The Holy Land for solo travellers

Itinerary

1. 

   Fly to Tel Aviv - welcome dinner (D, DR)

   Morning: meet your Tour Manager and fellow travelling companions at Heathrow Airport and check-in for your flight to Tel Aviv.

   Afternoon: arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport and be met by your expert local guide who will welcome you and escort you to your hotel in Tel Aviv for a two-night stay. Earlier flight arrivals may undertake some of the Tel Aviv city tour if possible today to allow more free time tomorrow.

   Evening: welcome drinks gathering hosted by your Tour Manager and Local Guide, to get to know everyone, followed by dinner in the hotel.

   Key to symbols: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, DR = Drink

2. 

   Tel Aviv city tour - Carmel Market tasting tour (B, L, D)

   Morning: a city tour of Tel Aviv starting in Jaffa to explore the stony walkways and beautiful port overlooking the Tel Aviv skyline, with its art galleries and historic stone buildings. Jaffa is perched on a hill overlooking the Mediterranean and named after Japhet - one of Noah's three sons who founded the city after escaping from the flood. Visit Neve Tzedek, a neighborhood known for its chic boutiques and whimsical buildings.

   Afternoon: enjoy a tasting tour of the Carmel Market. Take in the sensory delights of this vibrant market teeming with flavors, and continue onto a graffiti tour of  Florentin’s street art. Learn of the rich history of the formation of Tel Aviv along the way. Make notable stops at sites like Independence Hall and Rabin Square to better understand this iconic city.

   Evening: dinner in the hotel.

   Key to symbols: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, DR = Drink

3. 

   Caesarea, Kibbutz tour, Old City of Akko and Nazareth (B, D)

   Morning: depart Tel Aviv and travel to Caesarea built by the Romans and enlarged under Herod. Ancient ruins, beautiful beaches and modern residences sit side-by-side. We then continue to the Old City of Akko  a UNESCO World Heritage Site in recognition of the remains of the Crusader town. These ruins are both above and below street level. It’s also because the city is one of a very small number of Ottoman walled towns. It has citadels, mosques, khans, and baths, all of which have been preserved.

   Afternoon: after free time for lunch (at own cost) in the walled town we continue to Nazareth and visit the Basilica of the Annunciation where Mary the mother of Jesus was first visited by the Angel Gabriel. It is Nazareth where Jesus spent most of his life, and the surrounding region of Galilee where he spent most of the few short years of his ministry. Later we visit Cana where the miracle of the turning of water to wine is said to have taken place. We then continue to the shores of Lake Galilee and check-in to your hotel for a two-night stay.

   Evening: dinner in the hotel.

   Key to symbols: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, DR = Drink

4. 

   Golan, Capernaum Mount of Beatitudes and Galilee cruise (B, L, D)

   Morning: visit a kibbutz, being shown around by a kibbutz member and exploring the history and development of this unique form of community and meet some of the residents. After, continue to the Mount of Beatitudes, where the Sermon on the Mount was delivered. Travel to Upper Golan and Banias National Park for a short walk to the Banias Waterfall that provides water to the River Jordan. Mentioned in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, under the name of Caesarea Philippi, as the place where Jesus confirmed Peter's confession that Jesus was the Messiah. Then, continue to Mount Bental for a scenic vista across the Golan Heights. Continue to visit a Druze community. The Druze are an Arab minority group who live peacefully in Israel and are renowned for their hospitality. While they speak Arabic, their mysterious religion and unique culture set them apart from other Israeli Arabs, and they even have their own separate court of law recognized by the state.

   Afternoon: enjoy your included lunch with the Druze before continuing to Tabgha the site of the miracle of the multiplication of loaves and fishes where Jesus fed the 5,000. Here we visit the Church of St. Peter's Primacy, the location of Jesus' reinstatement of Peter as chief among the Apostles. Later we visit Capernaum where Jesus lived after being driven from Nazareth and also the home of the disciples Peter, Andrew and Matthew and where several healings took place. We round of the day with a relaxing cruise across the Sea of Galilee on a traditional wooden boat. A great time to contemplate the path you have followed these last days

   Evening: dinner in the hotel.

   Key to symbols: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, DR = Drink

5. 

   Jordan River, Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, Dead Sea and overnight in Bedouin camp (B, L, D)

   Morning: visit the Jordan River Baptismal site and visit where Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist. Then pass by Jericho onto Qumran, located on the north-western shore of the Dead Sea in the Judean Desert, known as the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. After, continue to the Ein Gedi Nature reserve for the walk on a path with wooden bridges, lookout balconies, and stone staircases. After passing several lovely pools and cascades you will reach the last and highest waterfall in the stream, called the “David Waterfall”. The water drops from a height of about 36 meters to a shallow pool.

   Afternoon: continue to the Dead Sea for an included lunch and the the opportunity to float in its briny waters. It was one of the world's first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of a wide variety of products, from asphalt for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilisers. After continue to your Bedouin camp, for an overnight stay, and take a camel or donkey ride the final section to find the camp tucked away in the Kana`im Valley in the Judean desert between the city of Arad and the ancient citadel of Masada. Your picturesque desert resort features spacious lodges made of local stone and many relaxing spots to unwind among palm trees and captivating nature.

   Evening: dinner under the stars (weather permitting) with your Bedouin hosts.

   Key to symbols: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, DR = Drink

6. 

   Masada, Judea Desert Jeep tour and the Mount of Olives (B, L, D)

   Morning: drive to Masada (Hebrew for fortress) that sits atop an isolated rock-cliff overlooking the Judean Desert and the Dead Sea. Masada has become one of the Jewish people's greatest symbols as the place where the last Jewish stronghold against Roman invasion stood.

   Afternoon: after an included lunch explore the Judean Desert with a licensed tour guide, on board of a Jeep, and learn of the plants and animals that inhabit this extreme environment.  Drive up Jabal Montar - the mountain which is believed to be the site of the biblical scapegoat ceremony (Azazel in Hebrew) in which a goat was carried out from the temple and cast out in the desert, carrying with it the sins of the community. Continue your trip in the Jeep and stop at an observation point and admire the breathtaking views over the 1,500-year-old Mar Saba Monastery. After, continue to Jerusalem to the Mount of Olives lookout before checking in to your hotel close to the city walls for a four-night stay.

   Evening: dinner in the hotel.

   Key to symbols: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, DR = Drink

7. 

   Temple Mount, Western Wall - Dinner with a Jewish Orthodox family (B, D)

   Morning: visit the Temple Mount and see the outside of the Dome of the Rock a holy site for Jewish, Christian, and Muslim people. Within the area of the Temple Mount, there are about 100 different structures to see spanning different time periods, including prayer locations, arches, and fountains. After, continue to visit the City of David Hill and National Park, Hezekiah's Tunnel and Mt. Zion; the highest point in Jerusalem. The final stop will be at the Western Wall, also called Wailing Wall, in the Old City of Jerusalem, a place of sacred prayer and pilgrimage. It is the only remains of the retaining wall surrounding the Temple Mount, the site of the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem.

   Afternoon: this afternoon is free. Wander the old city and enjoy the local atmosphere. Lunch (at own cost) in a local restaurant or sample the array of fascinating Jerusalem street food.

   Evening: this evening we divide the group amongst several Jewish Orthodox homes to enjoy a traditional dinner, learn of their customs and enjoy their hospitality and be welcomed into their home.

   Key to symbols: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, DR = Drink

8. 

   Via Dolorosa and Garden Tomb (B, D)

   Morning: visit the Church of St Anne and the pool at Bethesda, identified as the scene of one of Jesus’ miracles, the healing of the paralysed man who had waited for 38 years for someone to help him into the pool “when the water is stirred” — an event believed to have curative powers. After, we stroll the Via Dolorosa “the sorrowful way” in which Jesus travelled on the day of his crucifixion from the judgement seat of Pilate to Mount Calvary. Your guide will give a fascinating insight and pause some of the fourteen stations of the cross and describe the incidents that took place. Finish at The Garden Tomb, a possible location for the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Christ Jesus. Near to the Damascus Gate and standing in the shadow of Skull Hill you will find this beautiful garden with its ancient empty tomb. After finish at the Friends of Zion Museum. Each of the four floors exhibits different periods in Jewish history, including the 19th century, the British Mandate for Palestine, the Holocaust and the establishment of Israel.

   Afternoon: free to explore Jerusalem or relax in the hotel and enjoy its facilities.

   Evening: dinner in the hotel.

   Key to symbols: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, DR = Drink

9. 

   Bethlehem - winery visit (B, D, DR)

   Morning: journey to the Shepherds Fields the site where an angel of the Lord came and said unto them, ‘Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy’. A thoroughly moving experience. After, we visit the Basilica of the Nativity in Manger Square, the oldest complete church in the Christian world, which was built by the emperor Justinian in the 6th century. It replaced the original church of Constantine the Great, built over the cave venerated as Christ’s birthplace, and dedicated in AD 339.

   Afternoon: visit a friendly local Palestinian community where you will be welcomed and have the chance to interact. After, visit a local winery in the hills above Bethlehem for a tasting and learn of the regions viticulture and to enjoy the scenery.

   Evening: farewell drinks gathering followed by dinner in the hotel.

   Key to symbols: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, DR = Drink

10. 

    Depart for the UK (B)

    Morning: a final morning to wander Jerusalem before a midday departure for the airport.

    Afternoon: depart for Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion and bid farewell to your local guide and the Holy Land.

    Evening: arrival at Heathrow and farewell to your travelling companions after this 10 day experience.

    Key to symbols: B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner, DR = Drink

Essential Information

Practical information

Dates