11 Day - Israel - Land Of Nature - An Ecological Tour | Tours to Israel
 Sunday. Depart the USA to Israel, arriving in Tel Aviv the next day. Your international flight will include meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment for your journey. FLIGHT
Monday. Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport.
Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities.
Depart for Northern Israel.
Introductory nature walk along the Keini River at the base of Megiddo.
Drive to the Upper Galilee.
Check into the Pastoral Hotel on Kibbutz Kfar Blum.
Opening dinner at the kibbutz hotel, followed by orientation. (D) GALILEE
Tuesday. Breakfast at the kibbutz hotel. Short hike along the Banias River at the base of the Golan Heights. Explore Israel's security situation on the Golan Heights while overlooking the Hula Valley from former Syrian fortifications. Cross the Golan Plateau to the border with Syria and observe the abandoned city of Kuneitra and the United Nations outpost located nearby. Take the JNF at the Forefront Jeep ride through the Birya Forest with a representative of the Jewish National Fund exploring Israel's forestation realities and initiatives. Explore Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years, and a contemporary artist colony, including: Guided visits to the Ari, Caro and Abuhav Synagogues with their great stories and mystical messages. Stroll through the quaint art galleries and shop in the artists colony. Visit with a traditional scribe - Sofer Stam. Take part in a mystical Tu B'Shvat Seder in Safed. Return to Kfar Blum. Dinner at the kibbutz hotel.
The Kibbutz and the Environment, A Love-Hate Relationship: Meet with second-generation kibbutz member Dubi Ben Ari. (B, D) GALILEE
Wednesday. Breakfast at the kibbutz hotel.
Visit the re-flooded Hula Lake for a look at the connection between the Hula Valley eco-system and the Zionist Dream.
Visit the Hula Nature Reserve and the Ophoria Interactive Experience, connecting birds, water and the Zionist endeavor.
Drive around the Sea of Galilee. Visit Naharayim, the Island of Peace, located on the border between Israel and Jordan and explore the environmental relationship between Israel and Jordan. Visit Beit Shean National Park, one of the largest archaeological sites in Israel with its Biblical Tel and ongoing excavations exposing the vast Roman-Byzantine City. Drive through the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem. Welcome to Jerusalem. Enter the vibrant and colourful 3,000 year old city of Jerusalem and experience the convergence of the old and the new. Stop at Mount Scopus to recite the traditional "shehechiyanu" blessing, upon entering Jerusalem. Check into the hotel. Free time and dinner on your own in Jerusalem. (B) JERUSALEM
Thursday. Breakfast at the hotel.
The Labyrinth of Israeli Politics: Dialogue with Prof. Reuven Hazan of the Political Science Department at Hebrew University.
Guided walk through the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem for guided visits to some of the sites excavated over the past 30 years, including:
The Cardo, a Byzantine street that is now the oldest shopping arcade in the world, Hurva Square, the central square of the Jewish Quarter, and a guided visit through the 2,000-year old Herodian Mansions in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City.
Guided visit to the Davidson Archaeological Park with a special visit to the Davidson Center, to view the new three-dimensional computer generated presentation of "Life During the Time of the Temple," followed by a guided visit to the Southern Wall Excavations.
The Kotel (Western Wall).
Visit the Western Wall Tunnel, the underground continuation of the Western Wall along the Temple Mount.
Lunch on own.
Hike in the Jerusalem Forest to the Sataf Spring.
The Urban Sprawl Challenge: Jerusalem as a Case Study Guided drive through the Jerusalem Forest and the outskirts of Jerusalem exploring the challenges facing planners, environmentalists and politicians in determining the future growth of the City of Jerusalem, with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.
Enjoy dinner on your own in Jerusalem and select from a wide array of restaurants. (B) JERUSALEM
Friday. Breakfast at the hotel.
The Memory of the Holocaust in Contemporary Israeli Society Dialogue withh Holocaust scholar, Dr. Rachel Korazim.
Guided visit through the newly renovated Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, including the Avenue of the Righteous, the new Historical Museum, the Children's Memorial, the Valley of the Communities, and a concluding Memorial Service.
Visit Mt. Herzl, including the new center dedicated to the life and achievements of the founder of Political Zionism, Theodore Herzl, followed by a visit to his grave and the graves of other national leaders such as Yitzhak Rabin.
Experience the sites, smells, and tastes of Jerusalem while walking through the Machaneh Yehuda Market.
LaDa'at: The Geopolitics of Jerusalem. Travel through the city of Jerusalem exploring some of the political and diplomatic complexities of recent years, including Har Homa, Gilo and the new 'Security Fence' in the Jerusalem area with an in-depth study seminar of the ramifications of current developments.
Free time to prepare for Shabbat.
Shabbat services with one of Jerusalem's Reform congregations.
Festive Shabbat dinner at the hotel. (B, D) JERUSALEM
Saturday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Optional Shabbat Services.
Free Shabbat in Jerusalem with optional visits to:
The Museum of the History of Jerusalem at David's Citadel for a walk through the history of Jerusalem from the time of Abraham 4,000 years ago to the end of the British Mandate over Palestine.
The Israel Museum, one of the most creative and innovative museums in the world with a wide and eclectic collection, ranging from Judaica and archaeology to Renaissance and contemporary Israeli art, concluding with a visit to the Dead Sea Scrolls of the Shrine of the Book and the newly restored Second Temple Period Model of Jerusalem.
The Old City Ramparts for a walk along the ancient walls of the city.
Free Evening in Jerusalem on Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Mall or on Emek Refaim Street in the German Colony. (B) JERUSALEM
Sunday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Check out of the hotel and depart for the Dead Sea Basin.
Ascend by cable car or walk up the snake path to Masada, Herod's mountain palace and site of the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the Roman Legionnaires. Discuss Masada's role as a symbol of Jewish defense and its current significance in modern Israel.
Bathe in the relaxing and healthy sulphur springs and float in the Dead Sea at the Ein Bokek Beach.
Drive to the Reform Kibbutz Yahel in the Arava.
Check into the kibbutz guesthouse.
Dinner at the kibbutz.
Evening Star Gazing program in the Arava Wilderness. (B, D) ARAVA
Monday. Breakfast at the kibbutz guesthouse.
Mifgash: Explore creative Jewish approaches to community life and the environment at Kibbutz Lotan.
Depart for the Negev Desert.
Drive through the massive natural Ramon Crater.
Explore the geological wonders of the Ramon Crater while walking to the unique natural phenomenon known as the Carpentry Shop.
Visit the gravesite of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben Gurion, located at Kibbutz Sde Boker overlooking the Wilderness of Zinn in the Negev Desert.
The Negev: Ben Gurion's Dream and the Environmental Reality - Dialogue with Professor Alon Tal of the Ben Gurion University Desert Research Center, Sde Boker.
Drive to Tel Aviv.
Check into the hotel.
Dinner on your own.
Free evening in Tel Aviv with an opportunity to:
Meander through the Old City of Jaffa, stroll down Rothschild Boulevard with its many cafes and bars, experience the Tel Aviv Port with its restaurants and clubs, explore the newly gentrified Neve Zedek Neighborhood, or
saunter down the Tel Aviv Beach Promenade (B) TEL AVIV
Tuesday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Visit to Independence Hall, site of David Ben Gurion's monumental proclamation of the State of Israel in May 1948.
Environmental Protection: A Jewish Calling - Interactive program at the Abraham Joshua Heschel Center in Tel Aviv.
Visit the Nachalat Binyamin pedestrian mall, with its restored buildings and sidewalk artists, and continue onto the colorful Carmel Market and then to Shenkin, one of Israel's most avant-garde streets.
Mifgash - Israel, the Environment and the Next 20 Years: Visit Pinat Shorashim (The Jewish Roots Garden) on Kibbutz Gezer, which incorporates messages from Jewish tradition into an environmentally friendly and unique "Jewish Garden," for an interactive Jewish experience.
Visit the Old City of Jaffa and stroll through the renovated artists' colony and the ancient port.
Festive farewell dinner. (B, D) TEL AVIV
Wednesday. Breakfast at the hotel.
Check out of the hotel.
Transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport.
Departure flight to the USA, arriving the same day.
Your international flight includes meals, drinks, and in-flight entertainment for your journey. (B) FLIGHT
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