Itinerary of 13 Day - Private - Exploring Israel Tour - Platinum
 Sunday. Depart the USA to Israel, arriving in Tel Aviv the next day. Your flight includes meals, drinks and in-flight entertainment for your journey.
Monday. Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport. Welcome by our representative and assistance with arrival formalities. Transfer to the exciting city of Tel Aviv, known as the "City That Never Sleeps," passing by centers of culture and recreation from the Mann and Habima Theaters to sprawling beaches and Dizengoff Street. Check into your hotel on the Mediterranean. Welcome dinner and orientation at a Middle-Eastern restaurant in the Yemenite Quarter of the city, followed by a visit to the Old City of Jaffa where you will stroll through the renovated artist colony and the ancient port. (D): TEL AVIV
Tuesday. Begin your trip with an introduction and special visit to Independence Hall where the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel was signed in 1948. Drive north along the coastal highway to Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel's most important cities during the Roman Empire; visit the Herodian Theater and new excavations along the Mediterranean shore concluding with a visit to the 900-year-old crusader city built on the same site. Lunch on your own in the quaint town of Zichron Ya'acov, one of the first communities established by the early Zionist pioneers and the home of the famous Carmel Winery. Travel to a Druze village high atop the Carmel Mountains for a unique hospitality experience. Continue north to Haifa. Check into your hotel. Dinner on your own. (B): HAIFA
Wednesday. View the golden-domed Bah'ai Shrine and the colorful Persian Gardens before departing Haifa. Visit Acre (Akko) and explore the newly renovated underground crusader city now listed on the UNESCO Heritage List and the famous British prison, followed by a visit to the Ottoman fortifications around the city. After lunch on your own, drive north to Rosh Hanikra, a rock formation at the very northern tip of Israel. These white chalk cliffs, created when the strong Mediterranean waters carved subterranean tunnels out of the soft limestone, offer a spectacular view of Haifa Bay and the surrounding hillside. Continue north to the Upper Galilee. Check into the kibbutz hotel. Dinner at the hotel. (B,D): GALILEE
Thursday. Walk through the Tel Dan Nature Reserve located on the largest tributary of the Jordan River near the Biblical settlement of Dan, or take a short hike along the Banias River at the base of the Golan Heights. Take a jeep tour climbing to the Golan Heights in the footsteps of IDF soldiers and their battles in the Six Day War, and enjoy the beautiful natural scenery, gaining insight to the strategic complexity of the Golan, followed by a tour of the Golan Heights. After lunch on your own, proceed to Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism for hundreds of years, and a contemporary artist colony. Visit the many unique synagogues and stroll through the quaint art galleries and shops. Conclude the day by kayaking on the Jordan River (summer months only) and then return to the guesthouse for dinner. (B,D): GALILEE
Friday. Depart the Upper Galilee and drive south via Tiberias, a bustling city located on the shores of the Kinneret, which is one of the four holy Jewish cities in Israel and the site where Maimonedes is buried. Continue on to the archaeological excavations at Beit Shean, one of the largest Roman-Byzantine cities uncovered in Israel (winter) or swim in the warm waters and natural springs at the Gan Hashlosha Nature Reserve (Sachne) situated at the foot of Mt. Gilboa (summer). After an independent lunch en route, ascend to Jerusalem, stopping at Mount Scopus to say the traditional shehechiyanu blessing, recited upon entering Jerusalem. View Jerusalem from a panoramic vantage point for an appreciation of its size and glory. Check into your hotel. Optional services followed by a traditional Shabbat dinner at your hotel. (B, D): JERUSALEM
Saturday. Enjoy a day at leisure to explore Jerusalem, or choose an optional tour to Massada and the Dead Sea. Drive via the Judean Desert to visit Massada (fortress of King Herod and last stronghold of the Zealots). Enjoy the Ein Gedi Spa and a dip in the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth at 1,200 ft below sea level. ($80) (B): JERUSALEM
Sunday. Dialogue with a political science analyst on Israel's political reality and/or meeting with a representative of the Israel Reform Movement. Proceed to the Old City for a guided visit through the Jewish Quarter including the Hurva Square, the Cardo, the Herodian Mansions, the Davidson Center at the Ophel Gardens and the Kotel (Western Wall). After an independent lunch, depart for a guided visit through the newly renovated Yad Vashem complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jews who perished in the Holocaust including the new Historical Museum and the Children's Memorial. (B,D) JERUSALEM
Monday. Depart for the Dead Sea. Visit Massada, 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 the current meaning and significance in modern Israel. After lunch on your own, experience the weightlessness of the Dead Sea as you float in its waters. Take a short hike to "Nahal David" the freshwater spring at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a lush oasis in the Judean Desert overlooking the Dead Sea. Return to Jerusalem for dinner on your own. (B): JERUSALEM
Tuesday. Take part in an active dig at the Beit Guvrin caves and prepare to get your hands dirty as you uncover pottery from the Hellenistic period, 2,300 years ago, followed by a crawl through the Maresha Cave Labyrinth. After lunch on your own en route, visit the Ayalon Institute near Rehovot, which is the site of a clandestine munitions factory from the British Mandate. Transfer to the Sde Dov Airport for flight to Eilat. Upon arrival in Eilat take a cab to your hotel. (B) EILAT
Wednesday. Fun in the sun in Eilat with optional water sports, hiking, jeep trips and much more, or choose an optional day trip to the Hidden Nabatean city of Petra in Jordan. ($159) Free evening and dinner on your own. (B): EILAT
Thursday. Free day to enjoy various activities in Eilat on your own. Take a cab to the airport for your flight to Tel Aviv and transfer to the hotel. (B) TEL AVIV
Friday. Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for departure flight to the USA. (B) FLIGHT
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