| Day 1 -
Arrival in Cairo, Egypt. |
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- Likely to be an afternoon arrival. Free evening to rest,
relax and recover from the long flight. Transfer to Hotel
for dinner and overnight.
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| Day
2 |
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- Overview of tour. Fly to Luxor. Drive to the cruise
ship. Morning carriage ride tour (2 per cart) of the
back streets of Luxor. See the local market and street
scenes that haven’t changed in 500 years. Visit
a field still irrigated by a water wheel driven by ox
power and smoke (sheehsa). Come on…just one puff!
- Embarkation before lunch. Visit Karnak and Luxor Temples.
- Overnight on River Cruiser.
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| Day
3 |
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- Luxor/Esna. Cross the West Bank to
visit Thebes Necropolis, Valley of the
Kings, El Deir El Bahari of Hatshepsut
and Colossi of Memnon facing the Nile.
Sailing to Esna.
- Overnight on River Cruiser at Esna.
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| Day
4 |
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- Esna/Edfu/Kom Ombo/Aswan. Sailing to Edfu, Visit the
Temple of Horus. Sailing to Kom Ombo. Visit the Temple
shared by the two gods, Sobek & Haroeries. Sailing
to Aswan. We cruise down the Nile watching life; that
is essentially unchanged for 5000 years. Remarkable!
- Overnight on River Cruiser at Aswan.
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| Day
5 |
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| Day
6 |
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- Aswan. Disembarkation after breakfast. Sailing by Felucca
and view of Agha Khan Mausoleum. Fly to Abu Simbel. Visit
the Great Temples of Ramses II. They should have been
a wonder of the Ancient World! Fly back to Aswan.
- Overnight
in 5 Star Hotel in Aswan.
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| Day
7 |
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- Fly from Aswan to Cairo. Free Day to explore markets
and old churches at leisure.
- Overnight at Hotel in Cairo.
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| Day
8 |
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- Full day Cairo: Cairo Museum (see the amazing King Tut
exhibit). Visit Memphis and the Pyramids at Sakkara.
- Afternoon: Coptic Quarter and if time permits, Old Cairo
(Napoleonic Cairo).
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| Day
9 |
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- Leave Cairo and Drive through Sinai Peninsula
where the twelve tribes wandered 40 years. The holy family
crossed Sinai fleeing to Egypt from Herod’s persecution.
Arrive at the Mountain of Moses.
- Overnight: St.
Catherine at El Wadi el Mokadass hotel.
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| Day 10 |
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- Climb Mt. Sinai (the best sunrise in the
world) and the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. Catherine:
Its icon-filled church and Burning Bush Chapel. Transfer
through the Sinai Desert to the shores of the Red Sea.
- Travel
to Jordan via ferryboat from Sinai to Aqaba, Jordan and explore
the Lost City of Petra. At the crossroads between Arabia
Egypt and Syria-Phoenicia, this Nabataean caravan city was
the nexus of the ancient trade routes during Jesus’ life.
- Overnight: Petra.
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| Day 11 |
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- Tour Petra: Explore tombs, temples and ancient
Byzantine Church. Petra is half built, half carved in the
rock within a ring of mountains and riddled with passages
and gorges. It is one of the most famous archeological sites
in the world, where ancient Eastern traditions blend with
Hellenistic architecture.
- Overnight: Petra.
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| Day 12 - Jordan
to Israel |
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- Breakfast. Travel desert highway to Amman:
Tour Amman and the burial place of Moses.
- Cross into Israel.
- Overnight: Amman, Jordan.
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| Day 13 |
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- Arrive Sea of Galilee and overnight. The
Sea of Galilee is the only natural lake in the Middle East
and although North America has thousands of lake - some far
larger in size and others far more beautiful - the Sea of
Galilee beats them all because it simply is THE most famous
lake in the world. It is a lake in a desert zone; effect
of water and dryness makes it a stupendous place. A great
setting for miracle events.
- Overnight: Sea of Galilee.
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| Day 14 |
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- Full Day in and around the Sea of Galilee.
Capernaum--home to Jesus for most of his life. See St. Peters
house and the ancient Synagogue. Also by the shore visit
Tabgha and the Church of Peters Primacy to see the ancient
mosaic of the loaves and fishes.
- Next the Mount of
Beatitudes or site of the Sermon on the Mount. This
area affords some special views of the lake.
- Overnight: Sea
of Galilee.
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| Day 15 |
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- Morning: Galilee. 17Boat ride on the Sea
of Galilee. Galilee to Jerusalem
Visit the source of the Jordan River at Caesera Phillipi.
- Travel to Jerusalem via Samaria and ancient Roman city
of Beit Shean, now a major archeological site. Arrive in
Jerusalem – perhaps
the most dreamed about and thought about city in human history.
Walk the way of the cross, traditional site of Dominit Flevit.
- Overnight: Jerusalem.
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| Day 16 |
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- Full day Jerusalem: The Mount of Olives and
the place of Ascension for a panoramic view. Gardens of Gethsemane,
Mt Zion and room of the Last Supper. Visit the Western or
Wailing Wall and Temple Mount rebuilt by Herod the Great
where Jesus preached. Pass through the Coptic Monastery
to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. See the traditional
site of the cross and place where Jesus’ body lay.
- Overnight: Jerusalem.
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| Day 17 |
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- Pass the Inn of the Good Samaritan and proceed
to Qumran and the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth. See
Mount Nebo from where Moses only glimpsed the Promised Land
before his death. Follow the shores of the Dead Sea through
Ein Gedi, then take the Cable Car (or hike) up to Masada – place
of the Zealots last stand against the Romans.
- Overnight:
Jerusalem.
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| Day 18 |
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- Jerusalem: Visit traditional site of the
upper room, Tomb of King David and the Church of Dormition.
See the Israel Museum and Shrine of the Book to see the Dead
Sea Scrolls. Via Delarrosa [way of the cross-place of crucifixion
and burial] plus a free afternoon O/n: Jerusalem. See the
Pater Noster church and walk the Palm Sunday route in the
footsteps of Jesus.
- Overnight: Jerusalem.
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| Day 19 - Tour
Ends |
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- Prayer service at the Garden Tomb. Bethlehem
(if possible) or free day. . . . . . . Early to bed for those
setup for Group Airfare departure. Early morning Sunday April
11 drive to the Tel Aviv airport and fly home. . . . . .
. . . .
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