Jordan & Israel Itinerary

The recommended group flight is scheduled to arrive in Amman, Jordan this evening . Geoff Carroll of Travel the Text will meet you at the airport. We will orient ourselves to the world of the Bible as we transfer to our nearby hotel in Amman (Opal Hotel), and enjoy a nice dinner together and some well earned rest!

Few places in the world inspire the imagination of archaeologists, artists, and travelers like the city of Petra, the Nabatean capital of the first century and a possible location where Paul spent time in Arabia (Galatians 1:17). We will spend a FULL day here to explore the rock formations, architecture, and raw beauty of this wilderness wonder. After some initial morning teaching and orientation at some of the most historical areas, you will be free to explore the many trails, camel rides, and bedouin tea and lunch experiences that await! Dinner and our final night at Petra Guesthouse.

Today we continue from Petra to another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the desert valley of Wadi Rum. Sometimes called the “Valley of the Moon” for its dramatic landscape, we will explore this region on a 2 hour jeep tour, perhaps even having some tea with the local bedouin. From there we shift perspectives and head to the shores of the Red Sea for a snorkeling excursion and an entirely different view of the world! Dinner and overnight at the Hyatt Regency Aqaba, Jordan.

This morning we will cross into Israel, visiting Timna Valley Park, where we see more geological wonders, ancient copper mines, and ancient rock drawings. A highlight near Timna for our Biblical study is a full size replica of the Biblical Tabernacle, constructed to match Biblical descriptions. After our study and exploration we will continue north, stopping along the way at the gaping geological wonder of Maktesh Ramon, which served as the border between two Biblical wildernesses. We continue to Jericho Oasis for dinner and overnight.

Today we will descend to the oldest part of Jerusalem, the City of David, where we will walk through Hezekiah’s Tunnel and the Pool of Siloam. We will then ascend the first-century road to the Southern Steps Excavations, at the base of the Temple Mount. In the afternoon we will explore the Israel Museum, visiting the Jerusalem model, the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, and the archaeological wing for our time period of study. We finish the day getting our hands dirty at the Sifting Project before returning to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today we return to Jerusalem focusing especially on the time period of Jesus life and his death, burial, and resurrection. We begin our day early, ascending onto the Temple Mount and visiting the Pools of Bethesda. We will continue to the Mount of Olives, stopping at Bethany and the Church of All Nations. We will enjoy free time in the Old City for lunch and shopping, concluding our day at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and then the Western Wall before returning for dinner and overnight in Jericho.

This morning we explore the Church of the Nativity and then shop for olive wood treasures. Afterwards, we travel deep into the Wilderness of Judea, stoping at Qumran for lunch and study on location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered and end our day with a float in the Dead (Salt) Sea. Dinner and final night in Jericho.

As we make our way into Galilee, we will stop first at biblical Ephraim (Taybeh) and better understand daily life in the first century. We will then travel the Beth Shean, a major Roman city in the region known as the Decapolis, before arriving at our lodging in Galilee for dinner and overnight

Jesus called many of His disciples around the Sea of Galilee, and we will wake up along its shore. We will travel around the immediate region, first to Capernaum, Jesus home-base for ministry. We will then ascend Mt. Arbel for a beautiful panoramic view of the region and study time, before continuing on to Magdala, where archaeologists excavated a first-century synagogue that Jesus may have visited. We will close our day together with a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight at Ein Gev.

Today we travel to the most northern part of Israel. There are many sites in this area we love visiting, and final site plans will be determined closer to dates. Site experiences are likely to include Katzrin, a Talmudic site that helps us better understand village-life in Galilee, Dan, where the Israelites worshiped false gods, and Caesarea Philippi, and the Gates of Hades. Dinner and our final night in Galilee.

We conclude our journey at the coast! On our way we will visit the outskirts of Nazareth to overlook the Jezreel Valley, Mt. Carmel, where the famous contest by fire took place between God and Baal, and finish at Caesarea Maritima, a major first-century Roman port city on the Mediterranean. Afterwards, we will enjoy a final meal together before going to the airport for your late night departure flight back home.

Now that you have literally walked where Jesus and so many people in the Bible have walked, it is time to take the Good News of the Kingdom of Heaven into your world, reminding everyone that Jesus continues to renew and reconcile all things to Himself.