and the Roman aqueduct. Next stop at Muhraqa where Elijah defeated the false prophets of Baal. Muhraqa offers a splendid overview of the Valley of Jezreel. Visit to MAGIDDO, the Armageddon site. Megiddo, one of the most important archeological sites in Israel, dates from the time of the Bible and is now a beautiful and impressive national park. Thought to be the site of Armageddon in the Book of Revelations, it is a UNESCO site and contains the impressive remains of several civilizations. It was one of King Solomon’s chariot cities built over at least 20 previous civilizations. Next, arrive in Sea of Galilee in the late afternoon in time to check in to your hotel for a 2-night stay.
Dinner at local restaurant
Overnight in Sea of Galilee: Leonardo Plaza Hotel
Day 4 - May 8, 2020: Sea of Galilee (B,L,D) Breakfast at hotel
Today, head out for a sail on the Sea of Galilee on a wooden boat resembling the ones of ancient days. A highlight is when our Capitan cuts the motor and we are surrounded by landscapes sacred for thousands of years. Here Jesus walked on the water (John 6:19-21), calmed a storm (Matt 8: 23-26) and showed the disciples miraculous catches of fish (Luke 5: 1-8; John 21:1-6). After our boat ride, we board our coach to visit the Church of Beatitudes also called the Church of the Sermon on the Mount. Located on a small hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee, the Mount of Beatitudes is the traditional site of Jesus’ delivery of the Sermon on the Mount, probably the most famous sermon of all time. We enjoy a special lunch of Saint Peter’s fish today. After lunch we go on to visit Tabgha, a small area on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, famous for its shady trees and excellent fishing. Here, the miracle of the loaves and fishes occurred during Jesus’ Galilean ministry. We also visit the Church of the Primacy where Peter made his first confession. Next, we visit Capernaum, frequently mentioned in the gospels (Mt 9: 1; Mk 2: 1 and 13), the Lord’s home city for two years. Here we visit St. Peter’s house. Time this evening to walk along the shore of Galilee or visit the Tomb of Maimonidies.
Overnight in Sea of Galilee: Leonardo Plaza Hotel
Day 5 - May 9, 2020: Sea of Galilee - Jerusalem (B,D) Breakfast at hotel
After breakfast, we leave Tiberias to travel past the “Horns of Hattin” where Saladin defeated the Crusaders. We visit Cana (where Jesus performed his first miracle) before continuing to Nazareth. The city is famous as the hometown of Jesus. Many times, it is called the home of Mary and Joseph. Here, we visit the Basilica of the Annunciation and the Well of Mary. The Basilica is believed to be the place where the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she was chosen to bear the son of God. It houses artwork from around the world, and the remains of Crusader and Byzantine churches. The dome rises high above the city and reminds the visitor that the Basilica is the largest church in the Middle East. Next, we drive up the Jordan Valley to Bet Shean to visit the wellpreserved theatre. Stop in Jericho Where we visit Elisha’s Spring, view the Mount of Temptation, and explore the Tel (regarded by many as the oldest site of civilization on our planet.)
Dinner in Jerusalem at a local restaurant
Please note: Late check in due to Shabbat – Not before 07:00pm
Overnight in Jerusalem: Leonardo Plaza Hotel
Day 6 - May 10, 2020: Jerusalem - Bethlehem - Jerusalem (B,L,D) Breakfast at hotel
Jerusalem Is first mentioned in the Bible during the time of Abraham as “Salem” which means Peace (Gen 14; 18) and is later known as Jabus (Judges 19: 10, 11). It is also called Zion and “City of David” (ii Samuel 6: 12-17, and 1 Chronicles 15). After our first breakfast in Jerusalem we meet our guide and visit the traditional site of the Ascension, Pater Noster Church, walk the Palm Sunday Road to Dominus Flevit, and continue to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of All Nations. This afternoon we travel south to Bethlehem where we will visit Manger Square, the church of the Nativity, the Grotto of Saint Jerome where he translated the Vulgate and St. Catherine’s Church from which Christmas is televised throughout the world. Included today is a special lunch of Arab specialties and time to shop for olivewood handcrafted articles.
Dinner at local restaurant.
Overnight in Jerusalem: Leonardo Plaza Hotel
Day 7 - May 11, 2020: Jerusalem (B,D) Breakfast at hotel
This morning we drive to the Temple Mount where El Akas Mosque and the Dome of the Rock are found. Next, we enter the walled Old City of Jerusalem and visit the Western Wall Tunnel to see the hidden layers of the wall revealed underground which tell the story of ancient Jerusalem. Honeycombing the very ground on which pilgrims and tourists now walk are the remnants of 3,000 years of continuous civilization built on top of each other. Next, walk along the Via Dolorosa and the stations of the cross including the Convent of Ecce Homo to view the Lithostrotos (the actual stones on which Jesus was scourged) and continue to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Our Lord was both crucified and where he rose from the dead. Visit Mount Zion to view the Upper Room of the Last Supper (Mark 14, 13, Luke 22: 10-38, Matt 26: 17-29 Acts 1: 13 and Acts 2 the Pentecost) and King David’s traditional tomb. We continue to visit the fabulous Saint Peter Church in Gallicantu built on the slopes of Mount Zion in1931. According to tradition, this was the place of the palace of high priest Caiaphas where Jesus was brought to jail after his arrest. Its name, Gallicantu, meaning the cock’s crow, was given after the story of Peter’s denial of Christ and the cock crowing twice. Tonight, we have dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight in Jerusalem: Leonardo Plaza Hotel
Day 8 - May 12, 2020: Jerusalem - Dead Sea (B,D) Breakfast at hotel
Today, we enjoy another wonderful day as our guide takes us to the natural and historic highlights of the Dead Sea Area. After breakfast we board our coach and head south from Jerusalem to the Judean Desert and the ruins of Qumran, a 2000-year-old village most notable as the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in nearby caves. We tour the site and the caves before continuing to the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. Here we will enjoy a gentle walk through the reserve visiting the springs and waterfalls and taking in the contrast between this lush oasis and the stark desert scenery which surrounds it. Arrive at your Dead Sea Hotel and have some free time to enjoy the Spa, local facilities and swim in the Dead Sea. Dinner at hotel tonight.
Overnight in Dead Sea: Herods Hotel
Day 9 - May 13, 2020: Dead Sea (B,D) Breakfast at hotel
This morning drive to one of Israel’s most remarkable historic sites: Masada, Herod’s retreat high above the Judean wilderness. We ascend by cable car and tour the ruins. It was on Masada that nearly 1,000 Jews resisting Roman rule held out against the forces of the Roman armies before taking their own lives rather than surrendering to the Romans. We return to our hotel for a free afternoon at the Dead Sea.
Dinner at hotel tonight. Overnight in Dead Sea: Herods Hotel
Day 10 - May 14, 2020: Dead Sea - Petra (B,D) Breakfast at hotel
This morning we check out of our hotel, board our coach and say goodbye to Israel as we head to the Allenby Bridge and cross into Jordan. Next, we travel on to Karak (62 km from Madaba) imposingly situated on an almost isolated hilltop with a magnificent view in all directions. One of the chief cities of the kingdom of Moab, the present remains are of Crusader origin. Of principal interest is the Citadel which we will visit during our stop. Kerak’s origins go back long before the Crusaders; the earliest remains are Iron Age shortly after the Exodus when this was a part of Moab. The fortress was built in 1,142 by Payaen le Bouteiller, lord of the province of Oultre Jourdain. He made Kerak the new capital of the province, for it was superbly situated on The King’s Highway, where it could control all traffic from north to south and grow rich by the imposition of road-tolls. Its doom was prophesied by Isaiah (16:7) who mentions its raisin-cakes, presumably a local specialty. Then it falls out of history until the Byzantine period, when it was important enough to have an archbishop. Following our Karak visit we continue south through the lands of the Biblical Moabites, Edomites and Ammonites to Petra, one of the world’s most magnificent and memorable antiquities. Check in to the hotel for 2 nights.
Dinner at hotel tonight.
Overnight in Petra: Movenpick Hotel
Day 11 - May 15, 2020: Petra (B,D) Breakfast at hotel.
This morning after breakfast we enjoy a highlight of our tour with a full day tour of Petra. Our visit starts at the visitor’s center where each of us is assigned a Bedouin guided horse (or horse carriage) to the entrance of the Siq where we begin our walk with our guide for the journey into the lost city. We pass through the dramatic Bab-Al-Siq, an immense crack in the Nubian sandstone. It is a winding, one-kilometer long fissure between overhanding cliffs that seem to meet more than 300 feet overhead. Near the end of the passage in towering brightness appears Peta/s most impressive monument: The Treasury. We will also view the burial rooms, The High Place, the majestic mosaics, and much more. Petra is the memorial in stone to one of mankind’s most unique societies – that of the Nabateans. It is well called “the Rose Red City twice as old as time”. We will have lunch at Basin Restaurant at the end of our guided tour. Our journey out will be our choice of horseback or horse-drawn carriage.
Dinner at hotel tonight.
Overnight in Petra: Movenpick Hotel
Day 12 - May 16, 2020: Petra - Amman (B,D) Breakfast at hotel
Early this morning those who choose can board jeeps for a 2-hour jeep ride to Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum offers some of the most extraordinary desert scenery you’ll ever see. Made famous abroad by the exploits of T.E. Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) in the early 20th century, Wadi Rum has lost none of its allure and forbidding majesty. Its myriad mood and dramatic colors dictated by the changing angle of the sun show the timeless rhythm of desert life. Like most deserts, Wadi Rum is as much to be experienced as it is to be seen. Later in the morning our group checks out and boards our coach to Amman.
Dinner at hotel tonight.
Overnight in Amman: Grand Hotel
Day 13 - May 17, 2020: Amman (B,D) Breakfast at hotel
This morning we meet our guide for a full day tour of this fascinating city and its many ancient ruins. Atop Jabal al-Qala’s hill the historic citadel includes the pillars of the Roman Temple of Hercules and the 8th century Umayyad palace complex. Built into a different downtown hillside the Roman Theatre is a 6000 capacity second century stone Amphitheatre offering occasional events. Perhaps we will be lucky enough to be able to attend an event in the Amphitheatre if one is scheduled! We will ascend Mount Nebo where Moses Viewed the Promised Land. On we go to Madaba, (only 9.5 km away) a city which dates from the Middle Bronze Age. Here, we visit St. George’s Greek Orthodox Church which contains the oldest city map of Jerusalem in existence (early 6th century).
Farewell Dinner at local restaurant.
Day 14 - May 18, 2020: Amman - Tel Aviv (B) Breakfast at hotel
As the Allenby Bridge is only a one hour’s drive from Amman, we have ample time to visit Jerash on the way. Nestled in a quiet valley among the mountains of Gilead, Jerash is the world’s most perfectly preserved Roman Provincial capital. To this day its paved and colonnaded streets, souring hilltop temples, handsome theaters, spacious towers and gates remain in exceptional condition. Continue to the Allenby border, cross and board the coach to Tel Aviv to catch your international flight.
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